Penelope Ann Miller to play Nancy Reagan in Dennis Quaid's 'Reagan' biopic
Updated: Nov 19, 2020
Quaid will play the former president in the new movie.
Joey Nolfi - https://tinyurl.com/y26crubw
October 14, 2020 at 11:38 AM EDT
One of Hollywood's leading men has found his First Lady.
Dennis Quaid announced Wednesday morning that The Artist and Carlito's Way actress Penelope Ann Miller will co-star as Nancy Reagan in his upcoming Ronald Reagan biopic Reagan.
The actor made the announcement during the third hour of Today during an interview in which he praised Miller's portrayal of the late political figure as "really eerie" for its similarities to the real-life FLOTUS.
"I owed it to her legacy, to her family, and everyone that knows her or has known her, and so it was really important that I get it right," Miller said in the joint discussion. "I read at least five books. I talked to Press Secretaries and Chiefs of Staff and we looked at many, many videos. And their relationship and the love affair that [Ronald and Nancy] had and partnership as everybody knows was probably paramount to none.”
Reagan is reportedly shooting in Oklahoma, with The Hollywood Reporter — which broke news of Miller's casting — indicating Jon Voight has also joined the cast of the Sean McNamara-directed film. Howard Klausner wrote the film's script with inspiration from conservative author Paul Kengor's book The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism.
Nancy Reagan was an actress who became the second woman to marry the 40th President of the United States, eventually becoming First Lady in 1981 ahead of spearheading an anti-drug campaign during her time in the White House. Reagan follows the couple's life through the eyes of a fictional KGB agent (Voight) tracking the ex-actor's path to the presidency as one of the most beloved (and polarizing) Republican voices in recent political history. (A representative for Voight did not immediately return EW's request for confirmation on the actor's supposed role).
A release date for Reagan has yet to be announced.
