When celebrated actor Dennis Quaid examines today's political landscape, he sees a situation reminiscent of the one America faced in the late 1970s and early 1980s. "The times are very much like they were back in the late 70s, before [Ronald] Reagan came to office in 1980," he told CBN News. "[With] Iran, we had the hostages, the Soviet Union ... to buy a house, interest rates were 20%." He continued, "There was this feeling of malaise in the country, like we were a declining nation, that ... we had a weak president."
Quaid portrays Reagan in the new feature film, "Reagan," which releases nationwide August 30, 2024. "I was offered this movie six years ago ... and I did not say, 'Yes' at first, because, tell you the truth, it kind of scared me to death," Quaid said. "Reagan is ... like Muhammad Ali, one of the most recognizable people in the world. ... He was my favorite president. I voted for him."
The complexity of playing such a known individual — someone with whom the public has both memory and reverence — is tough. But Quaid eventually capitulated and took the role. "This fear went down my spine, and usually that fear is a sign that I should ... get out of my comfort zone," he said. "I had two years to really prepare for the role." With the film coming out during the 2024 election cycle — one that could be historic in more ways than one – Quaid encouraged Americans to come together, even amid so much divisiveness.
"We've got to get to a place in this country where we could talk to each other across the aisle ... because we need each other," he said. "Republicans, Democrats, we need each other. We keep each other from going out too far this way or that, and we're all Americans." Quaid, a lifelong Independent, has voted "both ways" throughout his life based on what he believes America truly needs. This time around, the "Reagan" star said he'll vote for Trump.
"For me, this election [is] beyond personality and all that," he said. "The election is really about the Constitution and when I see the weaponization of the justice system."
To the newsmakers podcast, I'm Billie Hollowell, and this is a show where we go behind the headlines every day to bring you an interview with a pastor, entertainer, politician, or other notable news figure. And this is a show, again, it's daily, but it's based on our weekly TV show, which is also called Newsmakers. You can watch it on the CBN News channel and also on our YouTube page. And on this show, every day, we dive deep. It's a little more longer form with one of the people who you will often see on our Newsmakers show or across the CBN News platforms. On today's Newsmakers, actor Dennis Quaid joins us to talk about playing Ronald Reagan, his faith, and so much more with no further ado, here is Dennis Quaid. Well, let's start with the obvious question here. Ronald Reagan, when a film was being made about his life, what made you want to jump into this? Well, I was offered this movie six years ago, and by Mark Joseph, who had had the script for 10 years trying to make it, somehow they figured out that I was the guy. And I did not say yes at first, because, tell you the truth, it scared me to death. Reagan is such a recognizable, like Muhammad Ali, one of the most recognizable people in the world. And I, myself, he was my favorite president, I voted for him, and, you know, I come home after I voted my roommate at the time, said, "Who'd you vote for?" I said, "Raggy," he said, "You were kicked out of a hippie's." Yeah, in Hollywood, was that a popular decision? I would imagine it wouldn't be the most popular decision, at least in your line of work. No, things were a little bit different. You could actually say that you had voted for Reagan and you were canceled. But, you know, it was very similar times back then to where we are now. But it frightened me doing him, because I didn't want to do, you know, Reagan's on videotape, you can, I didn't want to be a history lesson or impersonation. I wanted to find out, like, the human Reagan, and who he was as a person. And I went to the Reagan ranch, I was invited there, you know, not open to the public, it was the Western White House, you know, that you see where you received the Queen and stuff like that. And I drove up five miles of the worst road in California to get there, and you get to the top and come out through the fence and see the place and I realized that Reagan was a very humble man. Just looking at the place, you can feel him there, he really did do all the work that was there. The house that, you know, that was the Western White House, was barely eleven hundred square feet, you know, barely a two-bedroom house. And they had a king-sized bed, but it was two single beds that were zip tied together, their clothes were in the closet, like, you know, they just left. It was bought by a consortium of friends and kept reserved just as they left it. There were, like, three channel changers, remote controls in a little basket, yeah, because it took three to operate at television back then, if you'll remember. And we'll note from Nancy about how to do it. But these bookcase was there, this huge bookcase with every book that he had ever had going back to when he was a nine-year-old boy. And it was, like I said, you could really feel him there. And the kind of the caretaker of it was John, his Secret Service guy, Earth that he used to ride with, really filled me in about Reagan and the relationship that he and Nancy had, which is also very, so very central to our story. And I felt then that that's when I said yes, because I could kind of feel his core. Yeah. Well, and you dive into this. This is not an easy role to play a person who people remember because it wasn't that long ago. A person people can watch and you have to sort of replicate who that person is. What was the toughest part about preparing to play him? Well, about not, first off, I felt all those things, you know, the sense of judgment because everybody has a feeling about him, you know, whether negative or positive. And it's fear going down my spine. And usually that fear is a sign that I should do that. Get out of my comfort zone. And but it was, you know, the first of voice, I had two years to really prepare for the role and just diving in about, about talking to people who knew him and, you know, looking kind of further behind the history and behind the scenes, which I think our movie really does it. You get to be a fly on the wall and all those kind of events that during his presidency and, you know, stories from his life, you get kind of pulled back the curtain and see Reagan, one thing, two things I felt like we were the same about as we both have sunny dispositions or three, we both don't dye our hair. And the other thing was that we're both actors and I really came to really realize that Reagan felt like I think a failure as an actor in a way because he never got to that place that he was aiming for as an actor, you know, that spot was taken by John Wayne, I think. Reagan was relegated to doing B movies and his, he was married to Jane Wyman who wanted the Academy Award, so while he was married to her, that's, you know, kind of like a further thing that I think it made him feel less than in a way. And that's kind of motivated him to get into being the vice president and then president of the Screen Actors Guild. And that was, that's not something that anybody aspires to, by the way, as an act, you know, and that's a political job and that was his, that was his entry into politics. Yeah. Well, it's, it's interesting, you know, obviously this film is coming out at a time when the country is in a bit of chaos, right? I mean, country's always in a bit of chaos, but right now quite a bit of chaos, really unforeseen sort of political times, you know, what do you make of that that you're putting this film out, which obviously is, it's about his life. It's about his journey. It's not a political film speaking about what's going on today, but it is coming out at that time. What do you, what do you make of that? What has it been like to navigate that, even doing interviews on it, while people I'm sure want to ask you a lot about the current political dynamics? Right. Well, you know, as I was over this movie six years ago, it, we finished shooting almost like four years to the day that we start, that it's coming out. And I, at a time when we were making it, I definitely did not want this movie to come out in a political, in an election year, but the here it is. And what, what do I know? That's all I can say, you know, because the reception is like, there's a lot of interest in it. And the times are very much like they were back in the late 70s, before Reagan came to office in 1980, you know, the Iran, who had the hostages, the, the, you know, ran the Soviet Union, if there was 90 percent thought we were going to be in a nuclear war interest rates. I remember to, to buy a house interest rates were 20 percent in a way, there was like so much worse than where we are now, you know, it was, and there was this feeling of malaise in the country, like we were a declining nation, that, you know, we had a weak president, died voted for Carter, and I had a great respect for what he did with, with, between Egypt and Israel, making peace there. And I think he was a really good man, but I think we appeased the Soviets, there was a peace, but you know, Americans, we want to be friends with everybody, we want to do the right thing, and offer out, and we, we think by doing it that the people are going to reciprocate, or other nations going to reciprocate, there's a lot of actors out, bad actors out there, that they just really kind of see that as a way to take advantage of us. And you know, Reagan came along and the day he, he came into office, not two hours after he, he took the oath of office, Iran released the hostages, because they didn't want to deal with Reagan, you know, he was, they looked at his, he had strength, and made them a little, you know, fear of him, and is dealing with the Soviets, you know, who he did not even talk to for six years, by the way, and, but he had a plan for that, and he, he won the Cold War, he was called a Warmonger, and he was going to get us into a nuclear, uh, conflagration with, with the Soviets, uh, he, he was called a cowboy, you know, he fixed the economy, the economy started, took a couple of years, he survived the assassination, it's, it's, the country came together and was united, there were a lot of Reagan Democrats, and, uh, it's, uh, you know, it's, he won the Cold War and it took a Cold Warrior to do that. You know, you, you've obviously had an incredible career, you continue to, and when I, when I look at that, obviously, you know, being on the A-list where you are, you have been very bold, you were willingly re, you recently gave an endorsement, you, you've spoken out, is that difficult to do still, you know, to speak out, knowing that there are going to be people, especially in the industry, I imagine, who are not going to enjoy what you've maybe had to say. Well, you know, well, four years ago, you know, it was all this fear of being canceled and stuff, but I, look, we, we've got to get to a place in this country where we could talk to each other across, across the aisle or whatever it is, you know, because we need each other. Yes, Republicans, Democrats, we need each other, we keep each other from going out too far this way or that, and we're all Americans, and you know, I've always been an independent really, I've voted both ways all my life according to what I felt like we needed as a nation. And but, you know, this particular time, you know, was asked, here we are, you know, this movie's coming out or whatever, and, you know, of course, they're going to ask me political questions and I, I just didn't want to be inauthentic. Sure. Yeah. You wanted to be honest. So I mean, separately, where I'm at for me, it's about the election beyond personality and all that. The election is really about the Constitution and what I see, the weaponization of the justice system. Well, and a lot of people are talking about these issues, right? And I know, I know we don't have a lot more time, but I do want to ask you about your faith. A few years ago, I interviewed you on stage at National Religious Broadcasters Convention, and it was really fascinating to hear your faith journey, obviously having deep roots in faith. As the years go on, how has your faith changed, transformed, grown? Well, I think more than anything else over the last 30 years, it took me a while because, you know, I was, for those that don't, you know, numb my faith journey, I'll spike the root, but I didn't follow it. But I grew up at the Baptist Church, and I became disillusioned with what I call churchy entity in my teens at a time. And I, you know, got into Eastern philosophy, which led me into Buddhism, and then I read the Koran, I read, you know, I read the Bible cover to cover, read the Gama pot of the Bhagavad Gita, all that. And, you know, 20 years later, I came to a place where, you know, I've got to do all those things in the world, like cocaine and drugs and stuff, and got clean, and I went back to reading the Bible again, and what struck me were the red words of Jesus. That was the thing that God had, that led me to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And that is the thing that is, that is, that relationship has continued to grow and mature and get deeper, and it's continuing journey. But that's where I'm at. That's what is really different about my faith, and we, what you cannot find any other place is that relationship with him. Absolutely. And it's an incredible thing, and it's amazing that you and others are speaking out. I feel like we're seeing more and more actors actually sharing that and being really open about it. And it's amazing. The movie is Reagan, Dennis Quaid, appreciate your time today. Yeah, August 30th, tickets are on sale now, by the way, if you want to reserve one. That's all for today's Newsmakers podcast. Be sure to tune in for the next episode of the show. And also head over to the CBN News YouTube channel and the CBN News channel to watch Newsmakers every week. We'll see you soon. in the next video. [BLANK_AUDIO]
