TORONTO -- "LBJ" director Rob Reiner and star Woody Harrelson held nothing back when delivering their bruising assessment of another controversial U.S. political figure: Donald Trump.
The duo held court at a lively 45-minute press conference ahead of the world premiere of "LBJ" at the Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday.
Harrelson portrays former U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson in the film, which chronicles the Texas politician's journey from failed Democratic presidential nominee to U.S. vice-president and his ascension to commander-in-chief after John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963.
As discussion pivoted to the current U.S. election campaign, Reiner and Harrelson pulled no punches when asked for their opinions of Trump.
Harrelson recalled an invitation from former independent Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura to dine with Trump in New York around 2002. The actor said Trump was trying to convince Ventura to be his vice-presidential running mate -- for the Democrats.
"I sat there, and I mean, I listened to this guy go on and on about everything he owned, and how much money he had," said a laid-back Harrelson, sporting a baseball hat, button-down shirt, slacks and flip-flops.
"It was so demoralizing listening to this guy that I just had to walk outside and take a deep breath."
"Because you're gettin' dirty!" Reiner bellowed.
"I felt dirty," Harrelson agreed. "I felt like if there was a place I could take a shower..."
Harrelson said his impression of Trump was that his words and actions don't match up.
"He's like a boxer who does all the name-calling and all the grandstanding and the self-promoting -- and yet he can't box!"
Reiner was even more cutting in his view of the businessman-turned-politician when comparing him to his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.
"She has been a devoted public servant her entire life," he said of the former secretary of state and U.S. senator.
"She's accomplished an enormous amount. She knows how to get things done. She knows how to work with the other side. She knows how to strike compromise, and that's what needs to get done.
"On the other side, you have a complete and utter lying buffoon," Reiner said, turning to Trump.
"If you look at what he's done with his career, and how he's tricked people into things, it's abhorrent. The idea that that man could be president of the United States is abhorrent."
Reiner pointed to the fraud allegations against the now-defunct Trump University as one of several reasons for his distaste for Trump.
Lawsuits allege the university, which wasn't accredited as a school, gave seminars and classes across the U.S. that were like infomercials, constantly pressuring students to spend up to $35,000 for mentorships and, in the end, failing on its promise to teach success in real estate.
"The fact that he's running for president of the United States in America -- you can't say the words. It's beyond comprehension, beyond belief."
The Toronto International Film Festival concludes on Sunday.
With files from The Associated Press.
