Dennis Quaid has had an illustrious career since becoming an actor in 1975 — and one of his most memorable moments includes being a cowboy with Kevin Costner.
While looking back at some of his favorite acting partners, Quaid, 70, was in awe of how he and Costner, now 69, “look really young” in the photos from 1994’s Wyatt Earp. “I love that movie,” Quaid exclusively reveals in the latest issue of Us Weekly. “That was a great experience.”
The actor reveals that he “lost 44 pounds for that [role]” and went full-method to portray tuberculosis-stricken gunman and gambler Doc Holliday alongside Costner’s Wyatt Earp.
“I’d have 1,000 calories a day,” Quaid shares, noting he would “work off 600 calories” doing the StairMaster to keep his slim figure.
Costner was just one of Quaid’s many iconic costars throughout his career, which also includes the late Natasha Richardson.
Quaid takes Us down memory lane below — and gives Us an inside look at some of his coolest Hollywood memories:
Sick But Not Starstruck
“That day I had my first cold sore since I was 12 years old,” Quaid recalls of meeting the late Queen Elizabeth II alongside Richardson at the 1998 London premiere of The Parent Trap. “May have been the stress, and I haven’t had one since, but it just really sprung.”
While it was an honor to shake the queen’s hand, Quaid says the thing that he notices about the regal photo is Richardson, who played his ex-wife, Elizabeth James, in the Disney movie.
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“It chokes me up because she was such a beautiful person,” he explains. (More than a decade after the film hit theaters, Richardson died in 2009 at age 45. She passed away following a skiing accident that resulted in a traumatic brain injury.)
There’s No Crying in Football
“I’m wincing because I just missed a putt, but that was really fun,” Quaid, who played quarterback Jack “Cap” Rooney in 1999’s Any Given Sunday, recalls of the sports shoot alongside costar James Woods.
The Emmy nominee confesses: “The hits and everything I got on there… I [thought] for sure somebody was going to get seriously hurt, and nobody ever did.”
The Presidential Effect
Quaid says it was “really something” getting to play golf with former president Bill Clinton in 2000. “He was a good golfer,” he explains. “I [told him], ‘If you weren’t president, you’d probably beat me!’”
Before hitting the green with Clinton, Quaid attended a state dinner with then-wife Meg Ryan and their son, Jack. During the event, Clinton asked Quaid to stay at the White House for the weekend, which led to the actor getting a “pass” that allowed him to roam the premises.
“I went everywhere by myself; went down to the basement, saw the tunnel. I went to the Oval Office,” Quaid remembers. “It’s really something to walk around there alone.”
Giving a Star Effort
Quaid received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005, calling it a “special” moment. At the time, his eldest child, Jack, was by his side to celebrate.
Nearly 20 years later, Quaid visited his spot on the famous street alongside his youngest son, Thomas, while attending the opening night of The Long Game.
“We went over and took a look at it and took pictures,” Quaid tells Us, noting that his wife, Laura Savoie, was also by his side during the 2024 visit. (Quaid shares twins Thomas and Zoe with ex-wife Kimberly Buffington. He married Savoie in June 2020.)
His Next Chapter
Quaid’s The Long Game is the first movie from his new production company, Bonniedale. In the film, which is now in theaters, is about five Mexican-American caddies in 1955 who create their own golf course in Texas to learn how to play.
“The older I get, the more passion I have for [acting],” Quaid tells Us, while looking toward the future and life as a seasoned actor and parent. “I’m not trying to get anywhere or be somebody because of it. I just love it.”
The father of three claims that “life really gets easier” with age, noting he’s learned to “enjoy it more because you’ve been through things.”
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Quaid recently celebrated his milestone birthday, and he says he’s just getting started. “[My life] has never been happier,” he gushes. “I have a beautiful wife… [and] I really appreciate every day. I feel so lucky.”
For more on Quaid’s career watch the exclusive video above — and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now.
