When British actress Minnie Driver entered the White House on Tuesday, she was a little concerned security would be alerted that the British had come.
“I was quite surprised that they let me through security actually, it was really good,” Driver said, explaining that the American Revolution was discussed on her tour of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. “When [the tour guide] started talking about the redcoats I sort of backed up against the wall of the great room hoping that nobody would remember I was indeed a redcoat,” Driver said. “I was like, ‘oh God, is this where I get thrown out?'”
Luckily, she wasn’t ejected, and was given her opportunity to lobby on behalf of arts education alongside the Creative Coalition’s Robin Bronk, Tim Daly, Patricia Arquette and Rachael Leigh Cook. The group spent Tuesday discussing its importance alongside staffers from the White House and the Department of Education and high school principals from around the country. Driver said she loved the experience, especially that an gal from the UK was given the opportunity to speak on the issue.
“I feel like it’s a uniquely kind of wonderful bipartisan thing, it’s like your voice is welcome, you’re an immigrant and your voice is welcome, so I like that very much,” she told Yeas & Nays. “I love America…even though I am taxed without representation, there are still perks,” the Los Angeles resident added.
As for doing it again, she said definitely yes. “Obviously right now particularly, you sort of feel like you’re shouting at the wind, in what’s going on economically, but you still have to shout,” she said, sounding a bit hoarse after a long day in D.C. “And that’s why I’ve lost my voice.”
