The Front Runner premiere: On the red carpet with director Jason Reitman at London Film Festival 2018

From the man behind the brilliant Thank You for Smoking, Juno, Up in the Air and Tully comes political drama The Front Runner, which presents a relevant and empathetic look at the intersection of public and private lives, politics and news via the 1988 story of disgraced US Senator Gary Hart.

In Jason Reitman’s latest feature, Hugh Jackman gives his most nuanced performance yet as the intelligent and charismatic – if idealistic – Hart. The excellent Vera Farmiga plays his wife Lee, who must withstand the humiliation of the politician’s rumoured affair with a young blonde reaching headline news and ultimately coming in the way of his ambitions to become president.

We hit the red carpet at the movie’s London Film Festival premiere to speak with Reitman (to the disappointment of a hoard of shivering fans, Jackman sadly was held up by a problem with his private jet…) who told us about what inspired him to tell Hart’s story, working with Jackman and the relevance of the film to today’s politics.

Sarah Bradbury
Video: Marta Starczynowska

The Front Runner is released nationwide on 11^th January 2019. Read our review here.

Read more reviews and interviews from our London Film Festival 2018 coverage here.

For further information about the festival visit the official BFI website here.

Watch the trailer for The Front Runner here: