James Spader apparently had a pretty good view during the White House screening of the new film "Lincoln" -- right behind President Obama's head.

"I just saw it while sitting right behind the president," Spader told the Huffington Post, "and I saw how moved he was by the film."

Spader, who plays a lobbyist who helped President Lincoln secure the votes to pass the 13th Amendment, talked about the parallels between Lincoln's administration and Obama's. "Obama is faced with a similar divisiveness in terms of such a polarization between the two parties," he said. "I really think it does relate to today."

No images and little resource material of his character, William N. Bilbo, survive, so Spader and screenwriter Tony Kushner sketched a rather drunk and caddish character to give the film some levity. "That was great fun for me to play," he said.