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‘Killing Reagan’: Movie Is Also A Love Story, And Tim Matheson Is Riveting In True-Story Account Of Ronald And Nancy Reagan On National Geographic

By Traciy Reyes
Published on: 03:37 PST, Oct 15, 2016

You’ve been anticipating it for months, and now, Killing Reagan, the gripping true story of former President Ronald Reagan is here. Based on the book by Bill O’Reilly and the 1981 assassination attempt on his life by John Hinckley, Killing Reagan airs on the National Geographic Channel this Sunday. The fascinating drama is directed by Rod Lurie and written by Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly and Eric Simonson. According to the Internet Movie Database, Killing Reagan stars Tim Matheson as President Ronald Reagan, Cynthia Nixon as Nancy Reagan, and Kyle S. More as John Hinckley.

Synopsis of Killing Reagan on National Geographic Channel

Produced by Scott Free Productions, National Geographic Channel’s Killing Reagan is a compelling account of the day that President Ronald Reagan was shot upon leaving the Hilton Hotel in Washington D.C., after delivering a speech, and the aftermath of the nurturing that he received from his wife, Nancy Reagan, which enabled him to carry out his presidential duties and create an unforgettable and undying legacy.

Killing Reagan is more than a detailed account of the shooting that almost ended President Ronald Reagan’s life in 1981, it’s also a love story about former First Lady Nancy Reagan’s devotion and tremendous dedication to her husband until the day he died, according to CNN.

They were married for more than 50 years, and anyone who knew Ronald and Nancy Reagan say that their love was like a fairy tale. In one of Ronald Reagan’s beautiful letters to his son, he suggested how it was possible to remain in love with only one woman forever, according to Letters of Note.

“Any man can find a twerp here and there who will go along with cheating, and it doesn’t take all that much manhood. It does take quite a man to remain attractive and to be loved by a woman who has heard him snore, seen him unshaven, tended him while he was sick and washed his dirty underwear. Do that and keep her still feeling a warm glow and you will know some very beautiful music. There is no greater happiness for a man than approaching a door at the end of a day knowing someone on the other side of that door is waiting for the sound of his footsteps.”

Their love affair began in Hollywood when Nancy Reagan was a beautiful actress. From the day Nancy met Ronald Reagan, she knew that she would spend the rest of her life taking good care of him and their two children. Even the way Nancy gazed at her husband made it evident that she would always be his nurturer, his lover, and his protector.

But in March 1981, their love and the presidency would be tested. Reagan had only been president for two months when he was almost killed, and there was no way that President Reagan was going to give up. Determined to be president, he fought for his life and gained strength by having his wife, Nancy, by his side. She had always supported him, but after the shooting, he relied on her physically and psychologically, Bill O’Reilly stated in an interview about Killing Reagan.

There was a strong bond between them that could not be broken. Some even accused Nancy Reagan, who was known for wearing her signature “Reagan Red,” of being too involved, stating that she was controlling and “meddling” in the decisions of the White House.

In Killing Reagan, Tim Matheson’s portrayal of President Ronald Reagan is spot on. He literally becomes Ronald Reagan. The intense connection between Tim Matheson and his co-star Cynthia Nixon, who plays Nancy Reagan, is also deeply felt.

Nat Geo viewers will also get an inside look of the emotional unraveling of John Hinckley, which led him to pull off an almost perfect assassination of the President of the United States.

Bill O’Reilly’s book, on which the movie Killing Reagan is based, received some heavy criticism regarding the book’s accuracy and historical facts. It will be interesting to see if the movie deviates from the book to create a more historically accurate account to please the critics or the “jealous zealots,” as Bill O’Reilly called them.

Don’t miss this dramatic retelling of Ronald and Nancy Reagan’s story. It airs this Sunday, October 16, at 8/7 p.m. Central on the National Geographic Channel. In July, Nat Geo premiered Original Sin: Sex.

In this video, Nancy Reagan kisses the casket as she bids farewell to her loving husband

[Featured Image by National Geographic Channel]

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