Edward Snowden: ‘Oliver Stone’s story of my life is accurate’

Infamous exiled whistle-blower Edward Snowden has given Oliver Stone’s dramatisation of his story a huge boost by insisting it’s a “pretty accurate portrayal”.
Snowden is particularly impressed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who plays himself in the new movie, which chronicles his life from 2004 to 2013, when he leaked classified documents about America’s national security to the media.
The former intelligence contractor appeared live from Moscow via Google Hangouts on Thursday night (21Jul16) at Comic-Con in San Diego, California, following the first public screening of Snowden. He interacted with the cast, including Gordon-Levitt, and answered audience questions, but the biggest plus for Stone was his reaction to the film.
Snowden said much of what is in the film is accurate and the director didn’t embellish the truth.
He explained, “I don’t think anybody looks forward to having a movie made about themselves, particularly someone who is a privacy advocate.”
“I’m not an actor,” he added. “I don’t think anyone in politics is really charismatic enough to connect with people on issues that are so abstract, but actors can reach new audiences in new ways and get people talking about things that they don’t have time to read (or) to look for in the academic setting.
“By watching the lived experiences… and tying it back in that magic Oliver Stone moment, it was something that made me really nervous but I think it worked.”
Gordon-Levitt has since revealed that Snowden’s public endorsement “means a lot”.
Snowden appears briefly in the film, as himself.
“We did nine takes from several angles,” Stone said. “We got there eventually but it was a painful day.”