Getty Images
“Reagan” stars Dennis Quaid and Penelope Ann Miller as President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan and their fairytale romance that lasted 52 years.
They spoke with “Extra’s” Adam Weissler about their “power couple.”
“The film is essentially a love story. It’s about Nancy and Ron, and without Nancy there would have been no President Reagan,” Dennis said.
Penelope agreed, saying, “I think that’s the heart of the movie… they were a power couple and they were so together and they got on so well.”
She added: “Their love story was real. It was pure and true.”
“He wrote her at least a short note every day, a love letter,” Quaid said.
The film depicts that fateful day in American history when a couple’s marriage faced its greatest test yet when an assassination attempt was made on President Reagan.
“It had been three months since the president took office,” Mr Quaid noted. Mr Miller said he could only imagine a wife in Nancy’s position would think, “Is this what we’re going to have to go through? Is this what we signed up for?”
“The fear of assassination dogged Nancy throughout her term,” Dennis added.
“She was definitely fiercely protective of him and those around him,” Penelope said. [with].”
Dennis admitted that he was a little nervous about playing a real person.
“Reagan” Films/Getty
“I didn’t want to do an impersonation of him because he was my favorite president,” Quaid explained, “He’s like Muhammad Ali. Everybody in the world knows what he looks like, what he sounds like, and has deep opinions about it.”
Dennis explained why he was hesitant: “So I didn’t say yes at first, but I didn’t say no either.”
Penelope added about playing Nancy, “It’s scary to play a real person, especially an iconic real person. It was daunting even for me.”
“If I could just capture their essence,” she reflects, “even if I don’t look exactly like them, don’t walk like them, don’t talk like them, I just want to be able to feel them. After all the research, it’s my hope that I’ve been able to capture her essence and honour her legacy.”
Quaid claimed, “She was basically imitating Nancy Reagan even while standing in line for lunch!”
Dennis also reflected that Reagan lived his life according to his beliefs beyond party lines, and said he hopes there is more dialogue today.
“I think everyone today wishes they had someone like Ronald Reagan… and I’m a big Democrat too. About half of Democrats voted for Reagan in the second election… Reagan had principles, he governed by principles, he lived by principles that transcended party line. I’d like to see a bit more of that today, and a bit more of the dialogue that the two parties had with each other back then that’s lost today.”
“Reagan” will be released in theaters on August 30th.
