AUGUST 8, 2006ÑWorld Trade Center is not the 9/11 film anyone expected from Oliver Stone.
The controversial director of JFK and Nixon dispenses with the politics and conspiracy theories to tell the little-known true story of two Port Authority police officers rescued from the rubble of the Twin Towers.
Sgt. John McLoughlin and Officer Will Jimeno (played, respectively, by Nicolas Cage and CrashÕs Michael Pe–a) found themselves buried under the World Trade Center while trying to assist people fleeing the North Tower. They remained trapped for 12 hours before they were eventually found and pulled to safety.
Stone also recounts how their wivesÑDonna McLoughlin and Allison McLoughlin (played, respectively, by Maria Bello and Maggie Gyllenhaal)Ñcoped with the possibility that they died when the World Trade Center collapsed.
Prior to World Trade CenterÕs Aug. 9 release, Allison Jimeno visited Miami to discuss how she copedÑwhile being pregnant with her second daughterÑwith not knowing what happened to her husband in the hours after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Here are Jimeno's comments on:
Her state of mind while her husband was trapped under the rubble of the World Trade Center
Throughout the day it was a total rollercoaster of emotions for me. There were high points, there were low points. There were times when I had hope; there were times when I didnÕt have any left. É A lot came from information I received from the police desk, and every time I spoke to someone there the news would get worse and worse. I would speak to some of my family members and friends, and they would give me hope. There were times when I just didnÕt think it was possible he could have been inside those buildings and survived when they collapsed. There were times when I just needed to keep the faith and hoped for the best.
Watching World Trade Center
ItÕs difficult. It was hard to see some of the things I was not all that familiar with, specifically with John McLoughlin. We are very close with them, but of course I know more details that relate to Will. At the end of the film I felt all the goodness that we hoped this movie would show came through. ItÕs more than just for four of us, or just Will and John.
World Trade CenterÕs reenactment of her husband's ordeal
Obviously, just to watch thatÑwhether itÕs your husband or notÑis difficult to see. I think this goes to show how well the movieÕs put together. In the last several years, my husbandÕs described to me as best as he could what happened. To see it on screen, it was weird because it was what I always envisioned in my head from what my husband described. It was really eerie because what I was expecting to happen actually happened.
What World Trade Center taught her about her husband
I knew he would É go to the Trade Center to go and to help. I didnÕt need anybody to tell me that. I definitely knew he would be assisting somehow with the rescue. The one question that I just needed to know for a fact was whether he went into the building before it collapsed. I wasnÕt sure if it made down there in timeÉ. But no, I was not surprised by anything he did.
What World Trade Center confirmed what she already knew about her husband
Will will not ever refer to himself as a hero, and so many people have in the last five years. IÕm very proud of what he did, but I as well really donÕt look at him as well a hero because he was in the building and he got hurt. We use a lot of these words these days too often and not for the right reason. He had good intentions, obviously, and tried everything he could to help people. But he just so passionately loves to help anyway he can, whether heÕs working as a police officer or as a neighbor. People call him all the time, whether itÕs for advice or for physical help. ItÕs just the person he is, and that definitely confirmed how he would tried to him someone any way he could.
Why the time is now right for a 9/11 film such as World Trade Center
For me, and for Will, too, when we were asked to do this, and once we realized the opportunity we have here to honor all the people from that day and to show all the good, because we all know about the bad from that day. But I think a lot of people donÕt know about all the good that happened. Maybe some it. Yes, we all know there were a lot of rescue workers who went into that building who died. I donÕt think itÕs ever too soon to let people know about that. And the one thing that IÕm very proud in this movie was the way that they managed to show you the rescue of Will and John. Not just about them running into the building before it collapsed. It really was an unbelievable amount of work and risk that these men took to get Will and John home.
Fears of Oliver Stone politicizing his fact-based subject matter
Will and I worked closely with Oliver from the very beginning and we never had those concerns. I know people have without a doubt, and people are curious about whether this has some sort of political agenda or a twist, an opinion. ThatÕs another reason why people are going to be really surprised after seeing the film because there is no twist. ItÕs the straightforward truth.
World Trade Center is now in theaters. Click here for more information.
Click the links below to read World Trade Center interviews with:
ÑDirector Oliver Stone
ÑMaggie Gyllenhaal
ÑMichael Pe–a
ÑWill Jimeno
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