IN "TODAY'S" SPOTLIGHT DENNIS QUAID. THE HOLLYWOOD HEARTTHROB SAT DOWN WITH ME NORTH OF SANTA BARBARA ON 688 ACRE PROPERTY KNOWN AS THE REAGAN RANCH. IT SITS AT THE TOP OF A LONG AND WINDY ROAD WITH SWEEPING VIEWS OF THE VALLEY AND CALIFORNIA. QUAID'S NEXT BIG THING? HE RECENTLY SIGNED ON TO PLAY OUR 40th PRESIDENT IN A FILM DUE OUT NEXT YEAR AND THE HOME IS STILL FILLED WITH THE REAGAN'S PERSONAL BELONGINGS EVERYWHERE. IT WAS HERE THAT DENNIS AND I TALKED ABOUT THE PARALLEL BETWEEN THE TWO MEN FROM MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE TO FAITH AND FAMILY. WATCH. >> THERE WAS THIS SHIVER OF FEAR THAT WENT UP MY SPINE. THAT'S USUALLY TO ME I SHOULD DO SOMETHING. IT'S OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE. >> NOTHING MUCH. JUST LUCK. >> DENNIS QUAID IS NO STRANGER TO HOLLYWOOD BURSTING ON THE STAGE IN THE '70s WITH HIS BOYISH GRIN. AFTER MORE THAN 60 STARRING ROLES, IT'S HIS LATEST THAT HAS HIM NERVOUS. THAT OF RONALD REAGAN. >> YOU MUST FEEL PRESSURE. >> HE WAS MY FAVORITE PRESIDENT OF MY LIFE. THERE'S SO MANY THINGS THAT CHANGED MY LIFE AND THE WORLD FOR THE BETTER. FOR ONE THING ENDING THE COLD WAR. HE PROPERTY BACK COMMON SENSE. HE STUCK TO HIS GUNS AND PRINCIPLES. AVENUES GREAT MAN AND HUMBLE MAN. >> CHECK IT OUT. >> LAST MONTH QUAID WAS TAPPED TO PLAY THE TITLE ROLE IN THE STAR-STUDDED BIOPIC "REAGAN" ABOUT THE PRESIDENT. >> I VOTED FOR REAGAN FIRST TIME, BY THE WAY. I'VE VOTED ON BOTH SIDES. I'M NOT A REPUBLICAN, DEMOCRAT, I'M AN INDEPENDENT. ALWAYS HAS BEEN. >> IS THAT ALLOWED IN HOLLYWOOD? >> PROBABLY. TO BE AN INDEPENDENT, THAT'S HOW I GET AWAY WITH IT. >> DO YOU FEEL THE NEED TO STUDY HIS MANNERISMS, SPEECH CADENCE. >> YES. >> HE HAD SORT OF AN AW SHUCKS PERSONA. >> I THINK HE WAS BORN GENETICALLY WITH A SUNNY DISPOSITION. THAT'S THE THING HE AND I HAVE IN COMMON. I DO HAVE A SUNNY DISPOSITION HONESTLY. >> IS THERE A BIGGER RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOU IN TAKING ON THIS ROLE GIVEN YOUR ADMIRATION FOR HIM AND SO MANY PEOPLE'S? >> I FEEL A HUGE RESPONSIBILITY WHENEVER I PLAY SOMEBODY WHO WAS A REAL PERSON, WHETHER THEY ARE DEAD OR ALIVE. I WANT TO GET THEM RIGHT. I ALSO WANT TO GET OVER ALL THE ADMIRATION STUFF. THEY DON'T FEEL THAT WAY ABOUT THEMSELVES. >> PRESIDENT REAGAN CAME HERE, THIS SIMPLE FACE WHERE HE WOULD BUILD FENCES, RIDE THE HORSES. >> HE COULD FEEL LIKE HIMSELF, I THINK. I THINK THIS WAS HIS DREAM TO HAVE A PLACE LIKE THIS. I THINK IT GAVE HIM PEACE, I THINK, TO BE HERE. >> SOLITUDE. >> REAGAN PRODUCER MARK JOSEPH SAYS HE'S ALWAYS KNOWN QUAID WOULD BE THE PERFECT FIT FOR THE ROLE. >> I BOUGHT HIM A REAGAN COWBOY HAT REPLICA. I SAID, DENNIS, TRY THIS ON. HE PUT IT ON. HE SAID CALL ME BACK IN A WEEK. I CALLED HIM BACK IN A WEEK. I SAID, WHAT DO YOU THINK? HE SAID, MARK, THE HAT DOESN'T FIT. IT'S TOO BIG. HI HEART JUST SUNK BUT HE SAID, I THINK I CAN GROW INTO IT. >> DO YOU EVER THINK, THIS ROLE COULD MAKE YOU A BETTER PERSON? YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? >> I THINK I'LL LEARN A LOT, LET'S PUT IT THAT WAY. ONE THING ABOUT ACTING AND I HAVE MORE FIRE IN MY BELLY NOW THAN IN MY 20s, PROBABLY BECAUSE I KNOW MORE. >> RAISED IN TEXAS WITH HIS MOM, WHO HE CALLS HIS ROCK, HE BECAME AN ACTOR BECAUSE HE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. THANKS TO ONE DRAMA TEACHER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON HE FOUND HIS CALLING. >> I'VE ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN PSYCHOLOGY, WHAT MAKES PEOPLE TICK. THAT'S WHAT ATTRACTED ME TO ACTING. >> CIRCUMSTANCES, A 1974. >> RESEARCHING HIS CHARACTER IS WHAT HE LOVES MOST ABOUT A NEW RO ROLE. >> MOSTLY ABOUT THE LITTLE THINGS THAT WERE IMPORTANT TO HIM. HIS BOOKCASE I FIND EXTRAORDINARY. THE FAMILY ROOM, THEY DIDN'T LET ANYBODY ELSE IN. >> THIS WAS THEIR PRIVATE SANCTUARY. >> TO PREPARE FOR "REAGAN" HE PLANS TO SIFT THROUGH 50 ACCOUNTS FROM PEOPLE CLOSEST TO THE PRESIDENT, INCLUDING HIS SURGEON, LONGTIME SECRET SERVICE AGENT AND PREACHER. >> TO UNDERSTAND REAGAN, YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT A BIG ROLE FAITH PLAYS IN HIS LIFE, TOO. CAN YOU RELATE TO THAT? >> I DO HAVE FAITH. I GREW UP IN SUNDAY SCHOOL AND CHURCH, IT'S NOT ABOUT BEING A BOY SCOUT, THAT'S ABOUT WHAT REDEMPTION IS. IT'S ABOUT KNOWING THE WONDERFUL FEELING OF BEING ALIVE. >> SO THAT PIECE OF PAPER IF YOU LOOK BACK -- WE'LL POST THIS ON TODAY.C TODAY.COM/MEGYNTODAY >>> SO A FEW WEEKS AGO I HAD A CHANCE TO SIT DOWN WITH DENNIS QUAID WHO RECENTLY SIGNED ON TO PLAY RONALD REAGAN IN AN UPCOMING FILM ABOUT THE 40th PRESIDENT'S LIFE. BEFORE THE COMMERCIAL BREAK DENNIS AND I WERE TALKING ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF FAITH IN HIS LIFE. ONE PLACE HE FINDS FAITH IS THROUGH MUSIC AND HIS BAND, THE á AND GAUGE THEM. THERE'S A FLOW THAT GOES ON THERE, A FLOW WITH THE OTHER INSTRUMENTS. MUSIC IS ALSO THE LANGUAGE OF GOD. IT REALLY IS. IT'S UNIVERSAL. AS LONG AS IT'S GOOD, IT WILL APPEAL TO ANYONE ANYWHERE. >> YOU'RE GOING TO BE PLAYING THE PRESIDENT AND PLAYING WITH THE SHARKS. >> IT MIGHT HAPPEN A WEEKEND OR TWO. >> BUT THERE WAS A TIME WHEN THE MUSIC ALMOST STOPPED FOR QUAID AND HIS FAITH WAS TESTED. >> YOU'VE BEEN PRETTY OPEN ABOUT THE FACT THAT YOU WERE A COCAINE ADDICT FOR A WHILE. >> YEAH, RIGHT. >> HOW HAS THAT AFFECTED YOUR LIFE? >> I GREW UP IN THE '60s AND '70s AND THERE WAS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ATTITUDE ABOUT IT BACK THEN, EVEN IN SOME MOVIE BUDGETS. I KEPT ROLLING ON, PRETTY MUCH DOING COCAINE ON A DAILY BASIS IN THE EARLY '80s. I SPENT MANY, MANY A NIGHT SCREAMING AT GOD TO PLEASE TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME. I'LL NEVER DO IT AGAIN, BECAUSE I'VE ONLY GOT AN HOUR BEFORE I HAVE TO BE AT WORK. THEN ABOUT 4:00 IN THE AFTERNOON, THAT'S NOT SO BAD. I HAD WHAT I CALL A WHITE LIGHT EXPERIENCE WHERE I SAW MYSELF EITHER DEAD OR LOSING EVERYTHING THAT MEANT ANYTHING TO ME. >> ENGAGED TO MEG RYAN AT THE TIME, HE SAID HE HAD TO SIT HER DOWN AND TELL HER EXACTLY WHAT WAS GOING ON. THEN HE CHECKED HIMSELF INTO REHAB. >> THAT WAS THE END OF THE LOVE AFFAIR WITH ME WITH COCAINE. I DIDN'T PLAY MUSIC FOR A WHILE BECAUSE IT WAS SO CONNECTED TO MUSIC. I MEDITATED FOR 10 YEARS, STRAIG STRAIGHT. I READ THE BIBLE, I RED THE KORAN. I STARTING DELVING INTO THE MYSTERY. THAT IS WHAT ADDICTION IS ABOUT, IT'S ABOUT TRYING TO FILL UP A HOLE IN YOUR SELF. >> AS YOU'RE TALKING, I'M THINKING ABOUT POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE, RIGHT? THIS IS THE MAIN THEME OF IT. >> SLEEPING BEAUTY. >> I DIDN'T HAVE TO DO MUCH RESEARCH FOR THAT, DID I? >> DEPPES SAID AFTER GETTING CLEAN HIS CAREER SUFFERED. IT WASN'T UNTIL 1998 AND THE RELEASE OF "THE PARENT TRAP" THAT THINGS TURNED AROUND FOR HIM. >> I HOPE YOU HAD A GOOD TIME AT THAT CAMP BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT GOING BACK. I MISSED YOU TOO MUCH. >> I DID IT. WHEN I CAME OUT, I WAS THE KING OF THE CARPOOL LINE. >> SINCE THEN HE HAD STEADY ROLES THAT CHALLENGE HIM LIKE THIS YEAR'S I CAN ONLY IMAGINE AND HULU FILM THAT FILMS IN THE NORTH POLE. >> I'M THINKING IF I WERE DENNIS QUAID AT THIS POINT IN MY CAREER, I'D BE LIVING IN SANTA BARBARA, ENJOYING MY MONEY, TAKING NICE, EASY ROLES. I DON'T THINK I WOULD BE GOING TO THE NORTH POLE. >> I LOVE THE WILDERNESS. I LOVE THAT. I LOVE THE ADVENTURE PART OF IT. >> A FORMER MONTANA RANCHER HIMSELF, QUAID MADE SURE TO SHOW ME THE BEAUTY THAT SURROUNDS THE REAGAN RANCH IN CALIFORNIA. >> HAVE YOU EVER SEEP A BEAR? >> I SAW ONE GRISLY. >> AND SO NOW, 60 PLUS YEARS INTO YOUR PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS, HOW ARE YOU DOING? >> WHAT I FINALLY FOUND OUT IS THAT HAPPINESS IS A DECISION. IT REALLY IS. >> >>> SO DENNIS QUAID RECENTLY ANNOUNCED HE WILL BE STARRING AS RONALD REAGAN IN UPCOMING MOVIE ABOUT THE PRESIDENT'S LIFE. WE WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE ACCESS TO THE SPRAWLING REAGAN RANCH, WHICH IS CLOSE TO THE PUBLIC, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS WESTERN WHITE HOUSE WHICH IS WHERE THE REAGANS GOT AWAY TO ENJOY THE OUTDOORS. WE TALKED ABOUT THE PARALLEL BETWEEN THE TWO MEN BUT ALSO MANY DIFFERENCES. WATCH. >> LOOK AT THAT. IT'S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT WHO PLAYS NANCY. >> YEAH. REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT. >> YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE CHEMISTRY WITH HER. THAT WAS A TRUE LOVE AFFAIR. >> THINKING ABOUT THE PARALLEL BETWEEN YOUR LIFE AND REAGAN'S LIFE. YOU'VE BEEN DIVORCED. HE WAS DIVORCED, TOO. HE ENDED UP FINDING THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE IN NANCY REAGAN. >> THAT TO ME IS THE GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT I THINK HE WOULD THINK OF HIS LIFE WOULD BE HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH NANCY. >> WHAT DO YOU THINK SHE MEANT TO HIM? >> EVERYTHING. YEAH, I THINK EVERYTHING. I THINK THAT'S WHAT HE WANTED MORE THAN ANYTHING, TO HAVE A CLOSE INTIMACY WITH ANOTHER PERSON FOR YOUR ENTIRE LIFE. ISN'T THAT WHAT EVERYBODY WANTS? >> HAVE YOU FOUND IT? >> I CAN'T ANSWER THAT YET. >>> MARRIED AND DIVORCED THREE TIMES HE IS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT LOVE. CURRENTLY DATING A MODEL SINCE 2016. >> I LIKE TO BE IN A RELATIONSHIP. I KNOW. IT'S MORE FUN. >> DO YOU FEEL PRESSURED IN THAT KIND OF RELATIONSHIP WHEN YOU'RE OLDER AND SO MUCH YOUNGER. I WOULD BE AT THE GYM EVERY DAY. >> I ALWAYS HAVE BEEN AT THE GYM EVERY DAY BECAUSE I'M VAIN. NO. SHE AND I, WE DON'T THINK ABOUT IT. I'M SURE A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE DO, BUT HEY, THEY WILL JUST HAVE TO GET USED TO IT. >> I RECENTLY INTERVIEWED GOLDIE HAWN AND WE TALKED ABOUT THE PRESSURE OF WOMEN NOT TO AGE IN HOLLYWOOD. DO YOU FEEL THAT AT ALL AS A MALE STAR? >> AS A MALE, NO. NOT A QUESTION. >> YOU'RE ALLOWED TO AGE. >> OF COURSE YOU ARE. >> GOOD. >> YEAH. THERE'S ALWAYS A ROLE, YOU KNOW, FOR SOME WRETCHED OLD DUDE. >> BUT KEEPING QUAID YOUNG ARE HIS THREE CHILDREN. >> I TELL MY KIDS, FIND SOMETHING YOU LOVE TO DO AND FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GET PAID FOR IT. THEN YOU'VE GOT A THIRD OF YOUR LIFE SOLVED. >> QUAIDED 10-YEAR-OLD TWINS WITH EX-WIFE MADE HEADLINES AS NEWBORNS AFTER THEY WERE GIVEN LIFE THREATENING DOSE OF HEPARIN. TODAY QUAID SAYS THEY ARE PERFECT. >> IT WAS LIKE HAVING A BULLET GRAZE YOUR EAR. YOU REALLY FEEL GRATEFUL. >> AS FOR 24-YEAR-OLD SON JACK WITH EX-WIFE MEG RYAN, HE'S FOLLOWING IN HIS PARENTS FOOTSTEPS. >> IT WAS VERY OBVIOUS JACK WAS GOING TO BE AN ACTOR OR FILMMAKER FROM THE TIME HE WAS THREE. MEG AND I BOTH DIDN'T ENCOURAGE OR DISCOURAGE HIM EITHER WAY BUT IT WAS A NATURAL THING FOR HIM. THE ONLY THING WE DIDN'T LET HIM DO IS BECOME CHILD ACTOR. HE GOT "HUNGER GAMES" AND "VINYL" WITH SCORSESE. HE'S LIKE, HEY, DAD, I'M NOT AFRAID. HOW ABOUT HELPING ME OUT. >> WHAT ABOUT THE OLD MAN. >> NO PRIDE. >> YOU SEEM LIKE YOU'RE DOING ALL RIGHT? >> YES. >> BEFORE I LET HIM GO, I HAD TO ASK ABOUT SOME OF HIS FAMOUS FORMER CO-STARS. I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT A COUPLE OF FEMALE LEADS. WHAT COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU SAY MERYL STREEP. >> JOKESTER, JUST THE MOST RELAXED PERSON I EVER WORKED WITH. >> ANDIE MacDOWELL. >> ANDIE MacDOWELL, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL SOUL. >> NATASHA RICHARDSON. >> QUAID'S CO-STAR IN THE MOVIE "THE PARENT TRAP" TRAGICALLY DIED IN 2009 AFTER A SKIING ACCIDENT. >> SHE HAD THOSE TWO BOYS AND A GREAT HUSBAND, GREAT FAMILY RELATIONSHIP, JUST A JOY TO WORK WITH. SHE WAS LIKE A WORKER, YOU KNOW. NO EGO, NONE OF THAT CRAP THAT ACTORS PULL. >> LINDSAY LOHAN. >> LINDSAY LOHAN. COMEBACK. SHE WAS ONE OF THE MOST TALENTED PEOPLE I EVER MET. BUT FOR 11 YEARS OLD WHEN I MET HER. WHEN WE WERE DOING THE FILM, SHE HAD ME BELIEVING THERE WERE TWO KIDS, THERE WERE TWINS, FOR REAL. >> MEG RYAN? >> MY MOST SUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIP IN MY LIFE. WHEN WE MET, I WAS THE BIG DEAL. THEN IT WENT LIKE THAT AND SHE WAS LIKE THIS. THEN WE'D GO OUT ON THE STREETS OF NEW YORK AND IT WOULD BE LIKE, MEG, MEG. I HAVE TO ADMIT IT, I ACTUALLY DID FEEL LIKE I DISAPPEARED. I DIDN'T THINK I WAS THAT SMALL BUT I WAS. >> IT WAS A GROWTH OPPORTUNITY. >> IT WAS A GROWTH OPPORTUNITY. I LEARNED FROM THAT. >> ONE OTHER QUESTION WHILE I HAVE YOU. THIS IS NOT A LEADING LADY. BUT DENNIS QUAID. CAN YOU SUM YOUR SELF UP THE SAME WAY. >> THE EASIEST GUY TO WORK WITH IN HOLLYWOOD. I AM. >> YOU CAN BELIEVE IT, CAN'T YOU? SO "REAGAN" STARTS SHOOTING THIS WINTER AND IS EXPECTED TO BE RELEASED IN 2019. FOR A BEHIND THE SCENES TOUR OF
