Hollywood Libs Are FURIOUS About This Movie | John Voight & Michael Knowles
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I love it. That's an exclusive just for this interview. I am joined now by, I think I can say without hyperbole, my favorite actor, not only for his work on the screen, a man who needs no introduction, an Academy Award winner, but also, I would say, probably personally my favorite actor, a man with whom I have had cigars and to whom I must give my Mayflower cigars. That would be the one and only John Voight. John, thank you for being here.

Michael, I'd go anywhere for a cigar. John, I just saw you, but you were not there. I saw you at the Nashville premiere of the Reagan movie, which was magnificent. And your role typically was magnificent. And you play a character, probably the most fictional character, though he's a composite of historical people in the movie. You play the KGB guy who's tracking Reagan for his whole life.

Tell me a little bit. I mean, you know, really, this is not flattery at all. You are one of the great actors of our age. And you're coming there as this Russian character, you know, bringing much more of a little bit of fiction and art to bear on it. Tell me a little bit about preparing for the role. First of all, the piece, when presented to me, I thought it was a great idea because Russia was very, very, I mean,

the soviet union which apart from russia because the soviet union was something the evil empire you know and uh and russia is very dear to my heart being an actor because it gives stanislavski and all the history of art in that country you know the people i love them but they were suffering under this tyranny but anyway they had uh the soviets had

their eye on many, many people that could present problems with them in the future. And this fellow who was an actor from Los Angeles was talking against communism from a very early time. And then he started indicating a talent for the political.

And his rise was being tracked by Russia. And we have in this picture, I'm the fellow who is the Soviet spy that is assigned to this work. And the detail with which I'm focused on him

in this job that I'm doing would make it a perfect fellow to tell the story in some way, tracking the most important moments for them throughout his career. And so it worked out pretty good. When I read it, I said, oh, that's a good idea.

If we can make it real and present it in such a way that we care about his character as well, it could work very well. And I think it does work and, you know, tells the story of the film and gives it something else, gives it a little touch of something else. I think the intrigue and the...

the Soviet system and the thinking of that, I think it's, it, it melds perfectly because it leads to finally after Brezhnev and several others, it leaves finally to, to Gorbachev and, and the, uh, and this meeting between these men at that time and creating the result that was so extraordinary. I love that point you make about the distinction between Russia and the Soviet union, especially as an actor, because it just occurs to me, as you mentioned it, that, uh,

modern acting really comes out of Russia and out of the Moscow Art Theater and Stanislavski into the group theater and on in America. And there's this wonderful line from your character in the movie where, you know, the younger spy says, you know, this was the fall of the motherland when the Soviet Union collapsed. And your character says, no, communism is not

the motherland in a way, I guess it would be an aberration. Just that tension, even within Russia, really is, I think, beautifully expressed in the movie. Yeah, I agree with you. I loved saying that. I think I came up with it, actually. Did you? I'm not surprised. I don't want to take too much credit for things, but that I was very proud of. So it slipped out with Michael Knowles. Michael Knowles couldn't get anything out of an actor.

I love it. That's an exclusive just for this interview. No, I did love saying that because I said to Ganev, Tolstoy, Chekhov, that's the motherland. Here's the motherland. It's a beautiful line and really poignant. So this movie has been in the works for, I remember hearing about this movie at a dinner in LA. Dennis Quaid showed up. It was right when he signed on. Must have been

six or eight years ago at this point. I know Mark Joseph, the producer, had been working on this thing since, I want to say 2010, 2009. So what was the whole process of bringing this film through gestation to life? Well, it was a very... You're right, it was talked about many years ago, and it was the dream of Mark's and his partner, John. And it was like...

something akin to what happened with Gandhi, I suppose, you know, long period before they finally got it to camera. But what happened here is very interesting because it was supposed to open a year and a half ago, but then COVID interfered. And we were shooting right during the end of COVID. And because of the regulations at that time, someone would get sick on the set

We would wait 10 days for that person to recover.

We closed down the set and then come back to work for a couple of days and somebody else gets sick. And that's the way we were shooting. It was very difficult. And finally, too, there was the actor's strike. And then there were certain things concerning the script they wanted to get just right, get the editing exactly right before they went to CGI. And that took quite a long time. And finally, it was pushed to this date.

But it's opening now at this very interesting time that in some ways, because of the difficulty we're facing right now, mirrors somewhat the same things that Reagan faced at times in his career. And so I'll give you an example. Our film opens with the assassination attempt on Reagan's life.

And this was just happened several weeks ago with, with Donald Trump. Right. So it's like things are very relevant. The, the, his going to confront the students at the university is reflective still as things are happening today at universities. Many, many things are quite the same. So it gives you a different idea of how somebody else took on those problems. And yeah,

And anyway, I think it's a relevant movie, but it's also a very beautiful love story. That's one of the things about the movie that's quite unique, is the story of the relationship of Ronnie and Nancy. It's a very beautiful portrait by these two, by Dennis Quaid and Penelope Ann Miller. Really lovely. And that becomes a very moving part of it.

And I have to say that my colleagues did a wonderful job in this, in every way. And certainly the editors, I'm very aware of how they came to play with it. And Mark and John stayed with this thing for all this time, every day on it.

So it's nice to see the movie coming forth in this full bloom and people appreciating it so much. And as you say, the timing is quite providential. It hit me at the premiere. I thought, had this thing really come out two years ago, three years ago, five years ago, whenever it was,

wouldn't have hit as it does today. It seems as though, you know, in God's providence, things happen, you know, for a purpose. And so it's coming out now in this extraordinarily fraught political moment. And John, you are one of the few in Hollywood, not only who

speaks out and is openly conservative and kind of cuts against the tide in Hollywood, but who has managed to survive that, who has continued to work constantly and remained in the good graces of people who probably detest your politics. So I would be remiss if I didn't ask you before I let you go how you're feeling about the next, whatever it is, 65 days or so until the election.

Well, there's a lot of work to do still. There's been a lot of work by many, many people. We're fighting against some very bad behavior. And we have to make sure that, as Stalin said, it's not who votes, it's who counts the votes, said Stalin, you see. Well, somebody seems to be taking that quite seriously. And we have to make sure that the votes are counted. Many, many things are going on. But of course, I look at this and I see...

Tides are changing. There are many heroic people out there, Michael. Your team are some of them. They're doing a great job in many different areas. I look at the women who go and confront the school boards and stuff to fight for their own children's freedoms and health.

And I see so many people who are heroic at this time.

And then I see some blessings coming our way, which I didn't anticipate, you know, out of, uh, out of nowhere. Of course, this film have had that journey. I have to say this God's hand in this in some way, at least it's an answer to my prayers that it turns out to be a good film and comes at the right time and has some relevance and maybe lifts our spirits. Uh, then there's these indications of things happening, uh,

you know the most recent thing being rfk you know bobby kennedy coming coming over this is a big blessing it's a big movement you know and uh more to come i think but anyway we have to uh just keep our uh keep our focus and work hard right till the last vote is counted

to see if we can turn the tide here. Of course, there's a famous line in Reagan's life, which appears in the movie. It really launched his political career. He was giving a speech on behalf of Goldwater, who everyone knew was going to lose anyway, but it helped launch Reagan. And he said that when great forces were on the move in the world, we learned we're spirits, not animals. And it was a wonderful statement. Yes. And he concludes with it. He says it,

you know, there's something going on in time and space and beyond time and space, which whether we know it or not spells destiny. He says, you and I have a rendezvous with destiny. That was the phrase that really launched him. And watching the movie, one feels that resonate even today. John, I know that you are on a blitz of a media tour. And even in this short conversation, I've already held you, I think, double the time. I was so glad. I was so glad that they said Michael Knowles would like to spend...

I said, really? I was saying, that's it. That's my buddy, Michael. That's it. Anyway, it was great. You're going to make me blush, John. You're going to make me blush. Next time you are here or I am in LA, I will be sure to bring you a box of Mayflower cigars. One of many ways to celebrate the Reagan movie, which is out now. Go to see the movie and right away, take your best buddies out to have a Mayflower cigar.

I'm going to clip that. That's going to be the biggest commercial for the cigars. John, thank you very much. Excellent as always to see you. Great, Michael. God bless. God bless. You too. There's nothing a retired governor can do, but a president. Now he can do a thing or two. Every wants to.

I will be frank with you that as a citizen, I would not like to see any political party outlawed on the basis of its ideology. Because I still believe, Mr. Chairman, that democracy can handle it. I was a brand new KGB officer given my first intelligence assignment. A certain actor and union leader. Dutch, there's a purpose for your life. You can run from a bully for so long.

But after a while, you're going to have to stand up to it. It's my boy! There's about to be another war right here in Hollywood. The commies on one side, the mob on the other. And you're right in the middle, son. If you put as much work into your career as you do making your speeches, you'd have an Oscar by now. Hello, I'm Nancy Davis. Hello, Nancy Davis. I'm Ron Reagan. I'm curious, Ron, what would you say is the issue of our time? No question about it.

Communism and the Soviet Union. Get in the game. Run for office. It's you. I'm running for governor and I would like your vote. I've forgotten your name. Do his initials help? RR? Roy Rogers is here. And he's running for governor. Ronnie, remember when we met? You told me that you wanted to make a difference in this world. You know what you have to do.

Governor Reagan again, typically, is against such a proposal. There you go again. But he was not afraid to take us on. There's nothing a retired governor can do about the Soviets. But a president, now he can do a thing or two. I was a lifeguard on a river. And I learned how to read the currents. Not just the ones on the surface.

But also the ones deep underneath the wall. I am about to start the biggest war of this century. And I'm not going to fire a single shot. You're going to blow up eight years of diplomacy. Well, if you think that got their undies in a while, you just wait. What did the president know? And when did he know it? What would you have me do? I want you to fight. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.