Later this year, Dennis Quaid will bring former President Ronald Reagan to life in the film “Reagan.” However, he almost turned down the role. The actor was initially hesitant about portraying the 40th president and wasn’t sure if he wanted to step into such a significant role.
Speaking with Fox News, Quaid revealed that he was afraid to portray Reagan because the president was such a well-known figure. Quaid noted that many people recognized Reagan’s features and tone, making the task daunting. “I didn’t say no, and I didn’t say yes because, really, fear,” Quaid told the outlet. “Reagan was my favorite president personally, and he was also such a recognizable figure around the world, sort of like Muhammad Ali. Everybody knew what he looked like, sounded like, and so that was a pretty scary proposition.”
Quaid didn’t want people to think he did a bad job in the role. He said, “It was about feeling like I was going to be judged and feeling unworthy. He was the great communicator and all that. But I didn’t want to do an impersonation of him. I wanted to really kind of get to the core of who he was as a person. So, I put off saying yes.”
However, Quaid decided to visit Reagan’s California ranch. The actor got to see through the veil and see the man beyond the public figure. He realized that Reagan was a really “humble man.” “He was not a rich man, and there was a humility about him that was kind of the bedrock of who he was,” Quaid said. “And I felt him. I felt this core there. They had the ‘Western White House.’ It was bought by a circle of friends after he passed to keep it as it was. And their clothes — he and Nancy’s clothes were in the closet still, just like they were.”
Quaid started to understand who Reagan really was, and that lit a desire in him to bring the president’s humanity to life. “I talked to people who were close to him, you know, who knew him really well,” Quaid said. “They all said there was a part of Ronald Reagan that was unknowable, that was very private, that you just couldn’t penetrate. I think even Nancy felt that to a certain extent. You know, this is the great communicator.”
The actor said that faith played a large role in driving the president. He said, “I think that part of him had to do with his faith, that to go to a place where he had that personal relationship with his maker. And I think that was his guiding light. He was a man who, he governed as president – and also governor of California – on principle, not on the winds of change, you know, or what was popular at the time or trending.”
Quaid’s journey to accepting the role of Ronald Reagan was not just about overcoming his fears but also about understanding the man behind the public persona. His visit to Reagan’s ranch and conversations with those who knew the president well helped him see the humility and faith that were central to Reagan’s character. This deeper understanding ultimately convinced Quaid to take on the role and bring Reagan’s humanity to the screen.
Source: Fox News
