Now an implausible 70-year-old, Dennis Quaid still carries a calm, cool swagger into his film-making. However, there's something impeccably formal about this year's portrayal of the 40th President of the United States.
In Reagan, the Golden Globe-nominated actor will play the role of the Illinois-born Republican, who had a career in acting himself! However, in January 1981, became the most powerful man in the world.
The movie follows Reagan's life, from his childhood in Tampico to his two-term presidency during the infamous Cold War era.
For Quaid, it marks another genre shift. He has worked a career through so many variations on a story, making himself one of the most adaptable and popular actors out there, as proven in hits such as The Big Easy, Far From Heaven, Traffic, The Right Stuff, and Postcards From the Edge.
Quaid is also in the upcoming action crime drama Sovereign. Based on actual events, the story follows a father and son traveling across America, identifying as Sovereign Citizens until they reach a stand-off with Quaid's Chief of Police character. It co-stars Nick Offerman and Jacob Tremblay, who play the anti-government extremists.
In 2025, Quaid, raised in Houston but now lives in Nashville, will star in the lead role in the Paramount+ TV series Happy Face. It is an adaptation of the iHeartPodcasts 2018 true-crime podcast Happy Face by Melissa Moore and her 2009 autobiography Shattered Silence, co-written with M. Bridget Cook.
STRIPLV: You're playing the 40th President of the United States in the movie Reagan. What were your first thoughts when you were offered the role? QUAID: Seriously? Fear. (Laughs) No, really, I love a challenge when playing a role or certainly, deciding to play one, especially one as important as assuming a biographical character as an iconic president of the USA. When I get a feeling like the one I did when this part was put to me, and I can tell you, it was something of a chill right down my spine. I knew it was something that I just couldn't turn down. That's usually the reaction that makes me think that I have to do whatever role it is that makes me feel that way. It's more of an indicator to me that anything that anyone can say to me or whatever else happens. STRIPLV: What is it that makes you feel that way? QUAID: I have so much respect for Reagan, and I voted for him the first time. But I'm not affiliated to any party, neither do I always vote for the same one. So, I'm one of those seemingly rare independents in Hollywood, apparently. Is that allowed? I don't know, actually. The one thing that matters to me most is if I do choose to do a role like this, although there isn't anyone like this at all, at least to me. Then, I have to make sure that I get it right. There's no point in taking all the plaudits and then getting it all wrong. You have to nail it. STRIPLV: Was this the type of role that you got into acting for? QUAID: Well, to be honest, I only got into acting because I was stuck for something to do in my life. It wasn't as if I wanted to be an actor since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, not at all, in fact. I was studying drama at the University of Houston and then thought I would take the chance to move to Hollywood in the 1970s and see if I could get some movie roles. But before that, at my high school in Bellaire in, Texas, I was learning Mandarin. No, far from the easiest of languages to learn, but I told you, I always like a challenge. STRIPLV: You've embraced the almost unenviable challenge of playing Ronald Reagan, but how do you prepare for something like this? QUAID: Research, research, and more research. I went to the ranch, Rancho del Cielo, he and Nancy lived at near Santa Barbara and I immersed myself in all of the surroundings there, as everything is pretty much intact from when they lived there. Right down to the appliances in the kitchen, the interior has been well maintained by the Young America's Foundation, and that was so lucky for me to be able to go there and try and get into the mindset for the role. I was thinking about how he used to feel and behave when he was relaxing there, after having an acting career and then for eight years, being the most powerful man in the world. It was a surreal experience, to be honest and such a humbling one, as well. It was something that he always wanted to have and own, and to have finally achieved that when he purchased it in 1974. That was seven years before he was elected to the White House. It gave him solace and peace. STRIPLV: You spoke to many people who were close to Reagan during his life to help ensure the portrayal is accurate. QUAID: I spoke at length to many of the people with whom he placed his trust at various times in his long life. He was 93 when he died at the turn of the Millennium, including his surgeon, who operated on him when he took a bullet, and his preacher, as he was a man of big faith. Faith was so important to him, and it helped him achieve everything he did in life, and also be able to take a step back and evaluate things from time to time. For me personally, faith holds something different from what it may do to other people, and it's more about rejoicing what time we have on this Earth and how lucky we are to be here at a time when we can do the things that we want, as well as being alive. STRIPLV: Away from film, you have always exemplified your faith and appreciation of different cultures, right? QUAID: I have read the bible cover to cover, and I have also read the Koran from cover to cover, the Dhammapada and the Bhagavad Gita. A while ago, I realized I was at a point in my life where I came to a crossroads with myself, and I turned into a seeker. The Prodigal Son is really one of my stories because I've been the Prodigal Son, and I've also been the son who stayed at home and done the right thing, or whatever the right thing is. It has certainly worked miracles in my life, and it continues to. Even in the hard times and the hard things that happen, as well as the bad times and the bad things that go on and all of the things that have happened in my life, there is always a lesson in there somewhere. Sometimes, you've got to be with God, and you have got to be careful what you ask for because he just might give it to you. (Laughs) And I say that because it might just not be what you thought you were asking for. But that is what he is trying to teach you. STRIPLV: It feels like you have found absolute control and temperance in your faith. QUAID: I would agree with that, yes. I think the reality is that we are just too small to handle it ourselves; we are human beings. Some of us get filled up with ourselves, and it's all: "I am doing great, and I have got this life handled," then life throws something at you, and you're helpless, and that's when you need God on your side. Just let Him take it. There's no big deal. Let God handle the big deals, and I will take the small deals. That's my ethos. STRIPLV: You've said in the past that being a good father relates to being a good follower of an honest path in life. QUAID: Personally, I think there is always something in life where you compare your life to your father somewhere, either in a positive or a negative way, which repels or attracts you, but it has nothing to do with being a good or bad father. Being a father, for me, gives you visibility in starting to see your own mistakes in life, or certainly what you believe the mistakes in your life are that you have made, and will they come out in your children. And as a father the ideal scenario is that your children don't play out the same mistakes. Of course, they may make totally new mistakes, and that's okay, but at least your job should be that they don't repeat your own failings. And with that in mind, you also start thinking about your own dad and maybe he wasn't such an idiot after all. STRIPLV: How does that relate to your father, then? QUAID: Well, personally, I had an incredible relationship with my dad, and now that I have a relationship with my son Jack, who is 32 now, and my two other children, I am more happy than I can ever say. STRIPLV: What do you do when you're not working? QUAID: Well, I like to go all over the world on vacation, and when I get there, I want to be still and go out with the family. Then I would like to go on vacation with my honey. I like going out every day; I like to do nothing every day but be irresponsible and free of it all. STRIPLV: What do you mean? QUAID: I guess it's that feeling when you lose or misplace your phone. I've done that a few times when it's lost. Well, not lost, that feeling when you know where it is, but you leave it out of reach. That's a lovely feeling. When you know, no one can get hold of you for a while, that's when you feel like you are on vacation, whether actually, that is on vacation or just at home when you're at peace, and the world can't get hold of you because your cell phone is in another room. I love that feeling, and I think we should all experience that as often as we can!
DENNIS THE MENACE Five times the Texas actor played a character called Frank.
ONE September 30, 1955 (1977) In this drama, Quaid portrays Frank as the film explores the aftermath of James Dean's death on a small group of young men. Quaid's Frank navigates the emotional fallout, offering a glimpse into the impact of a cultural icon's passing, on ordinary lives.
TWO Switchback (1997) FBI agent Frank LaCrosse hunts a serial killer in the Rockies. His rugged determination contrasts with vulnerability as he uncovers a web of deception and danger. Quaid's portrayal blends intensity with empathy, showcasing his versatility in suspenseful storytelling.
THREE Frequency (2000) Frank Sullivan encounters a mind-bending twist when his son communicates with him across time via an old radio. Their bond transcends decades, steering Frank towards altering tragic events. Quaid's performance captures paternal love and suspense, anchoring the film's emotional core.
FOUR Far From Heaven (2002) Frank Whitaker is a conflicted husband concealing his homosexuality in 1950s suburbia. His internal struggle unfolds against societal pressures and personal identity, demonstrating Quaid's depth in portraying complex characters with the role of underscoring themes of repression and societal expectations with poignant nuance.
FIVE Flight of the Phoenix (2004) Frank Towns leads a group stranded in the Gobi Desert after a plane crash. His leadership is tested as tensions rise among survivors attempting to build a new aircraft from the wreckage. Quaid brings resilience and grit to the role, driving the film's survival narrative.