Claim: Billy Bob Thornton appeared in a film based on the novel Primary Colors: A Novel of Politics.

Primary Colors is a 1998 film based on the novel Primary Colors : A Novel of Politics , a roman à clef about Bill Clinton 's first presidential campaign in 1992 , which was originally published anonymously , but in 1996 was revealed to have been written by journalist Joe Klein , who had been covering Clinton 's campaign for Newsweek . The film was directed by Mike Nichols and scripted by Elaine May ; it starred John Travolta , Emma Thompson , Billy Bob Thornton , Kathy Bates , Maura Tierney , Larry Hagman , and Adrian Lester .   Bates was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance , and May was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay .