When audiences return to theaters on Sept. 25 for the re-release of the hit film “Reagan” – a special “Director’s Cut” featuring 10 minutes of new footage – they’ll see one of the film’s most unexpected relationships unfold, not between political allies, but between President Ronald Reagan and Democratic House Speaker Tip O’Neill.
For veteran actor Dan Lauria, who portrays O’Neill in the film, that friendship may be the movie’s most important lesson.
“I think a lot of good things could happen if two people would just sit down and have a beer together,” Lauria told producer Mark Joseph on his podcast, “The Mark Joseph Show.” “Talk with somebody instead of at them. I think that’s what we’ve lost.”
Known to generations of television viewers as Jack Arnold on “The Wonder Years,” Lauria believes Reagan and O’Neill represented something increasingly rare in American politics: opponents who fought passionately in public while maintaining genuine respect in private.
Finding Tip O’Neill
Preparing to portray one of the twentieth century’s most influential congressional leaders required more than studying speeches.
Lauria immersed himself in interviews, biographies and archival footage, but he also found inspiration in an unexpected source: legendary actor James Cagney.
“My mentor always taught me to rob from old actors,” Lauria said. Watching Cagney’s warmth, humor and unmistakable Irish charm helped him capture O’Neill’s personality.
The most difficult challenge, surprisingly, was physical.
“When he laughed, he didn’t show any teeth,” Lauria recalled. “You try to be as truthful as you can to the actual character.”
More than political opponents
Although Reagan and O’Neill clashed repeatedly over taxes, spending and the role of government, Lauria believes history sometimes overlooks the friendship that developed between them.
After Reagan survived the 1981 assassination attempt, the two men grew especially close.
“I got the impression they actually did become pretty good drinking buddies,” Lauria said. “Politics wore them both down.”
That friendship becomes one of the emotional centerpieces of “Reagan,” particularly in the hospital scene after the assassination attempt.
Lauria says he and Dennis Quaid deliberately added small moments beyond the screenplay to communicate that these men genuinely cared for one another.
“We had to show these guys could be friends,” he said.
The lost art of disagreement
For Lauria, who majored in American history before becoming an actor, the Reagan-O’Neill relationship reflects a broader political culture that has largely disappeared.
He points to earlier generations of leaders – including Lyndon Johnson, Everett Dirksen and John McCain – who often forged deep personal friendships despite fierce public disagreements.
“They found common ground,” Lauria said. “They worked together and they worked hard together.”
Today, he worries that too many disagreements become personal.
“I’ve never understood why people don’t want representatives to vote,” he said, arguing that elected officials should be willing to publicly defend their positions.
An actor’s craft
Lauria credits much of his approach to acting to legendary teacher Constance Welsh, who discouraged actors from becoming preoccupied with their own emotions.
“I don’t care what you’re feeling,” she would tell her students. “I’m the audience. Make me feel something.”
That philosophy shaped Lauria throughout a career spanning Broadway, film and television.
Whether portraying Vince Lombardi on stage, Jack Arnold on “The Wonder Years” or Tip O’Neill in “Reagan,” he says the answers always begin on the page.
“The answers are always in the script,” he said.
A different kind of television family
Although Lauria has played dozens of memorable roles, “The Wonder Years” remains the one audiences most often remember.
He admits he initially doubted the series would survive.
“I thought, ‘It’s too good. They’ll never keep it.'”
Instead, the coming-of-age drama became one of television’s defining family series, winning an Emmy in its first season and remaining popular decades later.
Lauria believes its success came from portraying ordinary American families honestly.
“It was realistic,” he said. “It’s about growing up. When you grow up, you make mistakes.”
Looking back – and ahead
Now more than four decades after Reagan and O’Neill battled across the political divide, Lauria hopes audiences watching “Reagan” will notice something beyond the speeches and policy debates.
They’ll see two men who fiercely defended their principles while refusing to let politics erase their humanity.
As “Reagan,” in the newly expanded Director’s Cut, returns to theaters beginning Sept. 25, Lauria believes that example may be more relevant today than when the events actually occurred.
Both Reagan and O’Neill, he says, understood something that has become increasingly uncommon.
“They were both great listeners,” Lauria said. “They were both great storytellers.” And perhaps most importantly, they never forgot that after the arguments ended, there was still room to sit down together, share a drink and remain friends.
