The true story of the rise of the 36th President of the United States is told in Director Rob Reiner’s new biographical drama, LBJ.
Reiner’s film charts the life of Lyndon Baines Johnson, from his young days in West Texas, to becoming the running mate to Senator John F. Kennedy after losing the 1960 Democratic presidential nomination. Sidelined after the election, the once powerful Senate Majority Leader finds himself and the world changed after Kennedy is assassinated and he is thrust into the presidency. Now he must contend with a mourning nation and use his political acumen as he seeks to honor JFK's legacy by championing the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Following the DGA membership screening in Los Angeles on November 19, Reiner sat down with DGA President Thomas Schlamme (The Americans) to discuss the making of LBJ.
In addition to LBJ, Reiner’s credits include the feature films This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, Misery, Ghosts of Mississippi, The Story of Us, The Bucket List, The Magic of Belle Isle and Being Charlie; and the movies for television Sonny Boy, Likely Stories, Vol. 1 and Everyday Life. He is a three-time nominee for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for Stand by Me (1986), When Harry Met Sally... (1989) and A Few Good Men (1992). Reiner has been a DGA member since 1974.
You can listen to Reiner's Q&A by clicking the podcast episode embedded below. You can find more DGA podcast episodes here.