Something unbelievable happened today on The View: A Hollywood actor came on to say nice things about his “favorite president” Ronald Reagan and the hosts actually let him!
Actor Dennis Quaid came on the show to promote his long-awaited Reagan biopic, that reportedly gives a positive portrayal of the president, after decades of negative portrayals by liberal Hollywood.
Co-host Whoopi Goldberg introduced their guest as portraying a man who “who inspired generations of Republicans.” Meghan McCain was the first host to ask Quaid about the film:
“You've said he's one of your favorite presidents. He's one of my favorite presidents too,” she remarked before asking, “What drew you to him and how does this movie look at his life and was it difficult to play, I mean, such an icon, someone who is just you know beloved and really respected…?”
Quaid praised Reagan as “my favorite president of the 20th century.” The actor touted how Reagan was a “unifier” who made Americans “feel good” about their country:
He was my favorite president of the 20th century. I voted for him--the first time I voted for him was the 1980 election and I came home and my roommate who was kind of a rebel said who did you vote for, I said Reagan. He said, you are kicked out of the hippies. That was it. But I heard -- I heard Whoopi say that he inspired a generation of Republicans. There were a lot of what they used to call Reagan Democrats who voted for him. [chuckles] He had to get elected some way. And he was a unifier in so many ways in this country. He brought us back from -- we were going down a road that was America was going downhill and he made us feel good about being Americans again.
When the camera panned back, co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Joy Behar remarkably held their tongues but sat with scowls on their faces. Perhaps knowing it would be impossible for them to say anything nice about Reagan, the most liberal hosts spent most of their questions asking about Quaid’s other films instead.
However, Joy Behar did ask about the filming location for the movie. While Quaid beamed, Behar sat pursed-lipped and asked, “So, Dennis, um, you filmed a lot of that at the Reagan Ranch, didn't you?”
That prompted Quaid to share more personal stories he learned while filming at Reagan Ranch about his favorite president, such as how he was a “very humble man:”
Yes, it was, wow, what a feeling to be up there, it's not a tourist spot. It was bought by friends of Reagan after he passed and they left it exactly as it was. Ron and Nancy's clothes are in the closet and you expect them to be coming back at any second. One thing I realized about from going up there is Reagan was a very humble man actually. He was not a rich man. Um, they had a king size bed but it was two single beds that were strapped together with zip ties and the house is a small house, basically a one bedroom house with no guest house and they still had the television remote from the '70s that goes kaprong, kaprong with a handwritten note from Nancy on how to use it you know, with the two channel changers you had to operate a TV back then and so it was quite an amazing experience but you could really feel him there and his library is there. It's the first thing you see when you open the door and it's every book that he had kept from childhood that had inspired him and, you know, had an influence upon him. This is where Gorbachev had come, where the Queen of England had come up that five mile bumpy road to pay her respects.
Quaid has been open about his fondness for Reagan before. In 2018, he raved to Megyn Kelly about Reagan being his favorite president who did “so many things...that changed my life and the world for better.”
Read the transcript below:
The View
5/27/2021
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Welcome back. The fabulous Dennis Quaid is starring in two movies based on real-life events. As a sea captain on a meaningful mission in "Blue miracle" and as the president who inspired generations of Republicans in the upcoming movie "Reagan,”.....
(...)
MEGHAN MCCAIN: Well, you are also playing Ronald Reagan in a film that comes out next year and you've said he's one of your favorite presidents. He's one of my favorite presidents too.
DENNIS QUAID: Yeah.
MCCAIN: What drew you to him and how does this movie look at his life and was it difficult to play, I mean, such an icon, someone who is just you know beloved and really respected in a way, you know, that is iconic.
QUAID: He was my favorite president of the 20th century. I voted for him--the first time I voted for him was the 1980 election and I came home and my roommate who was kind of a rebel said who did you vote for, I said Reagan. He said, you are kicked out of the hippies. That was it. But I heard -- I heard Whoopi say that he inspired a generation of Republicans. There were a lot of what they used to call Reagan Democrats who voted for him. [chuckles] He had to get elected some way. And he was a unifier in so many ways in this country. He brought us back from -- we were going down a road that was America was going downhill and he made us feel good about being Americans again.
MCCAIN: Well, you have actually brought us our very own exclusive clip so we would like to take a look.
[plays clip]
JOY BEHAR: So, Dennis, um, you filmed a lot of that at the Reagan ranch, didn't you?
QUAID: Yes, it was, wow, what a feeling to be up there, it's not a tourist spot. It was bought by friends of Reagan after he passed and they left it exactly as it was. Ron and Nancy's clothes are in the closet and you expect them to be coming back at any second. One thing I realized about from going up there is Reagan was a very humble man actually. He was not a rich man. Um, they had a king size bed but it was two single beds that were strapped together with zip ties and the house is a small house, basically a one bedroom house with no guest house and they still had the television remote from the '70s that goes kaprong, kaprong with a handwritten note from Nancy on how to use it you know, with the two channel changers you had to operate a TV back then and so it was quite an amazing experience but you could really feel him there and his library is there. It's the first thing you see when you open the door and it's every book that he had kept from childhood that had inspired him and, you know, had an influence upon him. This is where Gorbachev had come, where the Queen of England had come up that five mile bumpy road to pay her respects.
