There were two presidents from Illinois in the White House on Thursday evening.
Following his visit to New York to survey the progress made after Superstorm Sandy, President Barack Obama hosted cast and crew members of the new Steven Spielberg-directed film "Lincoln,' according to the president's official White House schedule.
The film studio, DreamWorks, declined to comment, but Deadline.com reported those scheduled to take part in the screening included actors Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Gloria Reuben and Tommy Lee Jones.
The movie chronicles the 16th president's efforts to bring an end to the nation's bloody civil war and simultaneously abolish slavery.
"'Lincoln' producer Kathleen Kennedy describes Obama as 'incredibly moved' at private White House screening tonight," an ABC News political reporter later said on Twitter.
Obama has expressed his fondness for Lincoln, and said he often looks to the Great Emancipator for guidance.
In a post published in The Atlantic, President Obama remarked:
"From time to time, I’ll walk over to the Lincoln Bedroom and reread the handwritten Gettysburg Address encased in glass, or reflect on the Emancipation Proclamation, which hangs in the Oval Office, or pull a volume of his writings from the library in search of lessons to draw."
