Peter Bart: Joe Biden Can Learn A Thing Or Two From Hollywood About Presidential Speeches
deadline.com“Why can’t he learn how to give a better speech?” With the State of the Union address looming next month, Joe Biden’s Hollywood critics and supporters increasingly ask that question as they see his approval ratings tank even as his policies gain favor.Talk with Michael Douglas, Robert Redford, Warren Beatty and others who have portrayed U.S.
presidents and political climbers during their careers and they all describe their intense self-training in presidential cadence and elocution.
Even Ronald Reagan habitually consulted coach Michael Deaver (and wife Nancy), while Lyndon Johnson demanded the presence of director Franklin Schaffner.
They worked hard at it.“A presidential speech today is like seeing a Marvel movie with no action,” observes filmmaker Barry Levinson.
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