MANILA, Philippines - This made-for-TV Emmy award-winning film presents the fateful chain of events eight years ago that led to the election of the first US president of the new millennium. It’s a sordid tempest relevant to today’s electoral battles.

Locked in a tight race, candidates George W. Bush and Al Gore had virtually divided America as both had an almost equal share of electoral wins in the 2000 US presidential contest. The final decision on who was to win rested on the electoral results in the state of Florida.

And there lay the rub — serious claims of disenfranchisement with votes that were claimed to have counted for Gore but stricken off due to confusing butterfly ballots; uncounted hanging and dimpled chads from ballots in statewide votes cast; and the controversial purge of about 20,000 African-American voters who were namesakes of convicted felons.

Enter the call for “Recount,” an HBO Original Film, which presents the drama that changed the US electoral system forever.

Legal battles ensue between the Gore campaign led by Ron Klain (Kevin Spacey) and the Bush team headed by former US Secretary of State James Baker (Tom Wilkinson) over the manual recount in the disputed Broward, Miami Dade, Palm Beach, and Volusia counties both in state and federal courts. A central figure in the contest emerges. Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris, played by Academy Award-nominated actress Laura Dern, makes controversial decisions crucial in the outcome of the Florida vote.

Dern chatted recently with Filipino journalists in a 20-minute phone interview arranged by HBO Asia and revealed her thoughts on the role that earned her an Emmy nomination this year for Outstanding Performance for a Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie. She also gave insightful comments on the movie and its message to the free world.

Why do you think this film and your role are significant enough to accept as an artist?

First of all, I accepted the role because I felt that this story, especially at this moment in American history, is extremely important to tell — to remind people that they should never allow their voice to be taken from them and that we all have to work to make sure that our vote counts. I think this has helped these elections so far. People are very passionate about protecting their vote on Nov. 4.

What are your personal thoughts on the character you portrayed?

The reason I wanted to play Katherine Harris is complicated. I did not respect her in November 2000, her terrifying and troubling hand [in the events that transpired]. But she is a wonderful character to get to portray as an actor! I’m very insistent on playing people who are my opposite. I think she had a very narcissistic idea of how important she was to the nation because she had the ability to change history.

How did you prepare for the role?

I studied everything from her autobiography, personal e-mails, letters, everything they had of her in the public domain, to all the press conferences she held during the recount. And that helped so much to learn her mannerisms, her quirks, her dialect. You can’t really have an opinion of the other side until you walk in her shoe. Ultimately, to understand another human being, you have to have that experience. That was really good for me.

I found [the role] very difficult but fun.

Where do you stand politically?

I have always been politically active and a passionate liberal in American politics. But this Nov. 4, I am most passionate and hopeful and excited for myself, my family, my children’s future and the future of your country and all other countries that Barack Obama will win the presidency. I’m doing all I can to do my part in spreading that word. I think he’s got a great, unified idea about where the world should go. It’s very different from the last and current administration and John McCain.

What systems do you know are in place to prevent future incidents similar to 2000?

We have done a lot of good things [since]. There will be no more punch card ballots in America so we cannot have a chad (paper pieces that drop after holes are made in punch cards), a hanging chad or a dimpled chad or all that the movie talks about. People will be voting by computer. Also, there are states that will require Voter Verified Paper Record. When you vote, you will need to put a piece of paper or card in the computer. After voting, the card comes out saying who you voted for. This card then goes into a box (for reference) which someone can check. So automatically, it is checked by a computer and by a person. If the numbers are different they can check it again.

What is the film’s message?

We must all be willing to educate ourselves on election reform and fight for that right to vote and have our vote counted. Taking it away without us knowing is a heinous act.

“Recount,” which won Outstanding Made for Television Movie, Outstanding Director in a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special for Jay Roach, and Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or Movie for Alan Baumgarten in this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards, premiered Nov. 1 on HBO Asia.