Dennis Quaid Has Learned to Take Everything in Stride

His acting career spans nearly five decades with roles in familiar films like "The Right Stuff," "The Parent Trap," "The Rookie," and many more. And at 70, Dennis Quaid is busier than he's ever been.

Between traveling back and forth to Vancouver to shoot scenes for an upcoming Paramount series, he's gearing up for the release of his long-awaited "REAGAN" movie which hits theaters this summer. Shot during COVID, then hit with other delays, the film's release date has been pushed back several times.

"I'm truly, truly excited," Quaid says. "It's been a long wait."

He portrays the 40th president in a storyline following Ronald Reagan's life from a young boy growing up in Illinois to becoming an actor to stepping onto the world stage as leader of the free world. It's told through the eyes of a KGB agent who recounts Reagan's role in the demise of the Soviet Union.

In the film's trailer, Quaid (looking and sounding a lot like the former president) is seen delivering the line from Reagan's famous 1987 speech in front of the Berlin Wall.

"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

Quaid closely studied the late president's speech patterns and mannerisms and describes playing him as both an honor and a challenge.

"I didn't want to do an impression or impersonation of him," he tells Next Avenue. "I wanted to try and get under his skin. And that was very difficult to do because there's a part of Reagan that's impenetrable. People close to him often remarked there was a part of him that was unknowable. He was very private. I think Nancy probably knew him better than anybody."

Actor Penelope Ann Miller fills the role of the former first lady. "She's so good, it's like she became Nancy Reagan," Quaid says.

They shot the film in Oklahoma and California with a number of scenes taking place at the Reagan ranch, which is closed to the public.

"They called it the Western White House back then," Quaid explains. "And it was really interesting doing those scenes at the very places they happened. That was kind of a tingle-up-the-spine moment. We shot at the Reagan library and used the old Air Force One that's there. So, the movie's pretty authentic."

As he readies for "REAGAN's" nationwide theater release August 30th, Quaid is already hard at work on a host of other projects. One involves a Paramount series called "Happy Face." It's based on the true-life story of Melissa Jepperson Moore whose father murdered at least eight women and drew smiley faces on letters he sent to authorities and members of the media. While playing a serial killer might seem like a departure for Quaid, he says he was drawn to the deeper story.

"This is a story of a real guy who was a serial killer in the '90s, and not to glamorize it or anything, but it's really about the relationship between him and his daughter. He was a doting father when she was growing up. She was a teenager when he went to jail, and she's been trying to reconcile her relationship with him ever since."

Throughout his career, whether he was playing astronaut Gordon Cooper in "The Right Stuff," Jerry Lee Lewis in "Great Balls of Fire!" or many other real or fictional characters, the attraction for Quaid has always been connecting on the human level.

"It goes back to the reason I wanted to be an actor in the first place," he says. "What really interested me is what makes people tick. I learn from everything I do, and I learn a little bit more about people and who we are. In fact, I'm more fascinated by acting now than I was when I started."

As much as he enjoys movies, he's also been actively involved in another creative outlet: making music. Quaid, who began playing the guitar at the age of twelve, last year released a successful gospel album called "Fallen: A Gospel Record for Sinners." It features his version of classics like "I'll Fly Away" and "Amazing Grace" as well as five original songs he wrote.

The songs share his spiritual journey that began in childhood but took a detour during his early years in Hollywood. He credits his faith with helping him overcome a dependency on cocaine.

"I was a Christian all my life, but my own spiritual journey was one where you try to do it your way. And much of it by trial and error, until you find out that doesn't really work so well."

Today, Quaid is happy, healthy and embracing life. Married to Laura Savoie, they have homes in both Los Angeles and Nashville. He's the proud father of a grown son, Jack, who is also an actor, and teenage twins. He's found a way to balance time with his family and the projects that matter. He admits some of that comes with getting older.

"You learn to take things in stride," he says with a laugh. "And I appreciate I'm not in a place where I'm trying to get anywhere. I'm not trying to become a known actor; I'm not trying to win an Academy Award or any other kind of award. I just enjoy what I do."

Pam Windsor is a freelance feature, travel and entertainment writer. She currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

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