Dennis Quaid's Latest Role is His Favorite of All Time: 'Reagan Was a Hero of Mine'

Ronald Reagan's real life was bigger than any Hollywood role he played actor Dennis Quaid brings the story of the 40th president to the big screen in the movie Reagan the star sat down with Eon Graham to talk about this long awaited film oh Lord what a Heavenly light from Astronaut Gordon Cooper in the right stop Balls of Fire to rock and roll singer Jerry Lee Lewis in Great Balls of Fire do you believe in Friendship W up to dentist scambler and gunfighter Doc Holiday in Wyatt Earth Dennis Quaid has built a career bringing real big lives to the big screen his latest I will be frank with you that as a citizen I would not like to see any political party outlawed on the basis of its ideology America's 40th president in the long awaited film Ragan because I still believe Mr chairman that democracy can handle it you've been busy but now you get to play Reagan what does this role mean to you it's become my favorite role i' I've ever had actually Reagan was a hero of mine I voted for him twice and uh yeah he was like everybody's dad he was a real heavyweight and he won the Cold War it really meant a lot to me in my life for uh all of us of that generation and for the generations today yeah and playing him was the challenge of my life challenge what was the hardest part the biggest challenge of playing Reagan was um getting down to him as a person you know uh not the hero that he was to me and so many people and and that's kind of warts and all you know cuz that's who we are there was a a place in Reagan in talking to people who really knew him and were close to him that was very private that was impen able this is the great communicator we're talking about and what was that all about that's what makes people tick down at their core mhm that was where I wanted to get to like I said I didn't want to do it impersonation and fear went up my spine because Reagan was like Muhammad Ali everybody knows him I am about to start the biggest war of this century and I'm not going to fire a single shot you're going to blow up 8 years of diplomacy well if you think that got there un Eason one you just wait knowing what you know now having played the role how would you compare the Reagan family to the Quaid family we were similar in many ways I didn't see myself as Reagan I didn't think I looked like him we both have Sunny dispositions I think down at the bottom of things and uh he was an actor tell me about finding the voice cuz Reagan had such a distinctive voice and I can imagine that had to have been weighing on your mind yeah well that and the way he walked and I was lucky because they got the part uh they offered me the part in 2018 we to start shooting until Co in 20120 great time to make a movie I basically talked like that for a year to the uh to the by families uh you know they had to put up with it I guess in earlier life he had it you know his voice was very much higher it was way way up here MH you know and it was wasn't until about the time that he was president that he you know he comes down to where you slow down and you and uh well you talk slower I call upon the scientific Community those who gave us nuclear weapons to turn their great talents now to the cause of mankind and World Peace you um in this story explore more of his faith than people are probably used to seeing well it's because it was such a huge part of his life it was everyday part of his life you know starting from as a young boy you know he even made the decision on his own to be to be uh baptized at that time there so cus for you life you can run from a bully for so long but after a while you're going to have to stand up to him my boy his mother was his was his Rock that's another way that we're very similar and he had an alcoholic father which is kind of similar that does something to a uh a person and you uh you need a a rock and like that he found that early on this is also a love story yes it is hello I'm Nancy Davis hello Nancy Davis I'm Ron Reagan what would you have me do I want you to fight at the core of our of our movie is the Love Story between he and Nancy which was very real and uh very rare he wrote her love letters like every day a little note or whatever you know even when he was in the hospital after the assassination attempt actually and uh I don't think there would have been a President Reagan if it wasn't for Nancy Ronnie remember when we met you told me that you wanted to make a difference in this world you know what you have to do how are you feeling now that the movie is finally coming out because many people probably thought this was released because I remember when we did the Big Splash and spread yeah it's been going on from well I think it was a lot of attention you know just with it getting made and the only thing that I I really insisted upon is that it not come out during an election year and you got your wish yeah and uh because I thought you know I didn't want this be perceived politically and it's not a political movie at all but then again like interest is very high in Reagan and the times that we were living in especially 78 7980 are so similar to 21 22 3 and four yeah actually and uh so I have to say well what do I know Mr GB tear down this wall EFM gra CBN News Nashville Tennessee well I'm remember hearing uh President Reagan give a speech and it was absolutely spell SP bounding spellbinding it was unbelievable how he could command an audience uh and and the last time I saw him was all the way back in 1988 at the Republican convention and it was you know it was his swan song But even the hardened newspaper reporters uh all the correspondents everybody stopped and and their attention he riveted their attention uh it was unlike anything I'd ever seen before it was was absolutely incred incredible here's another thing he did that I I don't think gets enough recognition uh back in 1983 he declared a year of the Bible and encouraged every citizen of the United States to uh reread the Bible and read it in a year and that through our adherence to the principles there we would once again understand the root causes of America and what our Liberty our ideas of Freedom are based on uh that was something astounding I'd love to see that happen again well rean opens today across the country check your local listings for a theater near you