Pullman's president calls shots, By LOUIS B. HOBSON, Edmonton Sun (Sunday, June 30, 1996)

NEW YORK -- In the science-fiction thriller Independence Day, Bill Pullman calls the shots. At least on screen.

Pullman plays the president of the United States. It's up to his world leader to decide what weapons to employ against the attacking aliens. "I was very insecure about playing a president. I didn't want it to look as if I was making fun of any person living or dead," admits Pullman. Instead, the actor chose to pattern his president after a young John Wayne.

"He's willing to lead the attack against the aliens. He's not satisfied with watching from some control room.

Last summer, Pullman was battling ghosts in Casper. This year it's spidery aliens.

"Aliens are a little more slow moving than ghosts. I almost got whiplash trying to deal with the ghosts in Casper."

Pullman made his screen debut in 1986 playing Bette Midler's inept kidnapper in Ruthless People. Before starring as the man who won Sandra Bullock's heart in While You Were Sleeping, Pullman made a career of playing the rejected suitor in such films as Sleepless In Seattle and Sommersby. Now he's being offered leading-man roles and action heroes. "I turned down both the volcano movies," admits Pullman, referring to next summer's special-effects disaster movies Dante's Peak and Volcano. "After aliens, floods and lava just didn't seem that enticing. I felt if I did either of them, I'd just be doing a lesser version of Independence Day."

Pierce Brosnan has been cast in Dante's Peak and Tommy Lee Jones took the role Pullman was offered in Volcano.

Though he's not had any personal close or distant alien encounters, Pullman says he feels "there is definitely something out there that could destroy us whether it be aliens or a virus." If there were an actual alien invasion, Pullman says he would greet it with "either a great deal of dignity or a great deal of sex."