Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell got more than just Hollywood stars on his lawn when he allowed Steven Spielberg to shoot scenes in Richmond for his new movie, “Lincoln.” He also got on-screen appearances for his wife, Maureen, and daughter, Cailin — both of whom got cameo roles in the picture, which stars Daniel Day-Lewis in the title-role and Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln. McDonnell himself lobbied the film’s producers with incentives to bring the shoot to Richmond, including $1 million from the Governor’s Motion Picture Opportunity Fund, $2.5 million in tax credits and more than $1 million in other donations – not to mention free parking spots for film crews, as well as hosting Spielberg and his film crew at a swanky soiree at the Executive Mansion in September. The movie itself is based on the biography, “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln,” by Doris Kearns Goodwin — which chronicles the last months of Lincoln’s life, focusing on Congress’s passage of the 13th Amendment and the end of the Civil War. Scenes were filmed at the State Capital, where Lincoln visited on April 4, 1865 after Richmond fell to the Union Army.
(h/t Reliable Source)
