Dennis Quaid was 'scared to death' to play Ronald Reagan in biopic, but it's now his favorite of his movies
"Reagan" has displaced "The Right Stuff" on the actor's personal ranking of his films.
After nearly 50 years in Hollywood, Dennis Quaid was still afraid to tackle the role of Ronald Reagan in Reagan, the upcoming biopic about the 40th president.
The veteran actor admitted as much on the latest episode of Dana Carvey and David Spade's Fly on the Wall podcast, telling the hosts that he was first offered the role of Reagan in 2018, but he didn't sign on immediately. Reagan, he said, is his favorite president of all time, and someone who is "like Muhammad Ali" because "he's known all over the world." For those reasons, Quaid said, "It took me a while to say yes because I was scared to death to play him."
When the hosts remarked that he seemed perfect for the role, Quaid was quick to say he "didn’t see it that way."
Showbiz Direct /Courtesy Everett
Dennis Quaid on the poster for 'Reagan'"We're both actors, we both have sunny dispositions, I think," Quaid added. "But everybody in the world knows what he looks like, sounded like, and I just didn’t really feel… It's a tough one to take on. So I thought about it for a while, because where is the way in? You don't want to do an impersonation, that's pretty easy. So it really kind of took me a while to get into who he was as a person."
Once he went up to the Reagan Ranch in Southern California, he said he could "feel [Reagan's] presence in a way," and got a better handle on his character.
Ultimately Quaid decided to take on the role, and the film, which hits theaters Aug. 30, is now his favorite movie he's made. "The Right Stuff was my favorite movie I'd ever done until Reagan, actually," Quaid told Carvey and Spade. "After 40 years, the spot's been taken over."
Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.
Quaid's comments echo sentiments he made to Entertainment Weekly in a 2021 interview. "I didn't understand why they were offering me Ronald Reagan because I just didn't see it," the actor said at the time. "I admired him so much, and so I had a chill of fear go down my spine when I was offered it. That's usually kind of a sign that maybe I should do it, because it's out of my comfort zone."
Quaid went so far as to call Reagan the most interesting role he's ever done — despite his initial concern. "I tried to share some of that human frailty, because none of us are perfect," he said. "It was an honor to play him."
Directed by Sean McNamara, Reagan also stars Jon Voight, Penelope Ann Miller, Mena Suvari, Lesley-Anne Down, David Henrie, and Kevin Dillon.
Hear Quaid on Fly on the Wall above.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.
