Former U.S. President Barack Obama is a die-hard film fanatic. Notable TV director and producer Sam Esmail’s brilliance has amassed fans far and wide, especially with Rami Malek’s Mr. Robot. But the fact that his work derived recognition from Barack Obama remains a highlight of his career. Appearing in an interview, Esmail unraveled about all things film and his love for the field.
With his recent movie, Leave The World Behind, the central topic of discussion, the hosts wanted to delve into his experience working with Obama as the executive producer for the film. Moreover, Esmail shared a hilarious story insinuating Obama’s excitement for his hit TV series Mr. Robot.
Barack Obama grew impatient for Mr. Robot
In the recent episode of ReelBlend Podcast on YouTube on Wednesday, the 46-year-old director talked about his latest release, Leave The World Behind which revolves around an apocalyptic theme, an adaptation from Rumaan Alam’s book of the same name. It stars the most talented list of Hollywood stars including Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, and Kevin Bacon. Notably, the list of producers flaunts Michelle and Barack Obama as executive producers.
Talking about Obama’s indulgence in the movie’s production, the discussion steered toward the former president’s love for films. Esmail revealed that Obama watched his breakthrough series Mr. Robot, starring Emmy winner Rami Malek. In fact, Obama was low-key impatient for Season 2 as he reached out to the producer for rough cuts of episodes. Esmail disclosed,
“We were in the middle of second season and it hadn’t aired yet and we were cutting the episodes and he was president at the time and he…someone from White House contacted our office and said he’d love to get rough cuts of the episodes before they aired.”
Enthralled by working alongside whom Esmail described as one of the most brilliant minds on the planet, he marked it as his career highlight. The Rami Malek-starrer aired from 2005-2019, garnering wide acclaim, and vaulting Esmail to the top of the industry.
Barack Obama actively produced Leave The World Behind
Sam Esmail shared a deep insight into Barack Obama’s efforts as a producer of the movie after one of the hosts asked what the term meant for the former president. Initially unaware of Obama’s love for films, Esmail was surprised by his in-depth knowledge of the film sphere. Esmail revealed,
“He’s a huge movie lover…He really was committed to making this into a great movie and you know he was giving me notes at the script stage, multiple drafts including posts, and rough cuts and he was really involved. It’s kind of a surreal, because I do think he is one of the most Brilliant Minds on the planet and to get and to get his insight on this, it was a highlight of my career.”
The Comet director also claimed that he had geek-out sessions with Obama on their favorite films and TV shows. This is when he learned that the former president wasn’t just a fanatic of mainstream hits, but fostered a deep knowledge of the sphere. Undoubtedly, it was a one-of-a-kind project for Esmail, and hopefully, we might see more such collaborations between the two great minds.
