The One Thing We Need to Learn from Reagan | Dennis Quaid

he and Tipo Neil is the speaker of the house you a staunch Democrat and Reagan were bitter political enemies from 9 to5 but they said at the beginning they they both made an agreement that you know uh from 9 to5 we're going to Slug It Out uh you know as far as what our vision of America is but after 5:00 we're just a couple Irishmen having a beer and they you really got to know each other as people and that's where that's where political change happens that's where spiritual change happens that's where we we come together and United and we speak as one voice that's what the founding fathers really intended uh you know it was about compromise so my audience knows that I go off the grid every August no phone no TV no nothing so they they know that we're taping this in July and we're going to air this just a couple days before the movie comes out but obviously right now right now as we're speaking live we're just a couple days past uh this assassination attempt on Donald Trump's life uh Dennis believe it or not I think my first memory as a child um of of any real event Beyond just being in my house playing with toys or something was Reagan's assassination attempt I think it was 1980 and I remember sitting on the couch I was was probably four years old watching that with my parents and I very vividly can remember a sort of cartoon body that they showed on TV with a bullet going in and everybody explaining and my parents freaking out and my mom crying and all that uh that must have obviously you you filmed this before what happened to Trump but in light of recent events I'm sure that's been kind of bouncing around in your head oh yes uh I mean everybody I mean I remember the day Kennedy was shot you know in detail it's it's how Vivid those memories are and for all of us as Americans uh we'll we'll never forget uh what happened Saturday it's uh it's a sering experience and how close we came to that same tragedy that you know uh when Kennedy when John Kennedy was shot in 63 it and then Martin Luther King and then Bobby Kennedy this is all with been five years I think you know it paralyzed us I think for at least uh 15 20 years as as a as a as a nation it are it went a long way for deteriorating our our confidence as a nation you know we had Watergate that was thrown in there and uh people had a mistrust of government you know and go there was government conspiracy going on and step once again the very kind of the same issues that were present then as they are now yeah you but luckily we got to we got to not have to experience that kind of tragedy and and I really believe that was God's hand is it in had to be is it in the movie The famous moment I think it was his first speech back from the assassination attempt when there was the loud bang in the back of the room and what was his great line on missed me miss me miss I mean even he said it so gly too he just kept going over this stage up is that is that in the movie whole packed up because everybody I think I think he probably so you don't see it there but I think everybody in the room ducked but him he didn't even he didn't even Flinch you said really missed me that time how long did you have to wait wait uh how long did you have to work on the the voice for that and what you have to do with your throat and all that stuff but that that took quite a while you know I was lucky I had uh at least year and a half as it turned out to prepare for the role and uh you know there's lots of stuff like I said on YouTube and um so in private I would uh started doing the voice and then I just kind of lived with it would just kind of do it all day not to you know just to myself and then to you know kind of uh my family then you know before I took get out there because I didn't want to be an impersonation and and also uh you know the younger B his his voice is kind of way up here you know that's because we all our voice changes through throughout our life so getting all that right and the other thing was Wan's Crooked Smile which was a little small detail but I think had a lot to do with his personality and what was going on on the inside he he had a crooked smile that you know I think it had to do with from a fight or some injury or something in his life uh that that damaged the the nerves not to be able to to be up both sides of the mouth so this will probably be the hardest question obviously this is not a hardwall interview but was there anything that you learned about that you didn't want to bring to light and I guess even asking you that in an interview is probably a ridiculous question to some extent but when you were doing your research was there something that you didn't want to show a certain way or something or that you were happy maybe didn't make it into the script something like that no no in fact uh you know I didn't I didn't want it to be a love letter I did want it to be his life I didn't want to be from his point of view but uh you know he always uh was accountable to himself and to uh the American people as well for what he did was to take Iran Contra uh for instance which is a very uncomfortable time you know in in the Reagan years you he was a delegator uh delegate a lot of things to get done and you know I believe him and you know it was coming to the American people and uh telling them what happened and in his from his mind and his heart that I think saved him from being impeached he was in danger of that also I don't think he responded to AIDS uh as well as as he could have I think uh that was uh going a lot down I think he didn't come to uh or to it was kind of a that was a process I think for him but his initial response was I I I don't think was something to be proud of uh and um I think Nancy helped him a lot with that along the way he did start The longw Cabin Republicans yeah and uh you know he was uh he was a lot more inclusive than I think people gave gave him credit for and he um yeah um but I just wanted to you play him as a human being and not and not be political like like a political love letter at the same time because that's not very interesting anyway and it's not the truth one more for you what do you think he would be saying to us because part of the reason that I do play those clips often to end the show of him is Bec is because even though some of them are 30 40 50 years ago they capture something that we seem to have forgotten and it's something that I think we I think we're both in agreement we need to kind of reignite in this country maybe there's an opportunity with Trump right now but what do you think he would make of just sort of the way things seem to be in this strange moment you know he and Tipo Neo was the Speaker of the House a staunched Democrat and Reagan uh were bitter political enemies from 9 to5 but they said at the beginning they they both made an agreement that you know uh from 9 to5 we're going to Slug It Out uh you know as far as what our vision of America is but after five o'clock we're just a couple Irishmen having a beer and they really got to know each other as people and that's where that's where political change happens that's where spiritual change happens that's where we we come together and United and we speak as one voice that's what the founding fathers really intended uh you know it was about compromise compromise was one of the first words that they talked about when they when it came to you know uh the Declaration of Independence that be in the Constitution you know everybody had to compromise and uh but it was together that we did it and um Reagan had a very special thing that he would say you know that one of his staff made note of of to bonal that you know he was like kind of the enemy and he said well he uh he might be uh he's an eight he's an might be a 20% enemy but he's an 80% friend and uh you shouldn't let throw the baby out with a bath water when it comes to that we could probably all use a little bit more of that well I really yeah I just remember we're at least like 70% friend okay I like that you lowered the percentage it's things are hot these days that that's good yeah well Reagan is out on August 30th I can't wait to see it if you're looking for more uncensored opinions from today's thought leaders check out our media playlist and if you want to watch full interviews on a variety of topics watch our full episode playlist all right over here and to get notified of all future videos be sure to subscribe and click the notification Bell