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By Noah Kantner

President Ronald Reagan. Photo credit: Flickr user pingnews.com.

In the film Reagan, released in August nationwide, Dennis Quaid plays the lead role of former President Ronald Reagan. Quaid’s decision to play that role was more complicated than one would think. He originally was skeptical of taking the part because of the current state of the political atmosphere in the United States, and with Reagan being so known, he felt like he would almost certainly be judged. Quaid also felt like he was not worthy of playing the role of the former president. During an interview with the Youtube Channel “ChurchPOP Editor” Quaid said, “Reagan was my favorite president, I voted for him, and a hero of mine, but that’s not enough of something for me to want to do the role.”

Quaid was also doubting the logic of the movie being released so close to a presidential election. He said, “I never wanted it to come out during an election year. Four years ago, when we were shooting this film, it was a different world in a sense. The time between when we were shooting the film and now really reminds me of those four years before Reagan became president. There was this feeling of malaise back then.” He has since then changed his mind about the film’s timing and now feels as if it came out at the perfect time. In the YouTube interview, Quaid went on to say, “It was really the strength of Reagan. It was that toughness to stand up and say ‘No’ that really propelled events to defeat the Soviet Union, and this Cold War.” 

Dennis Quaid. Photo credit: Flickr user Gage Skidmore.

What ultimately removed the doubt from Quaid’s mind about taking the role was a visit to Reagan’s ranch, Rancho del Cielo. He said, “I could feel him there, and I realized that Reagan was a humble man, he was not a rich man. There was a humbleness, a humility in him that very much reflected his faith.” Quaid’s visit helped him realize that it was much more than just a former president that he was being asked to play, but also someone that many people looked up to as a role model. “I felt his humanness there, and that’s what made me say ‘yes.’ That fear that I felt was really a message that I needed to do something like that. That fear going up my spine was a message to get out of my comfort zone.” 

Rancho del Cielo. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Quaid has had many of his own battles throughout his life. Quaid was born on April 9, 1954 and raised in Houston Texas. He was raised a Baptist, studied drama and Mandarin Chinese, and also danced while a student at Bellaire High School. He continued his education at the University of Houston but later dropped out before completing his degree to follow in his already-successful brother Randy Quaid’s footsteps and pursue a career in acting. He moved to Los Angeles and initially had trouble finding film roles. After an appearance in Breaking Away in 1979 and earning strong reviews for his role in The Right Stuff in 1983, Quaid was attracting attention in Hollywood.

In 1989, Quaid starred as rock and roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis in the film Great Balls of Fire! Lewis was Quaid’s hero, and getting to play him was an honor. In reality, Lewis was a drinker, known to have a short temper, and when the movie was released, Quaid’s night life was beginning to mimic his hero’s. The director and his fellow castmates questioned how he was even able to make those films at the time because of how much and how hard he partied. His eventual crash came shortly after disappointing reactions to the film. 

Quaid struggled with addiction in the 1980s, but he went home one night and had what he called a “white light experience.” He realized that if he continued to go down this path, he would lose everything he had, and what ultimately led to his recovery was his Christian faith, which he credits for everything he has in life.

Great Balls of Fire! movie poster. Image courtesy of Orion Pictures.

Aside from the fact that Reagan also spent many years as an actor, something that ties Quaid and Reagan together is their faith journeys. Quaid has struggled throughout his life with living up to his potential. He said his faith in God led him to taking the role of the former president: “That’s part of the way God works in our life. You’ve got to be careful of what you ask God for because he might just give it to you, but not in a way you would’ve thought.” 

After watching the film, I thought Quaid executed the role to perfection. He did a spectacular job of portraying the type of human Reagan was and really captured his character. The film was powerful and truly got the message across that you can’t let your values in life and your virtues be affected by the political atmosphere. 

Although I enjoyed the film and Quaid’s performance very much, many film critics had a different opinion. In a rogerebert.com review, Neil Minow wrote, “Quaid captures Reagan’s affability and cadences, and the scenes with Miller have a believable sense of their devotion and partnership. But the movie overplays his ability and achievements, under-plays the Iran-Contra scandal, and overlooks several other failures entirely.” Minow brings up the common opinion on the film among many critics that Reagan is made out to be almost too perfect a president and person. Minow also wrote, “We could use much more insight into what made him ‘the great communicator,’ but this movie is a poor communicator about the history and the man.” Even though Minow does give credit to Quaid for his ability to capture Reagan’s character and personality, she argues the film itself is not a great way to get a real sense of the U.S. and Reagan during his years spent in office and completely neglects to include any of the negative aspects of his presidency.

The film gives the audience a miniature glimpse of the kind of person and president Reagan was and strived to be. What Quaid wants out of this film is for people of all ages to get a chance to see what the United States is all about. Quaid states, “I do think that those born before 1985 will have a chance to see and feel what this country was like back then, and what it was, and how great it really was. Those born after 1985 have the possibility to really see and feel what this country can be.”

Featured image courtesy of MJM Entertainment.