Ronald Reagan was long familiar to moviegoers as an actor. Now he is back in theaters as a subject with the release of the new motion picture about his life and history-altering presidency, Reagan.

Director Sean McNamara, renowned for his work on films such as Soul Surfer and The Miracle Season, and Robert Davi, an award-winning actor known for his performances in The Goonies and Die Hard, who also plays Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev in the film, spoke about the project with the Washington Examiner.

Reagan distinguishes itself from other biopics by presenting the narrative through the eyes of Viktor Petrovich, a fictional former KGB agent whose life intersects with Reagan’s. 

“I was sent the script by Howie Klausner, who wrote it based on Paul Kengor’s The Crusader,” McNamara said. “He told me it was going to be a story on Ronald Reagan, and I was like, ‘OK, this is interesting.’ So I read the script, and it was from the point of view of a Russian spy. So all of a sudden I was like, that’s a strange way to look at our president.” 

Through this innovative storytelling approach, McNamara and Davi said they hope to offer a fresh lens through which to view the 40th president of the United States. Petrovich narrates Reagan’s rise from a struggling actor who comes from a small town to a leader of the free world. Dennis Quaid, a versatile actor, portrays Reagan. The movie also explores Reagan’s personal relationships, including his enduring romance with his second wife, Nancy.

McNamara was drawn to the project not just due to Reagan’s historical significance but also because of his personal history. 

“I was 18 when he ran for president — he was the first president I voted for, and I’m a registered Democrat,” McNamara said. “But it was just at the time he seemed likable. My mom liked him, my family liked him. And my first job in the entertainment industry, oddly, was plugging in microphones at his inauguration.” 

McNamara’s involvement in Reagan was serendipitous. “They’ve been trying to get this film going for 10 years, and they had John Avildsen originally slated to direct it,” he said. “He directed Rocky and The Karate Kid, one of my favorite directors, and I always wanted to make movies like him. And when he passed away, they passed the baton on to me, and it just felt like a good fit.”

Davi’s portrayal of Brezhnev adds another dimension to the film’s exploration of Reagan’s Cold War leadership. 

“My part in the film is a small little cameo, but I know much about Brezhnev that you can equate with today,” Davi said. “Brezhnev was a marvelous character. He loved American culture, American movies — he loved the Westerns. He was incredible, and he would have loved Reagan if they were ever able to really get together.”

“Brezhnev was looking for a partner for detente back in the ’70s, and the partner wasn’t Jimmy Carter, unfortunately, and he wrote about 30 letters to Reagan, wanting to bring them together,” Davi said.

The film delves into many key moments such as Reagan’s famous “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall” speech, widely lauded as a turning point in the Cold War. 

David Trulio, the president and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, told the Washington Examiner that Reagan “helped win the Cold War. He unleashed an economic boom that was unprecedented, and he restored America’s pride in itself.”

McNamara pointed out that while the film was not originally intended for release in an election year, the timing may work out well for its message.

“There is a scene with Dan Lauria and [Democratic House Speaker Tip O’Neill] and the thing was, ‘Look, you have ideas. I have ideas. Let’s fight to get our agendas through, get bills passed,’” McNamara said. “But at the end of the day, we could be friends, we could agree to disagree. That’s what I hope people walk away from this movie [with].” 

Davi echoed this sentiment, drawing parallels between the Reagan era and the current political environment. He observed that Reagan’s approach to politics, marked by negotiation and strong communication, stands in contrast with today’s intense political polarization.

“The unification, this is what I mean by Tip O’Neill in the film and Reagan unifying the nation, even though they were on opposites,” Davi said. “Because we don’t think the same way — you get blacklisted and you get shunned. And it’s unfortunate because we can have passionate discussions and disagreements.”

Trulio emphasized “peace through strength” as being critical to Reagan’s strategy.

“When it comes to foreign policy and national security, the core principle of peace through strength is really fundamental,” Trulio said. “We see how America, when it’s strong, as it became strong during the Reagan era, became strong again, was able to stand up to Soviet communism and to help ultimately liberate hundreds of millions of people around the world.”

“Peace through compromise didn’t and doesn’t work as we see today. We’re having attacks in Afghanistan,” Davi added

McNamara emphasized that extensive research was conducted to ensure that the portrayal of Reagan’s life was both accurate and respectful. 

“We went back into books and we did a lot of research and we interviewed Michael Reagan, who was one of our consultants on the movie,” McNamara said. “We had John Barletta, who was his Secret Service agent who rode horses with him out at the ranch. So we got testimonials right from the people. We had Pat Boone, who was at his house when he was the governor and told us his story.” 

“The Reagan movie is not affiliated with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute,” Trulio said. “That said, we were approached, and we were happy to provide a location for filming.”

“The scenes onboard Air Force One were actually filmed on the plane that President Reagan used as Air Force One. That plane is here, where I am in Simi Valley, California, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum,” Trulio added. “And people can come in and see it, and they can go in the plane themselves and see exactly the inside of the plane that President Reagan took to 26 countries around the world and where Dennis Quaid, playing Ronald Reagan, and Penelope Ann Miller, playing Nancy Reagan … shot some very powerful scenes.”

Trulio compared the challenges of the late 1970s and early 1980s with the issues of today, suggesting there are lessons that can be learned from Reagan’s experience.

“We had a really tough economy, really high inflation, a sense that the American dream was challenged, that maybe America’s best days were behind her,” Trulio said. “We were facing competition from a communist country with global ambition. All of those parallels are relevant today.”

“The Reagan era is so poignant, so important,” Davi added. “What’s past is prologue, and we never learned from them.” 

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“I think you should all go see it in the theaters,” McNamara said. “It’s pretty big. It’s very cinematic, and I think you’ll enjoy it. And I think, you know, you come home when you talk about, like, what was happening 40 years ago and what’s happening today, it’s gonna be a good debate to have around the dinner table with your family.”

Reagan was released on Aug. 30 to 3,500 screens nationwide.

Shaan Memon is a videographer for the Washington Examiner.