‘My Question Is Why?’ CNN’s Chris Wallace Stunned At Huge Hits ‘Reagan’ Star Dennis Quaid Turned Down

CNN anchor Chris Wallace was stunned at the hit roles Reagan star Dennis Quaid has turned down, asking him “why? Why’d you turn down all these movies?”

Wallace interviewed Quaid for this week’s edition of his Max series Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace on a variety of topics, including his new film Reagan — in which Quaid portrays the titular character.

Wallace also ticked through a rather incredible list of roles Quaid has turned down — and one he unwittingly sabotaged:

WALLACE: I wanna talk about that because there were two things I, it seems to me that happened to your career. One was cocaine which you, you were using but then you became uh a full blown addiction and you had to go into rehab. How long did you, did you feel that kind of set back your career and took you out of the next?

QUAID: I mean, who’s to know, there were a lot of people that were doing it that went on and did great. Yeah, I was just, I’m just talking about myself, you know, I was like fun. It was then fun with problems and then problems. Like that’s the way any addiction is, you know, to fill that hole that’s uh in there. And, uh, but, uh, you know, I’m uh I, I have no regrets about what I missed, uh or didn’t I, you know, it was the road that uh it was my own road and I’ve learned what I’ve learned along the way and, you know, life is very sweet these days.

WALLACE: You also turned down some big hits and I wanna be sure I’ve got this straight. Is it true that you turned down Big?

QUAID: Yes, I turned down Big.

WALLACE: Is it true you turned down Sleepless in Seattle?

QUAID: Uh, I didn’t turn it down. I wanted Nora Ephron to direct that the studio wanted somebody else. And so by me saying I wanted Nora, they were able to just engage our contract because I it was mine at the time and then six months goes by. And what do you know? Nora Ephron’s doing it.

WALLACE: I was about to say Nora Ephron did direct it.

QUAID: And she wants Tom Hanks. So, uh you know, that’s the way it goes.

WALLACE: And is it true you turned down Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves?

QUAID: Yes, I, yes, I did. I turned that down.

WALLACE: Are there any other big hits that you turned down?

QUAID: League of Their Own? And uh yeah, it’s kind of a Tom Hanks theme there.

WALLACE: So, so I guess my question is why? Why’d you turn down all these movies?

QUAID: You know, there was always some other thing that I was doing that I thought was really good. It may not have turned out or panned out but, uh, I had good reasons for it at the time.

WALLACE: Good reasons at the time.

QUAID: You kick yourself for, you know, a couple of weeks and then you move on. You make a mistake, you admit it and then you move on.

WALLACE: Well, Mr. President, I agree with that actually, that’s good advice in life.

Watch above via Max’s Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace .