Neil Armstrong’s trip to the moon represented a giant leap for mankind, but it also marked the culmination of a massive 10-year achievement by the United States. (American Mirror)
One of Armstrong’s first orders of business was to proudly plant the American flag, after all.
But Ryan Gosling, the Canadian actor who plays Armstrong in “First Man,” Hollywood’s rendition of the moon landing, told the Telegraph the magic moment was intentionally omitted from the big screen because Armstrong’s achievement “transcended countries and borders.”
“First Man” is getting rave reviews at the Venice Film Festival, but critics noted the unpatriotically sanitized flick is missing something important, and Gosling explained he worked with French-Canadian director Damien Chazelle and the Armstrong family to decide on its key moments.
The lead actor conceded “I’m Canadian, so might have cognitive bias,” but he believes Armstrong didn’t view himself as an American hero.