Movie fans shocked by Independence Day casting | Celebrity News

The nostalgic hit film, Independence Day, first hit theaters in 1996. It marked a turning point for big-budget Hollywood blockbusters, while also reviving interest in disaster and science fiction films in the late ’90s.

For those unfamiliar with this classic film, it’s about an eclectic group of people who meet in the Nevada desert after Earth is ambushed by a fearsome alien invasion.

This prompts people around the world to come together to launch a provocative counteroffensive on July 4, otherwise known in America as Independence Day.

While countless fans can recall every twist and turn, one detail seems to have escaped the collective memory regarding a central character.

Social media users were left stunned after Becky Tyler took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to reveal a surprising fact about the cast of the much-loved film.

In a shocking revelation, it seems we’ve all seen the actress who played the president’s daughter before, but never made the connection. Becky confessed: “I was 15 today when I realized Mae Whitman was the president’s daughter in the first Independence Day movie.”

When this bombshell hit the web, people were left speechless. They were totally baffled that they had ignored the presence of such a famous actress for so long.

Although Independence Day is almost three decades old, fans are surprised to have missed Mae in her previous role.

One user exclaimed, “I just had that same moment!” Another expressed disappointment, “I refused to watch the sequel because they changed the casting of her role. Turns out there were plenty of other reasons not to watch it.”

It turns out that Mae’s acting career is more expansive than we thought. The 36-year-old got her start on our screens in a wide variety of roles, though she’s most recently been recognized for her performances in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Duff, and Valley Girl.

Born to voice actress Pat Musick and Jeffrey Whitman, a personal manager and set construction coordinator, Mae has carved out her own path in acting. Beyond her on-screen success, she has candidly shared her battle with endometriosis, a condition that went undiagnosed for over a decade.

She has been appearing on our screens in various roles for decades, and people can’t believe they are only now learning this incredible fact about her. It seems like movie fans learn something new every day.