From the Miss National Archives contest in the 1960s to the filming of Nicolas Cage’s “National Treasure,” the National Archives’ Rick Blondo attempted to unpack some of the building’s history in a lecture Friday.
But top of mind for the audience was the movies. Turns out, Blondo said, when Nicolas Cage came to D.C. to film “National Treasure,” the Archives would not permit filming inside the building. So Cage took to walking its halls in order to familiarize himself with the layout.
Not sure how much good that did. Blondo joked that, in portraying extra statues and rooms, “National Treasure” depicted the building to be much bigger and better than it really is.
-reporting by Stephanie Miles
