Jon Voight to Newsmax: Soviets Were 'Terrified' of Ronald Reagan

The Soviets were terrified of Ronald Reagan, and rightly so, actor Jon Voight told Newsmax on Monday.

Voight played the role of Russian spy Viktor Petrovich in "Reagan," a biopic about the late president, which came out Friday. He and the film's director, Sean McNamara, spoke to "Carl Higbie FRONTLINE" about the making of the movie and the 40th president's legacy.

Voight said the spies assigned to keep tabs on Reagan "kept giving reports back that this guy was standing up against communism, saying an awful lot of things that were concerning to them.

"And then he became a political force. Gradually, they saw his political talent as well, and they got the reports back in these files that said, 'This man says what he means, and he means what he says,'" Voight said. "So when he started speaking out, they became really frightened, and they were right to be frightened, because in the in the end, he found a way to dissolve the Soviet Union."

McNamara said they never intended to release the film during an election cycle, but that's just how it turned out. Shooting began in 2020 and production faced numerous challenges, including COVID-19, the actors' and writers' strikes of last year, and the war in Ukraine, all of which conspired to push the release date to August 30.

McNamara said the film is relevant for audiences today. He said, "The assassination attempt alone? Unbelievable. The debates. The college campuses. So even when I'm watching the film, it is unbelievable how much it reflects what's going on in society today."

"Reagan" is playing in theaters nationwide.

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