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To Sarah Paulson, Steven Spielberg will always be known as “Steven Spielberg.” Even as she sat next to costar Carrie Coon at the New York press junket for The Post, after they all went through the trials of discovering, green lighting, filming, and releasing a film in less than a year, she still referred to the filmmaker by his full name. “It’s just like, ‘Have a little respect, folks!’” the American Horror Story star jokes.  

Spielberg read the script for The Post, his journalism drama about The Pentagon Papers, in January during postproduction on Ready Player One and began shooting the project by June — and with that timeframe comes a unique filming process.  

Though Paulson and Coon have both spoken out against the current White House administration under President Trump, whether in interviews or over social media, both set their phones aside to enter a new time with seemingly more integrity. “Seemingly being the operative word,” Paulson added.  

It also meant that some things changed on the fly. Coon recalled how a few scenes they shot never made the final cut. One she can remember was a moment between her character, The Washington Post reporter Meg Greenfield, and the paper’s first female publisher, Kay Graham (Meryl Streep). As The Leftovers actor recalls, Greenfield and Graham had a friendship in real life, but those scenes in the film never contributed anything to the larger plot. So they are left on the cutting room floor, as the saying goes.  

The Post also highlights the talents of Tom Hanks, Bob Odenkirk, Matthew Rhys, Bradley Whitford, Tracy Letts, Jesse Plemons, Michael Stuhlbarg, David Cross, Zach Woods, and Allison Brie.  

The Post is now playing in limited release, followed by a wide expansion on Jan. 12.

Here’s the official plot synopsis: 

Steven Spielberg directs Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks in The Post, a thrilling drama about the unlikely partnership between The Washington Post's Katharine Graham (Streep), the first female publisher of a major American newspaper, and editor Ben Bradlee (Hanks), as they race to catch up with The New York Times to expose a massive cover-up of government secrets that spanned three decades and four U.S. Presidents. The two must overcome their differences as they risk their careers - and their very freedom - to help bring long-buried truths to light.