And he recounts what Armstrong told him about it.
A former White House and Pentagon official called out the makers of an upcoming biographical film about Neil Armstrong for omitting the moment Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin planted the American flag on the moon.
“First Man,” which premiered at the Venice Film Festival last week and is scheduled to hit theaters in October, chronicles Armstrong’s life from 1961 to the Moon landing in 1969.
Hollywood star Ryan Gosling, who portrays Armstrong in the movie, told The Telegraph the flag was omitted from the moon landing because the achievement of humans walking on the moon “transcended countries and borders.”
“I think this was widely regarded in the end as a human achievement [and] that’s how we chose to view it,” Gosling said.
“I don’t think that Neil viewed himself as an American hero. From my interviews with his family and people that knew him, it was quite the opposite. And we wanted the film to reflect Neil.”
Douglas MacKinnon, who served in the White House as a writer for former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush and afterwards in a joint command at the Pentagon, says the film fails to accurately portray Armstrong’s patriotism.