Hillary Clinton talks new Hulu documentary, 2020 strategy
Former presidential nominee comes to Television Critics Association session
Hillary Clinton wants Americans to take their vote seriously in the upcoming presidential election because “Lord knows what will happen if we don’t retire the current incumbent and his henchmen.” Speaking to journalists at the Television Critics Association press tour, Clinton said of the 2020 election, “We’re in a real struggle with a form of politics that is incredibly negative, exclusive and mean-spirited. It’s going to be up to every voter to recognize this is no ordinary time. This is an election that will have such profound impact.” Clinton visited the press tour with director Nanette Burstein to promote “Hillary,” a four-part documentary series coming to Hulu in March. Hulu describes it as “a remarkably intimate portrait of a public woman.” The film interweaves never-before-seen 2016 campaign footage with biographical chapters of her life. Featuring exclusive interviews with its subject, as well as Bill Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, friends and journalists, the series examines how she became at once one of “the most admired and vilified women in the world.” “Hillary” will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival running today through Feb. 2. Appearing in a 30-minute panel session, Burstein and Clinton explained that the film originally was supposed to be a campaign documentary. But Burstein came back to her subject wanting to tell a “bigger story” — one about “the arc of women’s history, advancement, choices that are made.” Clinton said that “nothing was off limits” while sitting down for “around 35 hours” of interviews. And cameras apparently were constantly rolling, even during hair-and-makeup sessions. Regarding the final product, Clinton said, “It’s really hard watching yourself for four hours. Thank God, it’s only four hours.” During the spirited Q&A session, Clinton never mentioned Donald Trump by name, but had a lot to say about the man who defeated her in the 2016 election. Speaking specifically to Democratic voters, she had some advice: “Try to vote for the person you think is most likely to win because at the end of the day, that is what will matter. And not just the popular vote, but the Electoral College, as we’ve learned.” That last line drew laughter. As for those who have become so “frustrated, disgusted and turned off” by politics that they don’t even want to vote, she urged them to reconsider their stance. “It wasn’t so long ago that we actually had a president that we didn’t have to worry every morning when we woke up about what was going to happen that day, or what crazy tweet would threaten war or some other awful outcome,” she said. But no matter who wins in November, some things need to change, Clinton insisted. “We’ve got to somehow understand that you can’t make good decisions in a democracy if we can’t even agree on basic facts, if we can’t have some understanding of what the evidence is on which we base our decisions,” she said. “And even though the media has a great role in transporting us and challenging us and taking us out of our everyday reality, there does need to be a kind of base reality that people can tune into and feel they can rely on. “You can disagree with the facts, but there are facts,” she added. “You can choose not to vaccinate your children but there are facts. You can choose not to believe in climate change, but there are facts. And somehow we’ve got to shoulder that responsibility not only at a political leadership level but literally at the citizen, activist, concerned human being level.”
This and that
In other news out of the TCA winter press gathering: • CBS said the freshman crime drama “FBI: Most Wanted” has been seen by 9.67 million viewers, making it the most-watched freshman series this season (surpassing ABC’s “Stumptown” at 9.11 million). Producer Dick Wolf said there are plans for a spring crossover between the series and “FBI,” the show that spawned it. • Guest stars for Season 2 of “The Twilight Zone” revival on the CBS All Access streaming service include Morena Baccarin, Jenna Elfman, Tavi Gevinson, Tony Hale (who’s about to star in an American Conservatory Theater stage production in San Francisco of the Broadway hit “Wakey, Wakey”), Gillian Jacobs, Joel McHale, Chris Meloni, Billy Porter, Jimmi Simpson and Daniel Sunjata. Season 2 will debut later this year. • Jimmy Fallon will host “That’s My Jam,” a new comedy variety event series inspired by the popular, celebrity-fueled musical segments on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” It will premiere out of the Tokyo Olympics this summer and in prime time. • The medical series “New Amsterdam” has been renewed for three years, through the 2022-23 season.