Alex Thomas
Tom Cruise’s new film “American Made” takes on the conspiracy theory that former presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush were both involved in a massive drug and illegal arms operation. But one very interesting piece from the film wound up on the cutting room floor.
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The original script included a scene in which a young Bill Clinton received a lap dance in an Arkansas gentlemen’s club. However, the saucy bit was nixed because the producer and financier, Cross Creek Pictures, wanted to keep the film apolitical, The Hollywood Reporter notes. The cut scene wasn’t the only attempt to shield the former presidents from bad publicity; the film’s original title, “Mena,” was scrapped for “American Made” in an attempt to distance the piece from Clinton’s Arkansas roots. Mena is the town in Arkansas that played a leading role in the alleged crimes and cover-ups.
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George H.W. Bush was not without criticism in the original script. One scene that was removed tied Bush to an illegal arms-running scheme. Conspiracy theorists hold that Bush was deep in the shady plots while leading the CIA and Clinton was in on the scam while he was governing Arkansas. In fact, the theory even made a lot of press in the mainstream news with the Wall Street Journal publishing an piece that outlined an elaborate Clinton cover-up striking to the heart of American democracy.
“American Made” is now in theaters but, at least until the director’s cut becomes available, there won’t be any Clinton lap dances on the silver screen.
