Were you disappointed that your Civil War movie didn’t have any battle scenes?No, I wasn’t, because it’s been done so much. There have been some wonderful films with beautifully done battles and gore and all that. But I was more interested in what the vibe was following the war. You portray Lincoln’s assassination, but you choose not to show his face. Why?If you try to authenticate his face, you’re just never going to win. There’s no face like it except the real one. How helpful or harmful to your career has it been to be known as someone who is passionate about politics?I am passionate. I am political about my country, about what it is, how strong it is, how strong it remains. [My last film,] Lions for Lambs, got rough treatment, and I think it was because — and I don’t want to sound defensive — but I think it was misperceived. I’m not a left-wing person. I’m just a person interested in the sustainability of my country.
