Ronald Reagan’s generous spirit often got him in trouble with those close to him.
In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, “Reagan” producer, Mark Joseph, spoke about his participation in the upcoming documentary, “Making Reagan,” and also shared that the former president has a “spirit of being generous,” but added that it would sometimes “cause problems for other people.”
“Mike Reagan, his son, he got a scholarship to play football, I think, at a college in Arizona,” Joseph said. “And Reagan calls up the school and says, ‘You know what, fellas, my son has all the advantages in life. He doesn’t need your scholarship, but thank you very much.’ And Mike calls his dad, and he goes, ‘Dad, you just lost me in my chance to play football.'”
Joseph explained that Reagan never wanted to “put on airs” and “wanted that slot to be given to someone that needed it,” although his son ultimately “paid the price for it.”
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The producer added that his generous spirit extended toward his constituents, noting that “he was also just a soft touch for a hard luck story.”
WATCH HERE: MARK JOSEPH TOLD FOX NEWS DIGITAL THE FORMER PRESIDENT’S GENEROSITY OFTEN AFFECTED THOSE AROUND HIM
“If he would get a letter from somebody that his policies were affecting negatively, he would often write them a check and sometimes they wouldn’t cash the check and sometimes he had to call the people and say ‘Hey listen I’ll send you another check cash the one that I sent you and keep the one that I’m gonna send you next,'” he said. “So there’s a kind of a combination of generosity, but also his policies were tough and there were effects of that.”
Joseph spoke to Fox News Digital ahead of the release of the documentary, “Making Reagan,” which focuses on the making of the 2024 hit biopic, “Reagan,” and features interviews with Dennis Quaid, Penelope Ann Miller and other stars of the film.
The documentary, which will be available on Fox Nation, will feature exclusive behind-the-scenes photos and videos from the movie set and give fans a look at the making of the box office hit, which brought in $26 million domestically.
“I think we talk a lot in the documentary about COVID. And Jon Voight does such a great job in the piece and ends the piece basically in tears. But he just talks about some of the things we encountered where, if one person gets COVID, the entire set shuts down, which is just completely insane and illogical,” he said. ‘Literally, the entire set would shut down for 10 days. And that happened to us twice. And I think your viewers will also see that when Ron kisses Nancy in the hospital after the assassination attempt, in real life, that is the moment of COVID transmission from Dennis Quaid to Penelope Ann Miller. We’re not sure who gave it to who, but they both got it.”
Through speaking with over 50 of the former president’s aides, Joseph was able to get a comprehensive understanding of Reagan, including the “personal demons” he was fighting on the inside.
WATCH HERE: ‘REAGAN’ PRODUCER SHARES WHAT HE LEARNED FROM RESEARCHING RONALD REAGAN
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In addition to speaking with aides, Joseph revealed he was able to prepare for the film by reading the KGB and FBI files about Reagan, which he called “interesting” and “very helpful.”
“The KGB files said he was very conservative and a hardliner,” he said. “But they also said that he was vain, which is understandable. He’s a Hollywood actor. And he was prestigious. From their perspective, that means religious. And so vain and superstitious were the KGB’s analysis of Ronald Reagan.”
He continued: “The FBI files were also very interesting because they would interview his neighbors because as governor of California, he had, there were nuclear weapons on California soil. And so they had to interview his neighbor. And the neighbor interviews were fascinating because neighbors and friends would often say he is a crazy, insane right-winger, but also a very nice guy. There’s always this combination of politics or crazy, but very nice guys.”
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Quaid famously portrayed the former president in the film, with Joseph telling Fox News Digital that the actor “was always my first choice,” as “there’s just something intangible about Dennis.” Ultimately the decision paid off, as he praised Quaid for having fully “immersed himself in the role and the character.”
Having done extensive research on Reagan, Joseph explained that one lesson he learned from the president was his special way of “counter-punching,” noting Reagan had a way of getting you back, in a way that “didn’t feel like you were being punched.”
WATCH HERE: ‘REAGAN’ PRODUCER MARK JOSEPH GIVES A SNEAK PEEK AT WHAT IS TO COME IN MAKING-OF DOCUMENTARY
“One of his aides told me that one time they were landing in a South American country and they had learned that upon landing, Reagan was going to be attacked by the leader of that country,” Joseph explained. “And so Reagan’s aide said, ‘This is great, Mr. President, let me write a speech attacking him right back.’ And Reagan said, ‘No, we’re gonna do just the opposite. When I land, I’m gonna praise that leader, and he’ll be so ashamed he won’t give the speech attacking me.’ And that’s what happened. And so there’s a certain deft touch that Reagan had, that he was no slouch, but he would get you back, but your dignity would be intact as he defeated you.”
