(L to R) Penelope Ann Miller and Dennis Quaid star in ‘Reagan’.
Opening in theaters on August 30th is the new biopic ‘Reagan’, which tells the life story of the 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan.
Directed by Sean McNamara (‘Soul Surfer’), the film stars Dennis Quaid (‘Any Given Sunday’) as Reagan, Penelope Ann Miller (‘Carlito’s Way’) as his wife Nancy, and Jon Voight (‘Heat’) as Viktor Ivanov.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Dennis Quaid and Penelope Ann Miller about their work on ‘Reagan,’ approaching the iconic roles of Ron and Nancy, the love they shared, his Presidential accomplishments, and bringing this story to the big screen.
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Dennis Quaid in ‘Reagan’. Photo: MJM Entertainment.
Moviefone: To begin with, Dennis, you have portrayed real people on screen in the past, but what was your approach to playing someone as iconic as President Reagan?
Dennis Quaid: Well, with all real people, I want to play them from their point of view, which with Reagan was very hard to get to. For one thing, he wasn’t around for me to ask him all the penetrating questions that I’m not sure he’d answer anyway. But he was a great communicator. Everybody I talked to said there was this private wall inside of Reagan, that was almost impenetrable, that I think Nancy got a glimpse into. So, it was figuring out what that was that was key to me, because I didn’t want to do an impression, an impersonation, or a love letter, because he was my favorite president. I wanted to play him warts and all.
(Left) Penelope Ann Miller in ‘Reagan’. Photo: MJM Entertainment.
MF: Penelope, can you talk about your approach to playing the First Lady and how she truly loved, supported, and protected her husband?
Penelope Anne Miller: I mean, in essence, that really was, I guess, what she felt her purpose was, was to be there for her husband, who she was fiercely devoted to, fiercely protective of, and had an incredible belief in. It was a great love story really. I think reading her autobiography, I got more of a sense of who she was as a human being, which I in turn didn’t want to do some characterization of somebody. I really wanted to capture, embody the essence of the person, sort of somewhat channel her. But honestly, the wigs helped, the wardrobe, all of that helped me carry her in a way that I wouldn’t have without all the incredible creative team behind us and the writing and the direction and then playing opposite Dennis. I think we had a great rapport and worked well together. We have very similar styles of working.
(L to R) Penelope Ann Miller and Dennis Quaid in ‘Reagan’. Photo: MJM Entertainment.
MF: Dennis, how would you describe Ron and Nancy’s relationship?
DQ: The heart of the movie is a love story, really, and in that it just shows, a great, strong relationship that brings out your best self. There would not have been a President Reagan without Nancy, that’s for sure. That’s what (Penelope) did. She did channel her. It was easy working with her. It just made my job so much easier.
Dennis Quaid in ‘Reagan’. Photo: MJM Entertainment.
MF: Dennis, before becoming President, Ronald Reagan was an actor and there was a performative aspect to his famous speeches. Can you talk about recreating some of those speeches for this movie and did you incorporate that into your performance?
DQ: He himself said that the greatest role he ever played was President the United States. He knew how to play that well. They called him the Great Communicator. He could disarm people. He always opened with a joke. He could disarm people, from Gorbachev to Nancy. Man, as far as America goes, he was the epitome of an American president. It’s about us in a way. It’s about all of us. A president’s a reflection of people that elected him. It is about us back then. You see it, depending on your age, you’ll see what this country was like, and what it still can be.
(L to R) Dennis Quaid and Penelope Ann Miller in ‘Reagan’. Photo: MJM Entertainment.
MF: Finally, can you both talk about shooting the scene in the hospital between Ron and Nancy after the assassination attempt on the President’s life?
PAM: He made jokes after his assassination when he was in the hospital to the doctors and even to Nancy when he woke up. I mean, just the fact that he was able to charm people and that he always wanted to disarm people, make people feel welcome and warm and engage with them.
DQ: Here he is, he’s on the operating table and already they put the anesthesia on him and he’s already asleep, but he woke up just as they’re getting ready to make the incision, with a bullet like an inch from his heart. He woke up and he saw these doctors above him, and he goes, “I hope you’re all Republicans.”
PAM: In turn, they said, “We are today, sir. We are today.” It was very sweet. But, I mean the movie I think shows a lot of things that you wouldn’t have seen. Obviously, there’s the public personas, but then there’s the behind the scenes and I think that’s what makes it interesting to watch. I want to see what I didn’t know. It’s not some history lesson or political drama. It’s really a biopic about human beings, mainly Ronald, but also their love story as well and what made these people become who they became and very iconic.
From dusty small-town roots, to the glitter of Hollywood, and then on to commanding the world stage, REAGAN is a cinematic journey of overcoming the odds. Told through… Read the Plot
What is the plot of ‘Reagan’?
The film follows Ronald Reagan’s (Dennis Quaid) life from his childhood to his years as president of the United States, told by Viktor Ivanov (Jon Voight), a former KGB agent.
Who is in the cast of ‘Reagan’?
Dennis Quaid in ‘Reagan’. Photo: MJM Entertainment.
Other Biopics about American Presidents:
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