The Michael Knowles Show - Hollywood Libs Are FURIOUS About This Movie | John Voight & Michael Knowles

Episode Date: August 30, 2024

Michael Knowles talks with John Voight about his role 'Viktor Petrovich' in the new movie "Reagan," in theaters August 30th, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. 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 Voj. 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 like 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, the piece when presented to me, I thought it was a great idea. Because the, because, 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 Russia is very dear to my heart being an actor because it gives Stanislavsky and all the history of art in that country, you know, and the people.

I love them, but they were suffering under this tyranny. But anyway, they had, 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 am the fellow who is the Soviet spy that is assigned to this work so it and 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 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 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 a something else, gives it a little touch of something else. I think the intrigue and the Soviet system and the thinking of that. I think it's it melts perfectly because it leads to finally, after Brezhnev and several others, it leaves finally to Gorbachev and the 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 mention it, that 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 love saying, that. I think I came up with it, actually. Did you? I'm not surprised. I may. I was, I don't want to take too much credit for things, you know what I mean? But that I was very proud of. So it slipped out with Michael

Knowles. Michael Knowles could 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 Genyev, Tolstoy, you know, Chechhoff, you know, that's the motherland. Of course.

the lounge. 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 L.A. Dennis Quaid showed up, it was right when he signed on. It 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 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 a dream of Marx and his partner John. And it was like something akin to what happened with Gandhi, I suppose, you know,

a long period before they finally got it to camera. But But what happened here is very interesting because it was supposed to open a year and a half ago. But then COVID interfered. And that was, and we were shooting right during the end of COVID. And we, 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, you know. 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 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 now it's opening now at this very interesting time that in some ways, because of the difficult, we're facing right now mirrors somewhat the same things that Reagan faced you know at times in his career and and so 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 He's going to confront the students at the university. His reflective still is things are happening today in universities.

Many, many things are quite the same. So it gives you a different idea of how somebody else took on those problems. 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. 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 and 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 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 11th. 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 things, 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 in at this time and then I see some blessings coming our way which I didn't anticipate you know 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 then there's these indications of things happening, you know, the most recent thing being RFK, you know, Bobby Kennedy coming over. This is a big blessing. It's a big movement, you know, and more to come, I think. But anyway, we have to just 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 learn were spirits, not animals. Oh, that's a wonderful state. Yes, and he concludes with it. He says, 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, 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 a moment. I said, really? I would say, that's it. That's my buddy Michael. 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 L.A., 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 right. 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 this. John, thank you very much. Excellent, as always, to see you. Great, Michael. God bless. You too. Welcome to your life. There's nothing a retired governor can do, but a president.

Now, you can do a thing or two. Everybody 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 you, like. You can run from a bully for so long, but after a while, you're gonna have to stand up to him. There's about to be another war, right here in Hollywood. The commies on one side, the mob on and the other. And you work 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, R.R. Ready? 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. There's no turning. And I learned how to read the currents. Not just the ones on the surface, but also the ones deep underneath the water. I'm about to start the biggest war of this century, and I'm not gonna fire a single shot. You're gonna blow up eight years of diplomacy.

Well, if you think that got their undies than I want, 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! Terberchof, tear down this wall.