ShowBiz Direct’s new biopicReaganoffers a closer look at the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of the 40th President of the United States. The film hits theaters on Friday, August 30 and is told from the perspective of KBA agent, Viktor Petrovich, whose life becomes entwined with Reagan after the Hollywood actor attracts Soviet attention. Directed by Sean McNamara,Reaganstars Dennis Quaid, Jon Voight, Penelope Ann Miller, Mena Suvari, Lesley-Anne Down, David Henrie, Kevin Dillon, and Amanda Righetti.
Righetti plays the role of Nelle Wilson Reagan, a devoted Christian who dedicated her life to raising her two boys. The president held his mother’s bible when he was sworn into office, paying homage to Nelle nearly twenty years after her death. While Righetti had little knowledge of Nelle’s life before joining the film, she was excited to learnabout the historical figureand her influence on Reagan’s presidency. Righetti shares that the biopic inspired her to examine her own life, and she plans to carry what she learned from Nelle into future roles.
Where To Watch Reagan: Showtimes & Streaming Status
Ronald Reagan’s life and presidency in America is the subject of Dennis Quaid’s biopic movie, and there are options for where to watch Reagan.
Screen Rantchats with Righetti about what drew her toReagan, how Nelle helped shape the former president, and what she believes Hailey is up toafterThe O.C.
Righetti Was Excited To Be Part Of A Film That Took Place In The Roaring ’20s
“It was the beginning of a transition for women during that time period.”
Screen Rant: What drew you toReaganand made you want to get involved in the project?
Amanda Righetti: I’m kind of a sucker for period pieces, which was a big selling point. I think being a part of something historical, and the challenge of being able to represent and help tell the story of Reagan’s life, and not just his policies as a politician and a president, but what shaped him. I thought that was exciting. I felt like there hadn’t been anything done like that on Reagan before.
Do you have a favorite period piece or biopic?
Amanda Righetti: Gosh, it’s hard to narrow it down to just one thing. I think, especially on a historical basis, The Crown has been a really great, successful historical biopic. I also like stuff from The Roaring ’20s, which was kind of the appeal with Reagan, because I play his mother in the ’20s. It was the beginning of a transition for women during that time period.
As you were saying, your character is based on a real person. How much did you know about Nelle Reagan before you took on the role?
Amanda Righetti: I knew nothing of Nelle Reagan before this was offered to me. It really opened me up to learning, not only about his mother, but about him, and how his mother influenced him and impressed upon him things at a young age that he really carried with him for the rest of his life. It helped shape him as a man, which then led to some of his policies and the ways that he became a leader.
Even in a biopic, creative liberty is always taken. Do you feel the character that’s been written accurately represents what you’ve learned about Nelle?
Amanda Righetti: Yes. It’s about as accurate as it gets in terms of dialogue and moments that Reagan spoke about in his autobiography. There were people in his upbringing who were interviewed for various books that were written about him and his life. A lot of things in the movie are really true to those stories, and they tried to just stick with it to a T. I felt like it was a good representation of who she was to him. They also picked the most pivotal moments in his life to share about things that she imparted to him.
Reagan Is Broken Up Into Three Different Phases Of Life
“There was his younger life and upbringing, and then the college and SAG years, and then his presidency.”
WithReaganbeing a period piece, can you talk a bit about what it was like to step into the time period and encapsulate this moment of history?
Amanda Righetti: We filmed in Guthrie, Oklahoma, and what’s really neat is a lot of the buildings are from the late 1800s, so it felt like you were stepping back in time on that basis. They brought in, I think, over 100 Model T cars to really finish off the set pieces in that way. When I’m building a character, it sounds kind of silly, but the shoes are always something that are really important to me.
I think finding those for her and the clothes—there were a lot of social norms at that time that indicated how women would dress and carry themselves. So being able to marry those two things, I think, were really important to, not only stay true to the time period, but also true to Nelle. I also just love to play with all those old vintage clothes.
Do you take any different acting approaches when you’re playing a real person versus a character who’s purely fictional?
Amanda Righetti: Yes. There’s a little bit more red tape, I would say, but not in a bad way. Just in terms of a guiding post. Because she was a real person, it was also important for me to understand how she was raised. The Reagans were dirt poor, which was also something I was not fully aware of until I started researching about him and her.
In that sort of milieu of where they lived and how they lived and all that stuff, there were a lot of pressures on her to meet where Jack Reagan fell short. She picked up the slack in a lot of ways. That shaped her, but it also shaped her viewpoint on how to protect her children. A lot of it was giving them a sense of optimism that no matter what they were facing in their day-to-day life, there was something greater for the purpose of what they were living in that moment.
This film has an all-star cast. What can you share about your experience collaborating with everyone?
Amanda Righetti: It was sort of fast and furious, because I didn’t have a whole lot of time to prep the character. The film was broken up into, essentially, three different movies. There was his younger life and upbringing, and then the college and SAG years, and then his presidency. I was only a part of his upbringing and those years, and so unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to collaborate with Dennis Quaid, or Jon Voight, or Penelope Ann Miller, or any of those aspects of the cast.
I’ve been able to meet them and appreciate them in this press tour and things like that. Being able to connect with Justin Chatwin, who plays Jack Reagan, we talked a lot about what the relationship may have looked like. That was really collaborative between him and I. The way that Sean, the director, guided us through that was a collaborative experience, and it made it a real joy to be a part of.
Righetti Shares Her Theories On Hailey’s Future After The O.C.
“Maybe she burned enough bridges in her life that she finally got hip to the fact that she needed to just chill out and grow up.”
How do you feel that playing Nelle has helped you stretch new creative muscles that you haven’t had the opportunity to use in past roles?
Amanda Righetti: I think what’s interesting about playing Nelle is that she was such a humble woman, and her life was dedicated to the poor and helpless and giving back to her community. There was such selflessness about her. Playing a character like her makes me question some of my own motivations in life. Some of her insights about life were really beautiful. It was a nice piece of her that I felt like I was able to carry with me while playing her and after.
Before I let you go, I’m a huge fan ofThe O.C.and I’m curious what you think Hailey is up to today. Do you have any personal theories?
Amanda Righetti: Maybe Hailey grew up a little bit. Maybe she burned enough bridges in her life that she finally got hip to the fact that she needed to just chill out and grow up. [Laughs] I loved her. She was really fun. I loved that wild unpredictability she would bring to a scene. It was so much fun to play.
More About Reagan (2024)
Dennis Quaid brings to life a story that transcends the boundaries of a traditional biopic, offering a profound exploration of the enduring impact of the power of one man who overcame the odds, sustained by the love of a woman who supported him in his journey. Rated PG-13 for violent content and smoking.
Reagan
Reagon follows the life of the 40th president of the United States, Ronald Reagan, from his time as a young boy through his tenure in the Oval Office.
