The Powerful and Loving Woman Behind Ronald Reagan, with Penelope Ann Miller Who Portrayed Nancy

so Penelope you studied Nancy Reagan and she it does occur to me as you pointed out she was absolutely pillared by the media when he was actually the president and you said that was also the case with Mary Todd Lincoln which I actually don't no there's some parallels because I played Mary Todd Lincoln too and she was vilified I mean as we all know you know President Lincoln Abe Lincoln was very admired and and beloved and um and they didn't like Mary and and I think the same for for Reagan I think uh Ronald Reagan was a very popular beloved president um I mean some people obviously didn't like him but but as far as Nancy goes my goodness I mean they really attacked her and it started almost right away because she redecorated the White House and when she said she got there she said it was in shambles I mean the plumbing the electricity the the rugs were Fray the the furniture the curtains and she thought of this this she said this isn't my home this is the people's home so she was proud and thought you know I want it to look appropriate when we're having people come to visit and it was actually Mary Todd Lincoln that started the public viewing of the White House she did the same thing she redecorated the White House but I think because it was a Civil War and a depression and so on and so forth I think she was malign for it whereas Nancy raised uh privately funded money to it wasn't taxpayer money to redecorate the White House and then there was the whole the China controversy where she got all the new red China it was because there when she I think their first dinner was Margaret Thatcher and they said and there was some comment about how there were so many mixed China sets and it's because there was not a complete set anymore they'd either been shipped or broken or stolen you know people take a little bread plate and put in their purse and say I've got a souvenir so once again she said we're having politicians and presidents and dignitaries from all over the world I want to have proper CH so she was malign for that as well and and their fashion so Mary Todd loved fashion was getting like the finest silks from France and having a dress maker and they who happened to they started an abolition um charity together um Mary Todd Lincoln was fascinating we can get into that all I can think of is the hair the middle part and she lost three boys Three Sons she had Melancholy she was also you know people laughed her she had sances and I think it was her way of dealing with her grief yeah um whereas Nancy did astrology yeah and you know attempted assassinations very similar parallels between those two women and uh and Nancy said she cried a lot of the8 years in the White House in her Memoir oh no she she really felt attacked and didn't know why people disliked her so much and it's funny when you look at her you see this very stoic Regal woman yes and I think in a and and maybe it made her seem cold and she was very like fiercely protective of her husband and I think it just made her maybe not appear warm and fuzzy or or approachable but I think it was sort of an armor I think it was a protective shield that she had that makes perfect sense but she needed that strength behind the scenes he needed her strength behind the scenes and this is what the point I was trying to make before we went to break you know Dennis had mentioned you know before that he's reading hillbilly elegy or recently read it and I know JD Vance a bit and I know that Usha his wife played and continues to a critical role in his life and his development as a man yeah that she he told me personally she she helped show him how to love how to be in a relationship yeah that's that's so interesting that you point that out and because as I mentioned before he was really hurt from Reagan was hurt by his first marriage to Jane Wyman she was a movie star she wanted him to be a movie star he started to get more political being Screen Actor skilled president and she had absolutely zero interest in politics she hated it and he really wanted to help and that was something that he felt very strongly about and so that was sort of the demise of of their marriage and so by the time when they got and he also believed you marry once and um and I think he just didn't trust that he could find that kind of relationship and so I it took him longer I mean as I said before Nancy was quite smitten iMed immediately but she was really patient with him because I think to trust again and to believe and to believe in a marriage and to believe in a love and I do think just like you said um about JD Vance's wife I think and that's why he wrote her all these love letters is because I think once he found this and it was real and it was true that I think he just appreciated her so so deeply that he wanted to prove it to her all the time and he wrote this book and that's the cover of the book and it's called I love you Ronnie and it's all the love letters he wrote her and notes um just telling her how he appreciated her and the fact that you know no one she don't sign up for the job of first lady and and and how much he also appreciated her constant support and you know that thing with a man behind a woman or behind every great man is a woman but Al you can be there's a lot of misogyny there as well because I think when there's a woman behind a man she's manipulative and conniving and devious and and I'm sure you've dealt with this in a lot of areas of of your career but uh a man behind a man is a strategist right you know and I just and I I just feel like they they don't like strong powerful women and uh and she wasn't somebody who was seeking power no she really saw that with other first ladies she wasn't like that no she didn't care about being famous or powerful I mean she liked wearing her fancy dresses oh interesting just really on a side note the one person who did all this and redecorated the White House and had great fashion who was beloved was Jacqueline Kennedy yes that's true so it's interesting and look at what happened to Melania I mean I'm sensing a pattern here with the Republican first lady he it's it's it is kind of interesting I have to say um but I I do think that um you know she she really was she believed in his greater purpose and that he she wanted him to be happy and there's that scene in the movie where I say or Nancy says you know I've had to share you my whole life but that's what I signed up for and I want you to be happy and she knew when he he didn't win the second uh time he ran and he wanted to she knew he he wants to run again and I believe in this man and I believe in his greatness and he even said and so did Ron Jr at the memorial my dad would never have been president of the United States if it wasn't for my mother I believe that yeah I think she propelled him watching the story and also I think she was important because he was so sunny and optimistic she was the realist you know like listen you're in trouble we have a bit of that in this one scene before I show it can you just tell us about the Air Force One shots cuz this is shot on Air Force One yeah we got to shoot uh at the Reagan Library as well as the Reagan Ranch which was incredible because of course all their Furniture hadn't been touched and their clothes in the closet and um but going to the Reagan Library was incredible CU we we were on the actual plane Air Force One that they would fly in so we're sitting in the chairs and doing these scenes that they were in and walking around and it was it's not a trump plane I mean I mean this is a little plane you know so uh not as big as it used to be but we were also on Marine one and uh just to be able to shoot in those places that they actually lived in and just feeling their spirit and their energy and it was pretty phenomenal it raises the stakes for you it's like oh gosh you want I'm sure you want God for the hair and the makeup and the Wardrobe because that team that creative team that we had on on the movie um did an amazing amazing job um recreating us to look as close as possible to to these people yes I was saying to Dennis you totally forget that your actors embodying these parts you think you're looking at the actual people I hope so that's what we hope here's a bit of a scene when Ronald Reagan Iran Contra hit uh did we trade arms for hostages and um he was in danger of being impeached and his wife Nancy knew it watch honey you know Washington you know the way it works it's politics that's all they talking impeachment no impeachment yes they want to destroy you they're putting you on trial removing you from office this isn't about politics anymore this is about you everything is at stake one more headline one more star witness one more arrest and they will do it I have cooperated with them I appointed a special prosecutor I've turned over every document I have what would you have me do I want you to fight or this is all over and he listened to her yeah he did you know she she was influential in a lot of ways I mean she really pushed for the peace talks as well and she she was actually because I read it in her Memoir um you know she said you better go before another another one dies because they kept dying you know the um the Russian presidents and so uh that was a really important for really important that's portrayed in the movie too as like the Russian they keep dying is so fun you know how much my family and I love our dogs right yes even sweet little strudwick he's not that little but he is sweet I can't imagine life without them they've got a great life but some dogs are not so lucky and they need our help this is why I'm so glad to tell you about Delta Rescue It is the largest no kill care for Life Animal Sanctuary in the world they've rescued thousands of dogs plus cats and horses too they provide all of the animals with shelter safety and most of all love and they've been doing it for more than 45 years now Delta rescue relies 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