She stars as Nancy Reagan in the upcoming film REAGAN, releasing in theaters August 30, and it’s safe to say Penelope Ann Miller did her homework for the part. Miller’s role in the film spans decades and, as the actress shared with us, getting the beauty looks “just right” for each era was essential for bringing the character to life. “I had to capture her essence, essentially,” Miller says. “She’s so iconic, so you know people are going to compare.”
I was looking through some of the stills from the film before we spoke, and the likeness to Nancy Reagan is uncanny. How did you do it?
Well, I did an enormous amount of research. Clearly, fashion was a big deal for Nancy. Even throughout the different eras that she lived through…the ’40s to the ’50s to the ’60s to the ’70s to the ’80s, and beyond. She really had a sense of style and her style was appropriate for that time period. But she was pretty glamorous. She also went from being a stateswoman to being the First Lady. It was very interesting to see her transformation.
When I was playing her—and trying to “get into her spirit,” so to speak—it helped me enormously to make sure that I got the clothes right. The wardrobe was key. I worked really closely with the costume designers. They actually made some of the iconic clothes—like the inaugural ball gown and to the inauguration’s red coat with the hat, and then a few others. They also had to find the clothes from rental houses.
It was painstaking, but it was fun! I really like that part of the job. It helped me get into character. I think for Nancy, especially, it was so important to get her look just right. It was really fun, but also extremely helpful. That’s why you see what you see in the movie. I’m glad that you say it’s uncanny. I’m never going to look exactly like Nancy, and I’m never going to talk exactly like her, but you try and capture the essence.
The wardrobe, her makeup and hair, all of that is so important to the part. We went to a lot of trouble to get it right. I have this incredible wig maker, Natasha, who’s done a lot of massive movie star’s wigs. She just makes them look so real. She did an amazing job. We had three wigs.
You’re capturing their essence, essentially. The fun part of acting for me is getting to play dress up and trying to figure out how to look like someone. It’s especially important if they’re an iconic figure such as Nancy was, and especially a fashion icon like she was. It was very important, because people are going to compare.
How does glam work when you are wearing a wig for a scene? Do you have to do anything special to keep your hair healthy?
Well, your hair doesn’t get damaged because it just goes up in these pin curls, and then you have to wear a wig cap. It’s really not pretty! If Dennis [Quaid, who plays Ronald Reagan] or any of the actors would come into the makeup trailer before I was getting my wig on, I looked like an alien!
I literally looked bald. We actually use pantyhose or a netting, and then you’ve got this little thing sticking up at the top of your head. It’s like one of those Saturday Night Live conehead characters. It’s not the most attractive look. Then they put the wig on, and then they have to glue it. They have to use this special glue on your head just to get it to stay on and not move.
You don’t want to see the netting, so they have to use the glue. Then they have to put makeup over the netting, so you don’t see it on film. Then getting it off is a process. They have to use this glue remover, and it can mess up your skin. My forehead definitely got red some days. There was some abrasiveness going on.
How do you protect your skin with all of that going on?
The makeup people always try very hard to make sure that I took care of my skin and my face. They had all this stuff to keep my skin from breaking out from the glue. Getting that glue off was sometimes a little painful. Then otherwise, like I said, I didn’t really have to worry about my own hair because I never had to use my own hair. In a way, it saves your hair from getting damaged.
Of course, there’s other aspects that are not that comfortable when you’re wearing a wig. Your head itches, then you have to take the end of a comb to scratch a little bit without messing it up. The good thing is, they usually prep your wig ahead of time, so it’s ready to go. It’s already been made to look like you want it to look for the day, and then they plop it on you, and then they have to make sure it goes well with your face and redress it a little bit. It’s a process, trust me!
It sounds like it! Do you know any of the skin-care brands or the makeup that were on set?
For me, personally, when I need to get rid of anything that’s really tough, I use the Lancome Bi-Facil. I usually wear waterproof mascara because I have these eye allergies, and this makeup remover works. It has an oil component, but it doesn’t feel oily, which is great, but it also gets rid of hard-to-get-rid-of makeup, like with the glue. They do use a glue remover, but I wouldn’t call that a beauty product.
It sounds like an essential though.
Actually, our makeup artist, Jennifer Aspinall, has her own line called Skin Saver. She used that on me a lot. Then, on top of that, for my own use, I like the Yon-Ka Serum.
A great line.
Yes, I love Yon-Ka products. I use their toner as well. I just love the smell. It has a nice lavender smell. I love it. I love to use the serum because it really sinks in. I love putting oil on a lot, too. Then Dr. Eckstein face wash and Dr. Eckstein Repair Supreme, which is collagen cream. Those are my go-tos.
That’s a good lineup. What do you do at the end of the day to get out of character and separate work from your personal time?
It depends. I definitely love a good bath. I definitely like showering off from the day’s work. I try to get as much sleep as possible. I feel like sleep is totally underrated. I believe you can catch up on sleep. There’s people who say you can’t, but I believe you can! Sleep is really, really important. Sometimes, we’d have these late nights and just crazy hours. Once you’re out of your clothes and your wigs and everything, relaxing and making sure you’re eating right and hydrating is key. Hydrating is big for me. I’m a big, big, big water person. I carry water around with me everywhere I go. I sleep with a water bottle next to me. I’m just constantly hydrating, which I think is not only really good for your skin, but also it’s good for your energy. It’s good to clean out your system.
I don’t know if you knew this, but we made this film four years ago, so we were shooting during the height of COVID. We were all isolated in this small town in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Sets can get a little dirty and messy. There’s not a lot of air. [laughs] So cleaning off was very important. Also, the cast and crew were all masked. I hardly knew what anyone looked like until probably a year later! It was wild. I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone.
Well, it must feel good to finally have the movie hit.
Yes! It was really fun to have an old-fashioned movie premiere the other night. We had the true red carpet. I loved my gown. It was an homage to Nancy because she loved red. Red was her favorite color. She loved one shoulder dresses and she loved ruffles. My dress at the premiere had all those things.
It was a little sexier than Nancy would wear…it had a pretty high split. And it was very form-fitting. In honor of her legacy, I wanted to do a dress that would remind you of her, but still have a bit of my own style as well. It was fun to be glamorous, to have a true red carpet, great press and great photographs. Especially after COVID and everything, it was nice to celebrate our movie.
