The passing of beloved actor Gene Hackman not only marks the end of a cinematic era but also an era when Americans of different political backgrounds could look past their differences to see the inherent goodness in the other.
Nothing better displayed this reality than Hackman’s past praise of former President Ronald Reagan, despite him being a longtime Democrat.
“You loved President Reagan,” Larry King said to Hackman during an interview on CNN following the former president’s death in 2004.
“Yes, I’m a Democrat, but I also loved the idea of that man. He was so committed to America. A beautiful American,” said Hackman.
“You never worked with him, right?” asked Larry King.
“I didn’t, but I met him. And it’s funny, we had an occasion to meet a lot of famous people being in this profession, and I was sitting outside the Oval Office thinking, ‘Well, I’ll get this over with and go to lunch.’ When I got in the Oval Office, I was like, ‘Hey, this is really something.’ I was very affected by it and by him.”
“It hits you,” said King.
“It does,” responded Hackman.
People under 30 won't get it, but before politics became a Grift Industrial Complex, there was a time when we could disagree but still like one another.
— Giancarlo Sopo (@GiancarloSopo) January 30, 2024
Watch actor Gene Hackman on Ronald Reagan:
"I'm a Democrat but I also loved the idea of that man (...) A beautiful American." https://t.co/VR0ashmAKO pic.twitter.com/NcrjZZKTfK
As AFP reported, Hackman died at the age of 95 alongside his wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, under what police have deemed “suspicious circumstances.”
“Authorities initially said there were no signs of foul play, but celebrity news outlet TMZ, citing a search warrant, said a detective believed the deaths were suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation,'” said the report.
“The person who reported the deaths found the door of Hackman’s home unlocked and open, and pills scattered next to Arakawa’s body, which was found in the bathroom with a space heater near to her head,” it added.
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thriller, EXEMPLUM, which has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating and can be viewed for FREE on YouTube, Tubi, or Fawesome TV. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow him on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
