Roaming around at the Republican National Convention are two actors who play Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neill in an upcoming film: Dennis Quaid and Dan Lauria, the latter best known for his role as the dad on The Wonder Years.
The movie is dubbed "Reagan" and is set for a theatrical release on August 30.
Like Reagan and O'Neill, Quaid and Lauria are on opposite ends politically, as Quaid is supporting Donald Trump for president and Lauria told Newsweek: "There's no way in hell I'd ever vote for Trump."
The film purports to be non-partisan, thus Quaid told Newsweek that the plan so far is to also attend the Democratic National Convention to do media and screen the movie, as he and Lauria are doing now for Republicans.
"Dan and I hope to represent a message of unity that parallels the relationship of the political leaders we portrayed, Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neill," Quaid told Newsweek. "Although they were on opposite sides of the political aisle they were also friends who set an example of how we all can get along as Americans."
The filmmakers also provided Newsweek with an exclusive clip of the film:
O'Neill, who was the Democrat speaker of the House during most of Reagan's term in office, tells Reagan in the clip, "You plan on going 10 rounds everyday—that's how we do things here."
"All right. Just remember, every day has a 6 p.m.," Reagan responds. "After 6, we're not political enemies, we're just two Irishmen having a beer."
The film is directed by Sean McNamara, who told Newsweek that Lauria and Quaid "share the philosophy of fighting like hell until 6 p.m, on the Hill...We need this behavior now more than ever."
Indeed, the GOP has said it is pushing the "unity" mantra at this year's convention, which began just two days after Trump survived a would-be assassin's bullet.
Even so, Lauria joked to Newsweek, "I may have to wear my old flack jacket" while surrounded by Republicans this week.
"Dennis and I have different views on politics but we worked so well together on this movie. It was one of the best acting partnerships I've ever experienced in my over 50 years in the business," he said. "There's a lesson there for America. We worked together, Reagan and Tip O'Neill worked well together."
The movie also stars Jon Voight as a fictional Soviet Union agent who has been tasked with keeping tabs on Reagan's anti-Communist activities dating back to 1947 when he was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild.
Penelope Ann Miller plays Nancy Reagan. She's not at the convention, but she previously told Newsweek that she carried My Turn, the former first lady's autobiography, in her handbag while on the set, calling it her Bible.
"We don't have to agree, but we are Americans and we need to reach compromises on the issues that divide us. It's the American way," Lauria told Newsweek.
"There's a lot of talk about toning down the heated rhetoric of these days," Quaid told Newsweek. "Every day, Republicans and Democrats pass each other on the street. We are in each other's stores, schools and places of business without knowing about our differences and we treat each other like human beings. We are not the labels that we use to separate ourselves."
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