Keesler hosts director, actors of Deepwater Horizon Published Sept. 20, 2016 By Senior Airman Heather Heiney 403rd Wing Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Even though the cockpit of the WC-130J Super Hercules was sweltering in the Mississippi sun, actors Kurt Russell and Kate Hudson sat in the pilots’ seats, asking questions and reminiscing. “I haven’t sat in the cockpit of a plane with my dad since I was a little girl,” Hudson said. Hudson and Russell visited Keesler today along with director Peter Berg and several other crew members for a prescreening of their new film, Deepwater Horizon. The movie premiered in New Orleans Monday and will be released to the public in theaters Sept. 30. The film illustrates the tragic explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico that led to the 2010 BP oil spill. Keesler was a fitting choice for the prescreening because many of its neighbors along the Gulf Coast were affected by the oil spill. Free tickets to Deepwater Horizon were provided to military members and their families through the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. Berg, Russel and Hudson introduced the film and answered questions before the show. “It’s important to support all branches of our military,” Berg said. “We owe so much to these men and women, and we’re honored to be here.” The group also had an opportunity to tour Keesler and learn more about the 403rd Wing and 81st Training Wing missions. They saw the air traffic control training simulator, watched a drill down demonstration and toured a static display of a 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron “Hurricane Hunters” aircraft. “It’s my first time on a military base and it’s incredibly eye opening for me,” Hudson said. After touring the inside of a WC-130J, Russell, Hudson and Berg posed for photos and answered questions from the crowd of Airmen who’d gathered to meet them. They said they enjoyed watching the 336th Training Squadron perform its drill down and hearing about flying into hurricanes, and they thanked the Airmen for hosting them and for all they do. "Visits like these from celebrities and other influential people not only boost morale, but also give us an opportunity to showcase our Airmen and our missions," said Col. Michael Manion, 403rd Wing commander.