Actor Dennis Quaid joins me to discuss his new film, Reagan, and why he chose to play the role of Ronald Reagan in the new film. We also talk about the challenges of playing a character like Reagan and why it s important to see the world through the eyes of other people. And we talk about why we should all vote for the man who played Reagan, Ronald Reagan. Energize, a new podcast from Zero Media's Blue Circle Studio, and presented by Enbridge, brings you a series of conversations with Enbridge CEO Greg Ebel. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. What is the Future of Energy? Find out on Energy: A Podcast About Energy, where we discuss the future of energy and how it affects the entertainment industry, politics, and the entertainment world. Join us for all that and more on Energy, a podcast about energy, culture, and all things energy. Energy is a new series by Zero Media and Enbridge. This series is a collaboration between Enbridge and Zero Media, and is based on the award-winning documentary series, Energy, which examines the importance and impact of energy in our daily lives. Energy, and how they can help make a difference in the lives of the people we care most about energy and the things we care about. Music: "Energize" by Energizer, courtesy of Enbridge (featuring the Electric Light Orchestra). and "The Electric Light Company (feat. by Suneaters) in the second episode of Energy, featuring special thanks to Enbridge's newest album, "The Future Of Energy" featuring the Electric Company. in collaboration with Sunelectricity and the Energitelectric. and the Electric City Project, in . in this episode is out now available on all major podcast directories and in all major directories and directories on the airwaves. on this episode of Electric Light and social media platforms. In the second part of the series will be out in the next few weeks. (Coming soon, coming soon, The Electric City Podcasts and is available on the second half of the Enbridge Media and on October 31st, November 6th, 2019. Thank you for listening to Energy, 2020. Thank you so much for your support and support us! - Thank you, Greg and the rest of the podcasting network.
00:02:30.340That is what he, you know, almost single-handedly, really, because if we'd had another president in there, it would have been business as usual.
00:02:55.860Yeah, and I thought the film did a very good job of concentrating on what truly was central about his presidency, and I think that is what was central.
00:03:05.560And it was daring, and as you said, he had committed his whole life to it, and so that was interesting.
00:03:10.500I also, I also thought the movie was interesting from a narrative perspective because it kind of harkened, it was a classic Hollywood movie.
00:03:20.140Like, it harkened back to me, for me, to the kinds of movies that were made in the 1950s and the 1960s.
00:03:26.740Like, it's unabashedly pro-American, but not in a way that hits you over the head.
00:03:31.500But it's also, it doesn't have that kind of cynical bitterness that's characteristic of much of the productions of popular culture really since the 1970s.
00:03:41.120And so, that was nice to see, and it was pleasant to be carried away by a movie that was-
00:03:49.140It wasn't like an Oliver, a movie that Oliver would do, like about Nixon.
00:03:56.960So, how did you get involved in that project, and why were you interested in it?
00:04:01.220And I took a meeting, I think this was like 2017, that I heard these people, they want you to play Reagan, and I was just like, sure, right.
00:04:14.300Because I didn't think I looked like Reagan, or the only thing we had in common was that we were actors.
00:04:21.360And so, I went and had a meeting with Mark, and so it was a process, you know, because I, he was my favorite president, I will say that.
00:04:35.660Yeah, and I'd lived through those times and knew what they were.
00:06:17.880Jimmy Carter was like, we tried to be, and play nice with the Soviets during that time, you know, as far as peace.
00:06:25.100Jimmy Carter did a great job with, uh, in the Middle East, with Egypt and Israel.
00:06:29.500But he, uh, when it came to the Soviets, it was like, we gave away the B-1 bomber for nothing in return.
00:06:38.640And we kept, for nothing in return, just to show our goodwill, I guess.
00:06:42.960And the way the real politic works in the world, they just were, they were doing the biggest military buildup and were making, they were going into Africa.
00:06:54.680They were, uh, all over the world, they were making great strides, uh, into Central America and the like.
00:07:01.540And, uh, Reagan, who had always been, you know, this kind of coal warrior and great communicator, came along and told people,
00:07:12.960like, pick yourself up, you know, there's a brighter day ahead.
00:07:17.380And, uh, it was the perfect time for him.
00:07:20.340Right, and he also had a very stark message, which was that, and very forthright, which was unapologetically, that the Soviets were an evil empire.
00:07:48.420There was a sequence of them that lasted about six months in office.
00:07:51.280Right, but it had been, but up until his presidency, it had been appeasement, uh, with the Soviets.
00:07:59.480I think, uh, Kennedy did a really great job of it.
00:08:02.400Nixon was actually, no matter what you think of him, uh, personally, uh, he was, is probably, uh, the, the most knowledgeable, uh, world affairs president we've ever had.
00:08:15.180Um, and, but Carter, uh, he tried to be a nice guy.
00:08:21.420Yeah, he was a nice, he was an agreeable person.
00:08:23.620In the same way he personally got together Sadat and, and Begin.
00:10:11.460During that time, you know, because his career was, was fading, really.
00:10:18.580And it, it, it's there that the, his real fight against communism started, you know, even though it was kind of rumored, you know, you've got to be crazy.
00:10:30.140But they really, after the Soviet Union fell, come to find, you go to the archives, come to find out they really were in the, in our unions.
00:11:07.760Well, I think still we're blind to the threat.
00:11:09.860I mean, I see in all of this university uprising that's occurring now.
00:11:15.100And all of these bad actors who are protesting constantly in inner cities and setting up encampments and building these like independent cities.
00:11:23.800There's a, there's a stream of thought underneath that that's, well, it's, it's, it's very much akin to the Marxist stream.
00:11:33.540Yeah, that stream is, you get into the society, into the unions or whatever it is, you start creating mayhem.
00:11:54.780And Reagan didn't want to expel communists or even the Communist Party, but he, you know, he's principled in that way because he felt like democracy can handle it.
00:12:06.940In fact, that's what he testified, you know, at the, at Congress during, during that time, during the time of the Red Scare and all that.
00:12:15.720I guess that's what we're trying to figure out right now, too, whether democracy can handle it.
00:12:21.340It really can't, what it takes is for, is for people to be informed, be aware, and, and, you know, it's slow, it's slow to move, but people got to get involved.
00:12:44.580Saying, I've had enough, because it affects them in their house, in their house, in their neighborhoods, you know?
00:12:51.340Just the structure of, and the substructure of society, you know, kind of breaking down, you know, little by little, and where you don't feel safe anymore.
00:13:05.120You don't, this is, this is not the way I remember it.
00:13:10.140So, how did you figure that out in your early, in your mid-20s?
00:13:14.420I mean, I would suspect that the milieu you were in was pretty radical, radically progressive, radically liberal.
00:13:21.760Like, why, how, how was it that you came to be oriented in that more conservative direction, or particularly in the anti-communist direction?
00:13:51.900Yeah, the, the, the Republicans need the Democrats, because of this social thing that's out there, to, to, to kind of lead the way progressively.
00:14:04.200You know, we move along as a society, and the, and the Democrats need the Republicans to kind of keep a little governor on that.
00:14:11.180Make sure that we grow the right way, and that, you know, that we don't leave behind principles, and, and things that are at the bedrock of who we are.
00:14:57.700Yeah, and, you know, that's, so, I was, I was really hesitant about it.
00:15:04.160And, you know, I also wanted to make sure it was done right, and, and, you know, what it was.
00:15:08.600And I, so, I, they arranged for me to go up to the library, which I went to, and from there, we went to, I met his son, Michael, as well.
00:15:23.580And we, I went to the ranch, and it was, when I went up to the ranch, you know, the, it was the Western White House back then above Santa Barbara.
00:15:35.960And went up five miles to the top of the mountain, five miles of the worst road in California.
00:15:43.700And I can't believe the Queen of England actually tried to go up that road.
00:15:47.960She was, she was a tough cookie there, that woman.
00:15:50.920Yeah, but you get to the top, and he opens up, and I realized that Reagan was not a rich man.
00:16:00.640And, you know, because this place is, is like, it's nothing special in how special it is.
00:16:07.220I mean, the house itself was maybe 1,200 square feet, you know.
00:16:54.000And, but he was really who he said he was.
00:17:02.480And that was the thing that really kind of convinced me at the time.
00:17:08.800And I started thinking, well, you know, we're both actors.
00:17:11.620We both have a semi-disposition, kind of optimistic about the world.
00:17:17.360And there's something about him, though.
00:17:20.240Yeah, that's funny with you, that, that sunny disposition, because you're, you're not a kind of wide-eyed, deer-in-the-headlight sort of guy.
00:17:28.920You know, it's, it's very interesting to see that sunny disposition combined with something more like, what would you say, traditional masculinity.
00:17:37.460And that's likely what Reagan managed to, right?
00:17:40.040Because he was a, he had enough backbone, obviously, to stand up to the communists in the unions.
00:17:52.380And then there was also, in, in getting into him, because as an actor, what really fascinates me about acting, even more and more so, is what makes people tick.
00:18:05.560And who are they behind what you think you know?
00:18:13.220That's what, you know, the motivations go back, way back.
00:18:15.980There was something in Reagan that was unknowable, I come to find out.
00:18:19.640And even those that were close to him would say that, that I don't, don't even know if Reagan was aware of it, but there was something, the great communicator, there was a very private place in there that you could not breach.
00:18:38.240I'm sure that Nancy knew what that was, but he was a very, very private person underneath it all.
00:18:47.140Going online without ExpressVPN is like not paying attention to the safety demonstration on a flight.
00:18:54.240Most of the time, you'll probably be fine, but what if one day that weird yellow mask drops down from overhead and you have no idea what to do?
00:19:01.900In our hyper-connected world, your digital privacy isn't just a luxury.
00:19:06.880Every time you connect to an unsecured network in a cafe, hotel, or airport, you're essentially broadcasting your personal information to anyone with a technical know-how to intercept it.
00:19:16.240And let's be clear, it doesn't take a genius hacker to do this.
00:19:19.240With some off-the-shelf hardware, even a tech-savvy teenager could potentially access your passwords, bank logins, and credit card details.
00:19:26.980Now, you might think, what's the big deal?
00:20:23.860Yeah, well, I wonder, you know, because of the remarkable role he played, there's something singular about that, right?
00:20:36.400That, what would you say, integrity and vision that enabled him to see the true nature of the communist threat early, to fight that locally and to learn how to do it, and then to take that battle onto the international stage, right?
00:21:00.800Like, most people were over here about that.
00:21:03.680He was, that's what makes a great president, is when they can point out, because they have all the info, and they can say, it's here that we need to go.
00:21:14.740And convince people that, you know, of what it is to go in the right direction, remind them of the principles, and not just the issue of the day.
00:21:32.300Well, that's something like a prophetic spirit, right?
00:21:34.700That ability to see the current situation clearly, and to see into the future, and to put your finger exactly in the right spot.
00:21:41.720And it is, it isn't the case, generally speaking, that American presidencies are founded on, say, a foreign policy vision, right?
00:21:52.100That's, foreign policy is important, obviously, but it's usually not central.
00:21:55.920And it's much easier for a president to default to some fast payoff local issue, and to do that continually, rather than to fight the battle he fought, which he really fought for decades, right?
00:22:09.460He was the first to say no to the Soviets.
00:22:11.720But his take was so brilliant, and it was disguised, and because his idea, and it wasn't originally his idea, it was from a lot of reading, research, and just time spent.
00:22:30.160But he thought the answer was to bankrupt the Soviets.
00:22:37.220Their economy is minuscule, even today, to what ours is.
00:22:42.940They had done so much military spending, and they were really, you know, things were so bad over there for their, for the Soviet people, you know, lines just to get food and this and that.
00:22:54.740And that, he came up, he comes up with Star Wars, which didn't really exist.
00:23:00.840He got the idea from the movie, you know, about lasers, you know, they're going to shoot down missiles in space.
00:23:42.220That's really what brought the Soviet Union down.
00:23:45.400Yeah, well, that's, that's a remarkable climax to a life spent that, you know, that originated in local fighting with the communists in the unions in Hollywood.
00:24:24.380You can go back and, and, and see, and, you know, what do you get to, I work outside in a lot, so I work on the physical, how does a person walk, talk, and then from that, it goes inside.
00:47:45.760And the guy asked me, like, how do you think Trump is handling, you know, the crisis?
00:47:54.040I said, well, you know, at least he's there every day.
00:47:59.660He's, you know, comes out and he's there every day.
00:48:04.180He may not, you know, be making, saying the right things or this or that, but, you know, he's there every day.
00:48:12.140And that's reassuring, you know, to see your leaders out there, that they're doing something about it.
00:48:19.220And over that, you know, the, you know, they were trying to, like, they blew that up into, that was one time.
00:48:32.420And then while we were doing the film, there was this false story that came out.
00:48:36.600This was that I had taken, like, $400,000 from the CDC through Trump to do a commercial for the vaccine or something like that, which was totally false, false narrative.
00:48:57.060And how I, you know, my son was calling me up about, like, hey, man, you're going to get canceled over this.
00:49:02.240It says, like, people, you know, it was like, and so, you know, but I didn't get canceled.
00:53:02.240You know, you had, like, this is where all this stuff started, where you had the Vanderbilts and the Morgans and the Rockefellers and everything.
00:53:11.120And there was the Carnegie, there was just no checks and balances on wealth.
00:53:16.400They were, like, the Carnegie was, you know, rivaled the government himself.
00:53:22.440I mean, you put them all together, they were, they had more cash than the government did.
00:53:28.560And there was no checks and balances on that.
00:53:31.820And a lot of people, they wind up then with, you know, up here and then down here.
00:53:38.460And so I think, you know, some of the things that came into being, you know, social networks, and the Democrats can't take credit for all of them.
00:54:21.120I don't care, if you don't care what you're tearing down.
00:54:23.620If you look at the political spectrum, like a distribution between left and right, as you get farther out on the fringes, you get out of the political, I think, entirely.
00:54:34.000Is that you get into the domain of people who are using the political for nothing but power.
00:54:38.800They're very, they're exactly the psychopaths that we were talking about.
00:54:54.920The Democrats, I mean, the Republicans have done it as well.
00:54:59.220You know, I wasn't really very proud of the Republican Party back in the 90s, in a sense.
00:55:05.720It's, they played kind of the, the personal, like the way they were with Clinton and that it was, they weren't working together like they could have been working together.
00:55:24.320And it, it seemed like, to me, like a power move on the Republican, back in the 90s, you know, you're going to the 80s and into the 90s.
00:55:36.680So I just did this, last year I did a seminar on Exodus, on the story of Moses, and Moses is the archetypal leader.
00:55:45.900And his fundamental temptation and flaw is power.
00:55:50.940So it's always the case that in the political realm, the temptation is to default to power and to corrupt the enterprise.
00:55:59.520Yeah, like with Clinton, you know, this, he did something, which is not a crime, but because he lied about this, then they go into like the Republicans' pounce and they, they impeached him.
00:56:13.620And that was, you know, a play for power.
00:56:15.640You know, yeah, they failed ultimately in that, you know, times are so good.
00:56:24.320And Clinton, Clinton also was very good about, you know, two years into his presidency, he was, it was like a duck.
00:56:32.700He wasn't, he wasn't going to make it for the second election because times are bad.
00:56:37.060And he had, he was so pragmatic and so smart that he basically absconded the Republican agenda, plopped it down and went State of the Union speech, said the era of welfare in this country is over, you know.
00:56:58.180And, well, that's how he won the second election.
00:57:02.460And he was, he was a very pragmatic person.
00:57:05.980Let me return to Hollywood, if, if you don't mind.
00:57:12.200It seemed to me that Hollywood took a walloping blow with COVID and then the strike.
00:57:18.080And one of the things I've noticed about myself is I used to go to movies all the time, to theaters.
00:57:24.020I love going to movies and I've gone to very few movies since COVID.
00:57:28.100It's kind of like, I don't know if I got out of the habit.
01:00:28.120And, but used to be back then, movie stars, like in the, you know, going up and really until the 80s, 90s, true movie star, you wouldn't do a talk show on TV.
01:01:49.320I wonder too how much of it is the fact that like when you and I grew up, being on television was like, that was a remarkable and unlikely occurrence to be personally on television, even to know someone who was on television.
01:12:34.740For everybody watching and listening, I'm going to continue this conversation behind the Daily Wire Plus platform for another half an hour, so you could join us there.