The director of The Hangover trilogy has claimed the “mayhem” created by a Donald Trump presidency could be “funny”.
Todd Phillips said he was “more-pro comedy” than “pro-America” as he discussed the billionaire’s presidential campaign while promoting his new movie, War Dogs.
The film is inspired by the true story of David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli who secured a 300-million dollar arms contract with the US government in their early twenties during the war in Afghanistan. They later pleaded guilty to charges linked to a fraud investigation into the contract.
Todd Phillips (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
Todd said the movie, starring Jonah Hill and Miles Teller, was an “indictment on the US government” rather than David and Efraim.
He told the Press Association: “We do so much f***** up s*** in the world. We cause so many problems in the world. Making this movie just kind of more solidified my opinion than anything. It’s crazy.
“Now Donald Trump’s going to be president. Here’s my thinking. I like comedy more than I like America so I’d be like ‘Donald Trump might just be funny’.
Donald Trump (Evan Vucci/AP)
“One day somebody will make a really funny movie about it. I’m sort of more pro-comedy than I am pro-America. I am kind of secretly like ‘I don’t know, this could be funny’. I like mayhem.”
Jonah, a two-time Oscar nominee, said he respected that David and Efraim “accomplished what they wanted to accomplish”.
“Admiration isn’t the right world,” he said. “There’s something exciting about people who are looking for the loophole.
Miles Teller and Jonah Hill at the War Dogs premiere in LA (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
“There’s an attraction to stories about people who find an odd way into something. These guys definitely found a very peculiar and odd way into making a lot of money.
“As a young 20 year-old, I can’t imagine I’d think this would be the route to go down.”
Whiplash actor Miles said: “You don’t think of small businesses making money out of war. I don’t think of anyone making money off war.
“I just see it as debt, debt, debt, lives lost, the ultimate sacrifice.”
War Dogs is released in cinemas in the UK on August 26.
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