Keith Bernstein(NEW YORK) — Clint Eastwood directed Sully, the story about what happened to hero pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger after he safely landed US Airways Flight 1549 in New York’s Hudson River in 2009. Tuesday night, the movie had its New York premiere, where Eastwood talked about Sully’s story and working with Tom Hanks.
“It was good for New York. It was great. The heroics of the story are in the, I think, are wrapped up in the first responders and everybody who desperately tried to get to the situation right away,” he told ABC Radio.
Eastwood spoke admirably about the man himself: “He’s a very learned person. Nobody knows too much more about aviation than he does. He has a lot of experience and he’s a good guy. But it was the effect it had on New York at a bad time for New York. That I thought it was nice to do, you know.”
It was also the first time Eastwood worked with Hanks, who plays the hero pilot. “I’ve known Tom for years. We come from the same town in California but never worked together so it was a good opportunity,” he said.
Sully is based on the autobiography Highest Duty by Sullenberger and Jeffrey Zaslow. The film stars Tom Hanks as Sullenberger, and also features Aaron Eckhart and Laura Linney.
Sully opens September 9.
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