Bill Clinton Makes Surprise Appearance At New York Premiere Of ‘Lion’
Bill Clinton made a surprise appearance at the New York premiere of The Weinstein Company’s upcoming Oscar hopeful title Lion last night.
The former president came down from Chappaqua – without Hillary – to see the film with its stars Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman and Sunny Pawar, the eight year-old Indian boy who plays the young Saroo, who recently gained entry to the U.S. after TWC appealed to officials at the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection for his entrance.
Harvey Weinstein made the surprise announcement during the introduction and Clinton stood up from his seat to a standing ovation.
“Last Tuesday, we suffered a nightmare as a country,” said Weinstein, a longtime Clinton supporter, to the audience. “I’ve seen…the hate crimes and the prejudice against women…and the progress people made on climate control, all of that starting to be peeled away. But as long as my friend is here with me, and with the American people, then I don’t think we’re going to have to worry. We’re going to have to fight, but at least we’ve got someone who is an inspiration. Since last Tuesday, I’ve seen the hate crimes, the antisemitism, the prejudice against women, LGBT, and the progress people made on climate control, all of that starting to be peeled away. But, as long as my friend is here with me, and with the American people, then I don’t think we’re gonna have to worry. We’re gonna have to fight, but at least we’ve got someone who is an inspiration. Ladies and gentleman, President William Jefferson Clinton”
Lion is directed by Garth Davis and follows the story of a young Indian boy who gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, India, thousands of miles from home. He endures many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia and then, 25 years later, sets out to find his lost family.
It’s produced by See Saw Films’ Iain Canning and Emile Sherman as well as Angie Fielder and will be released domestically on November 25.
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