Renny Harlin

Renny Harlin has established himself in Hollywood as a filmmaker with the ability to identify and develop a wide range of material. His credits span multiple genres — including action-oriented blockbusters and critically acclaimed dramas. Harlin’s most recent film, “5 Days of War,” is an action-packed international thriller about the 2008 five-day war between Russia and the Georgian Republic and the complicated politics and dangers involved with exposing the truth during times of war. “A Nightmare on Elm Street IV,” directed by Harlin, broke records in 1988 as the highest-grossing independent film at that time. His films have starred blockbuster actors including Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, Christopher Reeve, Christopher Walken, Sissy Spacek and Robert Duvall, among many others. Harlin received an Independent Spirit Award for best independent movie of the year for producing the film “Rambling Rose,” which also landed Oscar nominations for its two leading actresses in 1991. 

ROBIN BRONK: If you had five minutes in the Oval Office with President Obama, what would you discuss with him? What issue would you like him to know about?

RENNY HARLIN: Doing the movie in Georgia really brought home the fact that energy policy isn’t some abstract thing, that our dependence on oil affects everything we care about, and has a devastating impact worldwide. The country of Georgia was on the verge of being everything the United States wants in the world — a beacon of democracy, a thriving economy in the former Soviet Union that is open to the West. And ultimately, that got crushed because of a conflict over an oil pipeline. The United States was forced to stand by and do nothing, because of our own dependence on oil. I’d tell Obama to let that be his message to America on energy. When you just talk to people about driving less and paying more at the pump, of course they’re going to resist. When you talk to people about partisan issues like gas taxes, we’re never going to make progress. But all Americans agree on those fundamental ideals. We can all look at a little country like Georgia getting crushed for the sake of an oil pipeline and know it’s wrong. A new energy policy can reinforce what makes America great.

RB: If you could give President Obama one piece of advice, what would that be?

RH: It feels odd to give the president advice, but perhaps the one area [in which] I might have some expertise to share would be in connecting to an audience. I mean, politicians and filmmakers are both in the business of connecting to a mass audience, so we have that in common. Speaking purely as a director, I think the president is very good at certain things — he projects intelligence and calm. I think he could work on projecting more fire, more passion. He’s very good at building consensus, but consensus-building isn’t always good drama. When you’re looking to capture the imagination of an audience — and with the issues he faces, he needs to capture the imagination of the American people — you need conflict. His desire to find common ground with his enemies is wonderful. But it’s not always compelling. He can’t be afraid to fight sometimes, to be the kind of guy that people look to as a hero.

RB: If you could ask President Obama one question, what would that be?

RH: I would ask what he would have done when scores of innocent civilians were being killed as Russia invaded a sovereign independent country like Georgia, had he already been in power. I guess it all boils down to the question whether America, in his opinion should, or can, act as “World Police.”

RB: What book would you lend President Obama, and why?

RH: “Master of War” by Suzanne Simons. It’s a brilliant portrayal of Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater. Reading this book would be a good reminder of the business of war for the president, and maybe would inspire him to explore ways to direct some of the trillions spent on various wars into something more productive, such as education, resolving unemployment and healthcare.

RB: Where is the one place in the United States that you’d take the president for a visit? Why?

RH: One place in the United States? Maybe to the most conservative place he can find — Houston or Salt Lake City. Go unannounced, and just hang out with some of the people there at a diner. Because the fact is, he’d probably be surprised by how well he’d get along with the people there, and they’d probably be surprised by how well he gets along with them. The people in this country are far less polarized than the politics. It’s good for us to remember that, especially in the middle of times like these.

RB: Would you run for political office?

RH: That’s probably a bad idea. I’m a Hollywood movie director from a foreign country. Making negative political commercials slamming me is almost too easy … but then again, I might be good at it. I’ve made films that have made a lot of money, so I’m comfortable with the big government budgets. I’ve made films that have lost a lot of money, too, so I’d fit right in with politicians. I’m the only candidate who has convinced Sylvester Stallone to strap himself to a cliff in the Alps during a snowstorm. If I can do that, fixing America’s problems should be easy.

Bronk is a seasoned Capitol Hill strategist and advocate. She started her career at The Creative Coalition, a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy group for the arts and entertainment industry, in July 1998. During her tenure as CEO, Bronk has taken The Creative Coalition from a New York-based entity to a national organization. www.thecreativecoalition.org