The Ben Shapiro Show — "Dennis Quaid & The Hollywood Machine"

Date: November 26, 2025
Host: Ben Shapiro (The Daily Wire)
Guest: Dennis Quaid
Episode Focus: Insights from Dennis Quaid on portraying Ronald Reagan, reflections on Hollywood’s direction, politics, and personal stories from a storied acting career.

Episode Overview

In this Sunday Special, Ben Shapiro sits down with renowned actor Dennis Quaid ahead of the release of "Reagan," the new Ronald Reagan biopic in which Quaid stars. They discuss Quaid's approach to embodying Reagan, untold Hollywood stories, current political parallels, Quaid's personal journey, and the state of the entertainment industry. The session blends anecdotes, historical perspective, candid reflections on addiction and faith, and thoughts on America's future.

Major Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why a Reagan Biopic Now? (03:33–05:07)

• Hollywood's reluctance to produce a Reagan biopic.

• Independent financing as essential for creative control.

• Quaid's initial hesitation in accepting the role due to the weight of Reagan's legacy.

  “A shiver of fear went up my spine...Reagan’s like Muhammad Ali. Everybody in the world knows what he looks like, walks like, talks like… I didn’t want to do an impersonation.”
  — Dennis Quaid (05:25)

2. Getting Inside Reagan’s Head (06:44–08:34)

• Quaid’s visit to the Reagan Ranch solidified his commitment to the role.

• Noticing Reagan’s humility and the modesty of his personal life.

  “You could just feel both of them, he and Nancy, in that place. And that’s where I made up my mind to do it.”
  — Dennis Quaid (08:19)

3. Reagan’s Inner Reserve and Protective Barriers (08:34–10:47)

• Biographies and personal accounts reveal Reagan’s guarded inner self, shaped by his childhood and fame.

  “There was this place that you couldn’t get past...I think it had something to do with people…coming at him as far as being so public.”
  — Dennis Quaid (09:32)

4. Reagan’s Formative Years & Personal Parallels (13:32–14:28)

• Quaid connects with Reagan’s difficult upbringing and identifies with the role of a stabilizing mother.

  “In some ways I could really relate with Reagan because my dad was an alcoholic…my mom was kind of that rock for me as well.”
  — Dennis Quaid (13:55)

5. Balancing Impersonation With Character (14:28–16:41)

• Navigating iconic lines without falling into caricature.

• Drawing from personal struggles with self-esteem and career comparisons (referencing his marriage to Meg Ryan).

  “You question yourself...but also out of that, his career going down, he became vice president and then president of the Screen Actors Guild, which is a job you don’t really aspire to when you’re starting out as an actor, you know, but it’s amazing how God works.”
  — Dennis Quaid (15:59)

6. Reagan, Hollywood, & Fighting Communism (16:41–19:23)

• Reagan’s fight for union health insurance & ideological battles in the Screen Actors Guild.
• Confirmation of communist infiltration efforts in Hollywood as revealed after the Soviet collapse.

7. Building Reagan’s Political Philosophy & Style (19:23–22:11)

• Contrasts between Reagan’s life in left-leaning Hollywood and his hard anti-communist stance.

• The complexity of his optimism, innocence, and foreign policy grit.

  “It took a cold warrior like that to win the Cold War…But with the Soviets, we had given away the B1 bomber. We had appeased them. And America is sort of like that speech that Reagan you were talking about. Reagan has that innocence that we just want to be friends with everybody.”
  — Dennis Quaid (20:40)

8. Modern Parallels: Reagan, Trump & National Mood (22:11–24:18)

• Quaid sees echoes between the crises of 1980 and current events: hostages abroad, inflation, national malaise.

• Discussion of whether America could recover a sense of unity akin to Reagan’s era.

  “Reagan came along and said, no, we’re not a nation in decline. We are going up a shiny city on a hill and we’re going to get back to that. And people believed him.”
  — Dennis Quaid (23:17)

9. Division in America & Quaid’s Political Stance (28:54–31:06)

• Quaid’s views as an independent, his recent resolve to support Trump due to perceived judicial overreach.

• Hollywood’s climate and the need for open political conversation.

  “Why is it okay for, say, Michael Douglas to go on talk shows and talk about Biden? And yet you can’t be for Trump? That’s not a way America works. We’ve got to have a conversation about this.”
  — Dennis Quaid (29:27)

10. The Future of Film: Independent Productions (31:06–34:08)

• The collapse of the old studio/theater system and the new power of independent & regional productions.

• Hollywood’s increasing irrelevance and parallels to late ’60s new wave filmmaking.

  “If I was a young actor today, I wouldn’t go to LA, I would go to Atlanta. Because they’re casting the smaller roles there.”
  — Dennis Quaid (33:12)

11. Depicting Heroes vs. Anti-Heroes in Modern Film (34:08–35:13)

• The rarity and importance of unironically heroic film biographies.

  “That’s one of the things that makes Reagan different is that Reagan’s an actual heroic figure…it feels almost like a throwback.”
  — Ben Shapiro (34:21)

12. Favorite Scene in ‘Reagan’ (35:13–36:45)

• The famous Mondale debate scene: Reagan’s quip about not exploiting his opponent’s youth.

  “He just said, I will not, for political purposes, take advantage of my opponent’s youth and inexperience...And even Mondale laughs. OK, he knows he’s lost the election with that.”
  — Dennis Quaid (35:33)

13. Personal Journey: Breaking Out, Addiction, and Redemption (36:45–50:22)

• Getting into acting, early breaks (“Breaking Away”), and the volatility of fame.

• Struggles with addiction, transformative rehab experience, and finding spiritual grounding in diverse faith traditions (Baptist, Buddhism, Quran, Bible).

  “You have to do something...I had one of those white light experiences...I put myself in rehab the next day...it’s a spiritual problem is really what it is.”
  — Dennis Quaid (47:32)

14. Life Outside Hollywood: Moving to Tennessee (50:22–51:23)

• Relocation for lifestyle, music, and family roots.

15. Favorite Films & Roles (51:23–55:02)

• Personal favorites: “Reagan,” “The Right Stuff,” “Breaking Away,” “Frequency,” “The Rookie,” “Far from Heaven,” “The Parent Trap.”
• View on the impact of film versus written biography.

16. Dealing With Failure in Hollywood (53:12–54:41)

• Perseverance and resilience as keys to survival and eventual success.

  “Failure actually, if you survive it...is actually gonna make you better.”
  — Dennis Quaid (53:52)

17. Stories Waiting to Be Told (56:00–57:14)

• Interest in telling the story of Crazy Horse from a Native American perspective.

18. Desert Island Movies (57:14–58:09)

• Quaid’s all-time favorites: "Lawrence of Arabia," "The Godfather 1 & 2," "The Wizard of Oz," "Lion," and "The Notebook."

Notable Moments & Quotes

• On Playing Reagan:
  “I didn’t want to do an impersonation. I guess I was a little afraid of being judged.” (05:25)
• On Hollywood’s Political Divide:
  “We’ve got to get back to being able to interact with each other. Republicans and Democrats need each other. That’s what we don’t admit…” (29:38)
• On Reagan & Heroism:
  “It’s just a different sort of throwback feel to biopics...where you’re such a good person. It reflects Reagan.” (34:49)
• On Recovery:
  “Meetings every day...it’s a spiritual problem. And so that’s when I’ve read the Bible...the red words of Jesus to me.” (47:51)
• On Hollywood’s Future:
  “Hollywood has sort of lost its relevancy with an audience...now that void can be filled from anywhere.” (33:31)
• Favorite Debate Scene:
  “I will not, for political purposes, take advantage of my opponent’s youth and inexperience...” (35:26)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:33] Reagan Biopic origins and hesitations
• [06:44] Quaid’s research and “finding” Reagan at the Ranch
• [13:32] Reagan’s childhood/Quaid’s personal parallels
• [16:41] Reagan, the Screen Actors Guild, and anti-communism
• [22:11] Comparing Reagan’s and today’s climates; Reagan/Trump parallels
• [28:54] Political blowback in Hollywood; Quaid’s stances
• [31:06] The rise of independent filmmaking/post-studio Hollywood
• [35:13] Favorite “Reagan” scene: The Mondale debate
• [36:45] Quaid’s entry into acting, lessons, and early breaks
• [45:49] Addiction, spiritual journey, and overcoming obstacles
• [50:22] Moving to Tennessee; music pursuits
• [51:23] Favorite past projects/films
• [53:12] Handling failure in the film industry
• [56:00] Dream projects (Crazy Horse biopic)
• [57:14] Dennis Quaid’s top five movies

Engaging Takeaways

• Dennis Quaid brings a deeply personal, respectful approach to playing Reagan, stressing the importance of going beyond surface impersonation to explore genuine humanity.
• He sees today’s Hollywood as out of touch, with opportunity growing for independent, regional voices.
• Quaid is forthright about past struggles with addiction and the role of faith, humility, and persistence in his career and life.
• He wishes for renewed American optimism and open, genuine political discussion—values he sees embodied in Reagan and hopes to revive in our culture.
• Quaid's appetite for new stories remains strong, highlighting the untold Native American perspectives he'd like to bring to screen.

This episode offers a nuanced, behind-the-scenes look at both the actor and the industry, while connecting personal stories to broader cultural and political currents—an engaging listen for fans of film, politics, and American history alike.