“You Can’t Actually Blow Up the White House”: An Oral History of ‘Independence Day’
BY AARON COUCH | HollywoodReporter.Com Troy Warren for CNT As the beloved film turns 25, director Roland Emmerich, writer Dean Devlin and stars Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Vivica A. Fox, Randy Quaid and more look back at the battle to cast Will Smith, concerns over that famous Super Bowl ad, and a last-minute reshoot to save the ending. “Today, we celebrate our Independence Day.” Twenty-five years ago, those words electrified audiences, who braved long lines and sold-out crowds to see the most anticipated movie of 1996. Independence Day, which opened over the July Fourth weekend, turned Will Smith into a global star, birthed one of…