This week, several of our Kickstarter contributors were on-set for the filming of “Atlas Shrugged: Who is John Galt?” Our Students for Liberty interns sat down with them to find out more about their experience. This interview was conducted by Stephen Paunovski.

Name: Peter Lauer

Question 1: How did you hear about the Kickstarter campaign and what motivated you to contribute?

I heard of the campaign through communications from Atlas Shrugged and I’m not exactly sure of the entity, but I’ve been on the distribution list for a number of years now. I saw the first movie, loved it. I couldn’t wait for the next one to come out. Watched it, loved it. So when they came out with this opportunity it just hit home for a bunch of reasons that all came together perfectly.

One is fascination with video production and movies, specifically the behind the scenes part of it. The creative is cool too, and I’m impressed by that. I’m not very good at creative stuff, but all the effort that comes together to make a movie has just impressed me forever and I’ve always wanted to see it behind the scenes.

The chance to be an extra in a movie was kinda fun and flattering.

[Plus] that it’s Atlas Shrugged, a libertarian cause I deeply believe in. It just all came together and I was feeling generous that day so I clicked the button for the max donation. I told my wife about it a month later and she thought that I lost my mind.

Question 2: What has your experience on-set been like or what did you find most interesting being on set?

The experience has been better than I dared hoped for and I had high hopes. It’s blown me away. The people are terrific. I only have one data point for behind the scenes in a movies and it’s this one, so I can’t say much, but every one of my fellow Kickstarters are fascinating people from all over the country. We clearly all have a similar mindset so they’re interesting people to talk with.

I have a friend here turns out. One of the fellow kickstarters. We showed up yesterday having no ideas each other was a part of this and suddenly we see each other in the parking lot and it was a great moment. We kinda spent the day hanging out a lot and whatnot. At the end of the day, with luck, we ended up in the dinner table scene with all the actors and us and Grover Norquist, who I’m a big fan of, to my left. Being in it right there with the actors at the table and listening to the banter between cuts was an absolutely surreal moment. It went on for about 2 hours with cigars in hand and fake drink in hand with all the takes. And I was right there in the center of it. I wish every one of my fellow Kickstarters had had the same opportunities because it was really rare. So I left the set around 9 o’clock buzzing with how cool and exciting it was. It was great. It was really great.

Question 3: What, if anything, do you wish to see the film accomplish?

Yea, great question because I feel like this can accomplish a lot for the good of the cause for getting the word out because if you hand out an 1,100 page book nobody is gonna read it. I mean not nobody, but very few, but hand out a three part movie that’s incredibly entertaining, even if you’re not libertarian, the movie is well done in my mind that we can get people to watch it because it’s entertainment. The more that people see it the better off the cause will be and that’s a big part of the motivation for the producers.

So I would like to see as much people see it as possible and I’m leaving here with a mission to do whatever I can and try to organize events to get as many eyeballs into theatres as possible.

The danger though is getting people of the same mindset. It’s fun but we’re not changing the mindset of others. I want to see a lot of different people go to a premiere and see it.

Question 4: Do you believe that stopping the motor of the world, or a similar occurrence of innovators going on strike or “vanishing” must occur before the world you want to see is created?

No, I don’t believe it has to happen. I hold a lot of faith in the ultimate wisdom of this country and other parts of this world and I use Margret Thatcher in the late 70s as my shining example followed by Ronald Reagan. Those two moments in time and efforts in their respective countries created such a reset for the better that it helped both countries enormously, though Britain was far further off the rails in the 70s, and Margaret Thatcher, had much tougher of a job. The world hadn’t stopped; it was just going in the wrong direction clearly. In this country it didn’t stop but Jimmy Carter didn’t do much to help as President. Ronald Reagan came in and did a reset here and made a tremendous difference. It slowly started to peel away, unfortunately his efforts and such, but we don’t have to have to have catastrophe for a step-change-improvement. We need leadership. We need strong leaders who can do what Maggie Thatcher and Ronald Reagan did. I believe it’s possibly, but it’s not easy.

Question 5: Are your closest family members/ friends supportive of your decisions (or “in the know” of Ayn Rand philosophy) in taking a larger role in the financing and production of Atlas Shrugged Part III?

Are they supportive? It’s a mixed answer to that question. I come from a family of boys. Turns out we are all libertarian. So in the one hand we’re all in the similar mindset and you can say my parents are the same.

I married a family that’s not (they’re Democrats). So the notion of libertarianism and Democrats; I always try to tell them that they’re not not alike and that there are some shared principles, but I would say, still, my wife in particular would think I’m a little bit off my rocker. My kids on the other hand, the younger boys, think it’s the coolest thing going and they wish they were here. My daughter doesn’t know what to quite make out of it. She’s a little older and not quite libertarian-esque I think. But supportive? They probably think I’m a little crazy but they let me come.