Tim Matheson on Playing Ronald Reagan | Killing Reagan

Very rarely is there the perfect man and the perfect job, and we see it in actors and we see it in certain politicians. Here was a man who was born to play that role as President of the United States and was an inspirational leader when the nation really needed it at that point in time.

Ronald Reagan was sort of the FDR, the conservative FDR. He started the Saturday morning radio program and used that voice to reassure people. Whenever he needed the groundswell of support in Congress to get a bill passed, he would go to the people and talk from the Oval Office. He would say, "I need you to call your congressman and senators and tell them you support my project here, that this is for us." And it's, you know, that's important.

And people believed him, you know, and they loved him. The would-be assassination affected him in a rather profound way. I think he became really aware of his vulnerability and the very narrow thread that holds you to life. He felt, according to my readings, that he survived for a reason, and the reason was to broker a peace deal with the Russians—to make the world a safer place.

And that was his purpose, and that's, I think, what he devoted himself to. I find it very heroic that he found a greater purpose in his life when that critical moment, where he thought maybe he would die—and certainly a lot of people thought he was going to die—it gave him a stronger purpose to come back and refocus his presidency and his life.