Charlie Wilson’s War comes out next week. As often happens in Hollywood, it’s been toned down from its original version. What happens less often is that a Houston socialite’s responsible.
The film tells the extraordinary story of how, along with her then-man, Texas congressman Charlie Wilson, Houston’s own Joanne Herring supplied Afghanistan’s Mujahedeen insurgents with guns so they could take on the Russians back in the 1980s.
It’s common knowledge that funneling weapons to unstable countries can have unintended consequences -- in this case, the undiluted film put forth, 9/11. The movie was originally supposed to end with a shot of the burning Pentagon, but when Herring (played by Julia Roberts) and Wilson (played by Tom Hanks) read the script, they didn’t really like that ending. In fact, they disliked it so much, they hired attorney Dick DeGuerin.
We can all breathe a sigh of relief now. The film was altered. Herring and Wilson even went to the opening in LA, and they totally heart it! – Cathy Matusow
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