The mega-talented, appealing and funny Dennis Quaid starring in new TV series Vegas, talked to Dotson Rader about what drew him to his first-ever TV series.Quaid, 58, also talks about the real-life sheriff he plays on the show, his happiness at going home to his 4-year old twins every night, his past cocaine addiction, working with the 11-year-old Lindsay Lohan, his actor son Jack (who had a part in The Hunger Games, and whose mom is Meg Ryan), and more.
Here are some highlights from Quaid’s interview (including some online extras):
Quaid on fatherhood.
“I love being a dad, and I’m good at it. Kids teach you about life, like how not to focus on yourself so much.”
On making his 2001 divorce with actress Meg Ryan easier on son Jack, now 20.
“You don’t bad-mouth your ex or anything like that. The key is your kid knowing that both parents still love him and are there for him.”
On his parents’ divorce when he was a child.
“Yeah, I was 11 or 12. There were abandonment issues there, which I think I still have.”
On Hollywood marriages.
“It’s hard for two actors to be together. Take the traveling, for instance. It winds up being a long distance relationship, all the time, because one’s working here and one’s working there, or one’s staying at home and one’s off someplace else. Your partner has to live with the best and the worst part of you, and they’re affected by it.”
On whether he felt he deserved success when it arrived.
“I felt like I deserved it once I got off cocaine. That would be in my late 30s. Cocaine makes you paranoid and lowers your self-esteem. We all did it back in the ’70s and ’80s. Had a great time, so they tell me. It was fun, then it was fun with problems, then it became just problems.”
On celebrity.
I’ve never really sought out publicity. I’ve seen people who actually call the paparazzi and when they show up pretend to [be surprised]. Maybe they need some validation from the public or want to be seen a certain way. You don’t have to go seeking it out. Just live your life and lay low.
On Lindsay Lohan, his costar in The Parent Trap.
“Lindsay was, like, 11 [in The Parent Trap]. She was a very self-aware, smart kid who could act effortlessly. It’s just a chapter of her story, what she’s been going through over the past years. It’s not what one expected, but Lindsay’s story is not over.”
For more from Dennis Quaid, including his thoughts on Bill Clinton and musings on some of his most notable film roles, read PARADE this Sunday and visit Parade.com today:
Puhleaze. This guy cheated on Meg Ryan for years and he badmouthed her. Then he cheated on Kimberly repeatedly too. Nice dad. NOT!