Actor Brolin says Ronald Reagan 'a terrific guy'

LOS ANGELES  – Seven years after playing Ronald Reagan in a miniseries that detractors say maligned the 40th president, James Brolin is setting the record straight.

"I thought he was a terrific guy and he was a terrific leader of the Screen Actors Guild, and he was a good governor (of California)," Brolin said of Reagan.

Brolin said he was encouraged to speak his political mind because he objected to Mark Joseph, co-producer of an upcoming feature film about Reagan, telling The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday that Brolin "loathes" Reagan. He also believes the Showtime miniseries "The Reagans" has been mischaracterized as a hit piece on the former president.

Brolin, who has a politically liberal reputation like his wife, Barbra Streisand, says he even voted for Reagan for president once.

What kind of a job does Brolin think Reagan did?

"Look at the results. He's such an Americana attribute. He's literally our best icon in recent years. He represented America quite well. There were some clandestine things going down, but for the most part I think he was a good president."

Brolin says his distaste for Reagan is urban legend. "Most of what you see in print is copying what somebody else said."

He said he met Reagan a few times. "I really liked him. He was a very, very astute guy. Right on top of things. And a terrific writer."

Why has it taken so long for him to go on the record about his warm regard for a conservative icon?

"I tried many times. Nobody wants to write it," he said.

Brolin also defended the controversial 2003 miniseries that, according to a Hollywood Reporter review at the time, portrayed Reagan as "a shallow thinker, indecisive, lost in the past and easily manipulated."

Brolin, though, says he portrayed Reagan in "a very realistic and positive light." The performance earned him a Golden Globe nomination.

"What was nice afterwards were people who said, 'you know I never really liked Reagan' -- there are those people out there -- 'until I saw your film and then I liked him'," Brolin said.

"The Reagans" was supposed to air on CBS until a controversy erupted over alleged left-wing bias and it was relegated to sibling premium cable outlet Showtime. It was seen by 1.2 million people.

Noted Joseph: "Only in Hollywood could you make an insulting, condescending movie about a much-loved historical figure, hire an actor who loathes the man, watch it flop and then somehow conclude that Americans don't want to see a movie about him." He aims to have his film, which currently has no talent attached, in theaters next year.