• Economy
  • Editor’s Pick
Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Investing
  • Stock
Editor's Pick

Happy birthday, Ronald Reagan. What making a movie about our 40th president taught me about his greatness

by February 7, 2025
written by February 7, 2025
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Editor’s note: President Ronald Reagan was born on February 6, 1911. The following essay is excerpted from ‘Making Reagan.’

Shooting a movie during a pandemic is truly a surreal experience like no other. Part of the fun of making a movie is the joy of being together—of going to restaurants and local haunts and generally hanging out with cast and crew. 

When I first landed in Guthrie, Oklahoma, I went straight to our COVID Coordinator, Emily O’Banion, and asked her what the rules were for my stay there. The conversation went like this:

‘Can I go to a restaurant?’

‘No.’

‘What about Walmart?’

‘That’s absolutely the most dangerous place of all.’

‘How am I supposed to eat?’ I asked.

She just stared at me.

Eventually, we made a plan, and Walmart groceries were delivered to my door daily. We were living in a rental—my 92- year-old mother, my wife, my kids, a caregiver, and an assistant. While I was off at work, the kids were doing Zoom school, and we were trying hard to make normal out of chaos. 

There were plenty of signs around describing the kind of town Guthrie once was: lots of pubs, references to it being a place of refuge during Prohibition. As I walked, I came upon our assassination scene. The Washington Hilton hotel wall near the spot where Reagan almost lost his life was perfectly re-created by our design team. The next day, Dennis Quaid, who was starring at the 40th president, was in front of the wall reenacting the amazing moment and we were off to the races.

Dennis had a long day that began with that scene and then moved to a variety of pickups, including a talk with his aging mother Nelle, who was played by an old friend of mine, Jennifer O’Neill. The scene was a beautiful one that found 40-year-old Reagan telling his mom he was washed up, divorced, and feeling lost.

As Dennis and I discussed this scene, he said he wanted to change some of the lines. I asked him if he had a similar conversation with his mom and he quickly said yes, around the time he and Meg Ryan were getting a divorce. ‘Let’s just riff off that,’ I told him, and he did so brilliantly, telling Jennifer’s character Nelle that he hasn’t lived a perfect life in Hollywood and that maybe he can’t do the great things she told him he was going to do someday. 

After we were shut down by COVID for a second time the previous fall and we had finished our shoot and returned to L.A., I felt sometimes as though I had PTSD. But now I was looking forward to finishing strong.

We moved on to the final scene of the night and Dennis’s last of our shoot, when Reagan was in Las Vegas. This was the moment when Reagan was at the end of his rope, smoking a cigarette and drinking a beer, as voices from his promising past swirled around in his head. The scene culminated with him throwing the beer bottle against a wall backstage at the show he was forced to perform to pay his mortgage. It was a scene we had crafted carefully.

I had called up his old friend Pat Boone and asked him: If Reagan was down and out in Vegas, how low could he go? Would he have reached for the bottle? Would he have thrown it in anger? 

I had posed the same question to a Reagan biographer who had assured me that Reagan would have done no such thing and that Reagan had specifically said of the Vegas show that it was difficult but still part of God’s plan for him. 

Pat would have none of it, and we went with his note. Even if Reagan later saw it as part of the Divine Plan, in the moment it would have been a huge disappointment, and yes, he might have taken a drink and lost his cool. 

So that’s how we played it. 

It was near midnight when we finished, and as Dennis walked down the stairs, we hugged one last time. We had been on a long, arduous journey, through countless peaks and valleys, and now we were nearly finished.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
0 comment
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

previous post
Trump must dump ‘One China’ policy and recognize ‘free’ Taiwan, House Republicans say
next post
Dems who lashed out at Trump for being ‘threat to democracy’ flip script with last-minute delay tactics

related articles

Hawley blasts FDA approval of new abortion drug,...

October 2, 2025

Trump’s DOGE savings dwarfed by Medicare, Social Security...

October 2, 2025

FLASHBACK: James Comey urged officials to always prosecute...

October 2, 2025

The agency staff Vought might recommend cutting and...

October 2, 2025

Reagan-appointed judge, once rebuked by Supreme Court, continues...

October 2, 2025

‘Real consequences’: Food aid, flood insurance, FEMA funds...

October 2, 2025

Trump must triple severely outdated nuke arsenal to...

October 2, 2025

White House says federal layoffs could hit ‘thousands’...

October 2, 2025

Johnson shuts door on negotiating shutdown deal as...

October 2, 2025

Democrats refuse to budge over Obamacare fight as...

October 2, 2025
Enter Your Information Below To Receive Free Trading Ideas, Latest News, And Articles.


Your information is secure and your privacy is protected. By opting in you agree to receive emails from us. Remember that you can opt-out any time, we hate spam too!

Latest News

  • Tesla to recall 1.8 million vehicles in US over faulty hood latch detection

    July 30, 2024
  • ‘All-in’: GOP lawmakers divided on US involvement as Trump pushes Iran for diplomatic end

    June 14, 2025
  • LG Electronics India, CATL, and other major Asian IPOs to watch out for in 2025

    January 6, 2025
  • Democrat grills Hegseth on whether he’ll take ‘accountability’ for Signal chat once DOD IG report drops

    June 12, 2025
  • Vance triggers Dems by defending Trump’s executive authority

    February 10, 2025

Popular Posts

  • 1

    Secret Service admits leaning on ‘state and local partners’ after claim it ignored Trump team’s past requests

    July 21, 2024
  • 2

    Five more House Democrats call on Biden to drop out, third US senator

    July 19, 2024
  • 3

    Elon and Vivek should tackle US funding for this boondoogle organization and score a multimillion dollar win

    December 4, 2024
  • 4

    Forex Profit Calculator: Maximize Your Trading Potential

    July 10, 2024
  • 5

    Biden calls to ‘lower the temperature’ then bashes Trump in NAACP speech

    July 17, 2024

Categories

  • Economy (829)
  • Editor's Pick (6,247)
  • Investing (634)
  • Stock (935)

Latest Posts

  • Senate Democrats show shift on Israel as Sanders-backed arms blockade gains traction

    August 12, 2025
  • Nvidia hit a $4 trillion market valuation

    November 20, 2024
  • Obama denies Trump’s ‘bizarre allegations’ that he was Russiagate ‘ringleader’ in rare statement

    July 22, 2025

Recent Posts

  • The dollar index manages to stay above 105.00 for now

    July 10, 2024
  • US readiness plays ‘significant’ role in fending off Iranian attack on Israel

    October 1, 2024
  • Pete Hegseth says he will be ‘standing right here in this fight’ after meeting with senators

    December 6, 2024

Editor’s Pick

  • Hawley officially a yes on Dr. Oz after securing commitments on transgender, abortion issues

    April 1, 2025
  • Hasbro forecasts as much as $300 million impact if China tariffs don’t come down

    April 25, 2025
  • SEAN DUFFY: America’s air traffic systems need an urgent upgrade

    February 19, 2025
  • About us
  • Contacts
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Disclaimer: moneyrisetoday.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

Copyright © 2025 moneyrisetoday.com | All Rights Reserved

Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Economy
  • Editor’s Pick
Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Investing
  • Stock