Former President Obama Shares Surprise Fandom of Legendary Film Series -- 'My Mind Was Blown'
Being the President comes with many responsibilities. Many have pointed out the stressfulness of the job with side by side photos of the President before and after their respective time in office. It takes its toll, to a point where the general public can often forget that they can have fun sometimes.
Out of any former President, I feel that Barack Obama's personal taste in the arts has shown through the most. Since his time in office, Obama has published a yearly, curated list of his favorite books, songs, and films of the respective year. Honestly speaking, he's got some good picks.
He's got a lot of books and songs down there, but I want to specifically highlight his film taste, which included a lot of 2025's best films.
Image above via Barack Obama/Medium
The former president has a good sampling of both American as well as foreign films. Jafar Panahi's It Was Just An Accident, Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value, and my personal favorite of 2025, Kleber Mendonça Filho's The Secret Agent. How's that for the spirit of international cooperation?
Other standouts include the instantly iconic Sinners, and the best picture winning One Battle After Another. It's a really good list that includes some of the best films of the year, popular or otherwise. Obama clearly knows his stuff, which is why it was a delight to see him talk about a very important theater experience to him: seeing the opening of Star Wars.
Barack Obama's Fandom of 'Star Wars'
In celebration of May the 4th, (Star Wars day for all the uninitiated living under a rock) Former President Obama met up with Luke Skywalker himself Mark Hamill to wish the world a happy 'Star Wars' day.
@obamafoundation Where were you when you first saw Star Wars?
♬ original sound - The Obama Foundation
In the video, Obama speaks with Hamill about seeing the film opening week in 1977. Like everyone who sees the film at a young age, he was deeply impacted. I think it's one of the most universal film experiences out there, even if it doesn't persist into adulthood. The Obama Foundation account issued a question to all the commenters: where were you when 'Star Wars' came out?
"I saw it at 4 years old at a drive in, when Vader walked in I was TERRIFIED!" one commenter writes.
"❤️ I was 17. saw it 7 times that summer," another commenter remembers.
And of course, Mark Hamill had his own response: "On set. what about YOU?"
The May 4th announcement coincides with the upcoming launch of the Obama Presidential Center, which will be opening on June 19th. Tickets will be available starting tomorrow.
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This story was originally published May 5, 2026 at 1:57 PM.