She may be one of the most fascinating first ladies in American history. Nancy Reagan (New York, 1921-2016) played the role of the perfect conservative wife, impeccably dressed and always dedicated and smiling. Before the cameras and the photographers, her role was that of a silent consort. However, those who were close to the 40th US president, the Hollywood actor turned Republican politician Ronald Reagan, tell a very different story. That story, that of an unknown Nancy, occupies the most interesting minutes of ‘The Reagans’, the series that Movistar + premieres this Sunday. And what we are looking forward to seeing, in full.
One of the official portraits of the presidency of Ronald and Nancy Reagan.
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Before of Donald Trump made the leap from television to the White House, there were already stars in the oval office. Former actor Ronald Reagan was the visible face of conservative power in the 1980s: the cMargaret Thatcher on the other side of the Atlantic. In fact, both are listed in the history books as the ultra-liberals who took the first steps toward the society we live in today: less taxes, less public services, more flexibility (less security) at work. However, the role of Ronald Reagan throughout this minimum revolution it was not as decisive as we thought. Actually, the one who was clear on economic issues or international politics was her: Nancy Reagan.
‘The Reagans’ pauses a lot, obviously, on the love story between Ronald Reagan and Nancy in Hollywood. He was a popular actor: he had just parted ways with Jane Wyman and had become president of the main union of actors in the country, Screen Actors Guild. She went straight for him: he asked him on a date in 1948 and the chemistry was immediate. Three years later they were married. “My life began when I met Ronnie“She wrote in her memoirs.” Determined not to be intimidated by a number of stupid things on my part, she ignored my slowness in replying and with tenderness and patience she made light on my obtuse understanding“He wrote in a letter.” I discovered the joy of loving someone with all my heart. “
Nancy y Ronald Reagan They starred together in a single film: ‘Hellcats in the Navy’ (1957). The great director George Cukor ruled at their meetings at Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer (the most powerful studio of the day) that she lacked talent. In the 1960s, they both left acting to focus on public service. Ronald Reagan gave a speech in support of the Republican candidate. Barry Goldwater that earned him party recognition and double success (1966 and 1970) as a candidate for governor of California.
In 1967, Nancy Reagan She was named “Woman of the Year” by the Los Angeles Times: her public persona was already characterized by undeniable glamor and blind adoration for her husband. In 1980, when the Reagans came to the White House, he became the oldest president in history (68 years). She, in the calculating brain with an obsessive goal: to build a conservative myth at the height of the Kennedys, in which fashion and her love story were key.
![Nancy Reagan with Princess Diana, on one of her official visits to the UK. Nancy Reagan with Princess Diana, on one of her official visits to the UK.](https://i0.wp.com/static.mujerhoy.com/noticias/202103/24/media/cortadas/nancy-reagan-polemica-primera-dama-lujo-astrologia-envidia-jackie-kennedy-controlaba-presidente-nueva-serie-2-klrF-U130915110932MGH-476x714@MujerHoy.jpg?w=900&ssl=1)
Nancy Reagan with Princess Diana, on one of her official visits to the UK.
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His wish was about to come true, tragically. In 1981, just 69 days after his inauguration, Ronald Reagan was the target of an assassination attempt. John Hinckley Jr., obsessed with the actress Jodie Foster Eager to get his attention, he shot the newly appointed President and punctured his lung outside the Washington Hilton Hotel. At this point, Nancy went from devoted wife to fierce protector of her husbandWhether it was making sure he exercised and dieting, or removing whatever obstacles and dangers he observed in his presidential functions.
Critically criticized for replacing the expensive porcelain tableware of the White House and for its love of haute coutureOnly an unexpected controversy made her tremble: her dependence on astrology. During the couple’s eight-year tenure, the astrologer Joan Quigley She was a head counselor.
The astrologer decided what days were auspicious for the President to leave the White House safely or what time high-level meetings would have a positive outcome. All by the imposition of Nancy Reagan, who obsessively controlled which people had access to her husband. This, in addition, caused the resignation of several senior positions of her husband, including the chief of staff, Donald Regan. He insisted that Ronald Reagan intensify his friendly relationship with Mikhail Gorbachev, then President of the USSR, further reinforced by a positive astrological reading. In addition, he always opposed the construction of a national public health system.
“From the moment Ronald Reagan he became a politician, Nancy Reagan began to manage its strings by assuming the role of manager and exerting an undeniable influence on her husband’s career “, has revealed Matt Tyrnauer, director of ‘The Reagans’. “One of the theories behind this role is that Reagan was fundamentally an actor and that he never stopped being an actor. In fact, he may have been the president who best played the presidential role. Every actor requires a director, a coach and a producer, and Nancy Reagan was all of that during the presidency. And, in addition, with voice and vote in politics “.
Nancy Reagan never denied it: it had more power, no doubt, than Jackie Kennedy, like a modern Eleanor Roosevelt. In fact, she wrote in her memoirs: “I don’t think I was that bad, had as much power, or was as weak as they claimed. The first lady has a unique and important role to play in caring for her husband and it is natural for her to let me know what you think. I always did it with Ronnie, and I always will”.
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