(NewsNation) — “He was my favorite president” is how actor Dennis Quaid describes Ronald Reagan. “The first time I voted for him, I went home and my roommate said, ‘Who’d you vote for?’ I said ‘Reagan.’ He said, ‘You are kicked out of the hippies.’”
Quaid’s affection for Reagan comes full circle this weekend with the release of the movie “Reagan,” in which Quaid plays the actor turned president.
“This movie is about all of us,” Quaid told NewsNation’s “On Balance.“ “It goes through eight decades of the American 20th century. If you were born before 1985, you get a chance to remember how great this country used to be. And if you’re born after ’85, you get a glimpse of how great this country still can be.”
The film, which opens Friday, portrays Reagan as an actor, president of the Screen Actors Guild, governor of California and president. When it comes to which era Quaid most enjoyed, he didn’t hesitate.
“I really liked when he was governor of California. He was in his 50s. He had the ‘John Wayne’ walk. He was like the new sheriff in town.”
Reagan’s part in ending the Cold War is a major portion of the film, but Quaid says it’s more than history and politics.
“At the core of this movie, it is a love story. There wouldn’t have been a President Reagan without Nancy Reagan. The strength of their marriage and partnership was incredible.”
The film’s production began four years ago but was interrupted by the COVID pandemic. The actors’ strike also delayed its original release scheduled for October of last year.
Penelope Ann Miller plays Nancy Reagan, and several other well-known actors are involved.
Jon Voight plays a fictional KGB officer who spent his career tracking Reagan. Lesley-Anne Down is Margaret Thatcher, Mena Suvari is Reagan’s first wife Jane Wyman, Robert Davi is Leonid Brezhnev, Dan Luria appears as Tip O’Neill and Kevin Dillon plays movie mogul Jack Warner.