Another name has been announced for the cast of Reagan, a biopic about late actor and former U.S. president Ronald Reagan. Dennis Quaid stars in the film as the titular president, and per Deadline, it has now been revealed that Dan Lauria (The Wonder Years) has boarded the project as well. He’ll be playing former Speaker of the House Thomas “Tip” O’Neill. He may play a key role in the film, as O’Neill and Reagan were known for their friendship during the 1980s despite having opposite political views.
“He and Dennis have the chemistry needed to portray Reagan and O’Neill as two politicians who were respectful adversaries," director Sean McNamara said of Lauria’s casting as O’Neill.
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With his own statement, Lauria added, “I’ve seen wonderful works ruined by bad casting and I’ve seen others made great by the chemistry of great casting. Playing Tip O’Neill opposite Dennis Quaid’s Reagan was a great challenge for both of us. I look forward to sharing it with the world.”
Lauria is very well-known for his role as family patriarch Jack Arnold in the classic series The Wonder Years, which aired from 1988 to 2003. Also known for Sullivan and Son and Pitch, he has more recently appeared in shows like This Is Us, MacGyver, and The Goldbergs, as well as feature films like The Way Back and Holidate. The actor has also been raised for his stage work, which saw him in a main role in the Broadway show Lombardi.
Dennis Quaid Will Play Ronald Reagan
It was here at MovieWeb where it was first revealed that the film also will feature Elya Baskin as B.E. Kertchman, a Soviet defector who traveled the U.S. speaking about his time in the Soviet Union. We also were the first to report that Mark Moses had been cast as Judge William P. Clark, a key figure in the Reagan Administration and personal friend of the late president.
“Judge Clark was instrumental to Ronald Reagan’s rise as Governor of California and later as President," Moses said of his casting at the time. “He was a complex and fascinating character.”
Other confirmed cast members include Penelope Ann Miller as Nancy Reagan, Mena Suvari as Reagan’s first wife Jane Wyman, Lesley-Anne Down as Margaret Thatcher, Kevin Dillon as Jack Warner, and Join Voight as Viktor Petrovich.
Reagan has wrapped filming and is planned to be released in 2023, but an exact premiere date has yet to be announced.
