More than a quarter of a century has passed since Dennis Quaid He played his iconic role as Nick Parker in The Parent Trap (1998), which proved to be a hit with fans and critics alike.
After celebrating his 70th birthday a few days ago, the veteran Hollywood leading man reflected on where his character would be today, in an interview with MY! News.
“I guess I’d be drinking some of the wine from their vineyard,” he said, before adding “not traveling too far from home.”
He went on to speculate that Nick would probably still be riding horses and running around the California property, and made sure to make it clear that “there was no cane involved.”
Quaid became sentimental as he reflected on the fate of Nick’s relationship with Elizabeth, or Liz, played by the late Natasha Richardson.
Dennis Quaid, 70, reflected on his iconic role as Nick Parker in The Parent Trap (1998), answering the question of where his character would be today, 25 years after he became a hit with critics and fans; He broached the idea while promoting his new movie The Long Game.
“I guess he’d be drinking some of the wine from his vineyard,” Quaid said, before confirming, “Yes, he’s still with Elizabeth,” referring to the late actress Natasha Richardson.
“Yes, he’s still with Elizabeth,” Quaid confirmed, some distress evident in his words.
‘Natasha [Richardson], God bless her. She passed away about 10 years ago and we miss her dearly,” he continued. ‘What a beautiful, beautiful woman, great person.’
Richardson was just 45 years old when he suffered a head injury during a fall while taking a beginner ski lesson on March 16, 2009, just over 80 miles from Montreal.
The actress, who was married to actor Liam Neeson, initially refused any medical treatment, but after complaining of a severe headache two hours after the accident she was airlifted to a New York City hospital, where she died two days later. later due to an epidural hematoma.
Richardson played wedding dress designer Elizabeth James, who meets and falls in love with Nick in Queen Elizabeth 2 in 1986. Sadly, they separated shortly after the birth of their identical twin daughters, both played by Lindsay Lohan in her debut. film. .
In the midst of all the divorce mess, Nick gains custody of Hallie and raises her at his vineyard in Napa, California, while Elizabeth raises Annie in London, England, where she works as a wedding dress designer.
Eleven years and nine months later, the twins are coincidentally sent to the same summer camp, where they form an intense rivalry until they finally realize that they are twins who were separated at birth.
The parental trap ended up manifesting itself in the form of the girls deciding to switch places to convince their parents to reconcile; Each of them trains the other to act like her before making the switch.
‘Natasha [Richardson], God bless her. She passed away about 10 years ago and we miss her dearly,” Quaid said of her co-star, who died following a skiing accident in March 2009. “What a beautiful, beautiful woman, great person.”
Quaid’s Nick Parker split from his wife Liz shortly after the birth of their identical twin daughters Hallie and Annie, both played by Lindsay Lohan.
After Quaid shared his sadness over the loss of Richardson, he revealed that he still keeps in touch with his on-screen daughter.
“Yesterday she sent me a video wishing me a happy birthday,” the real-life father of three revealed, before sharing how convincing Lohan was during her audition for the role at such a young age.
“She came to the screen test and I think she was 11 and, wow, I couldn’t believe it,” he marveled. “She had so much control over her talent, what she did and during filming.”
And he added: “She made me believe they were two girls.” She didn’t have any fear.
Quaid praised Lohan for her roles as twin daughters Annie and Hallie.
“She came” to the screen test and I think she was 11 and, wow, I couldn’t believe it,” the leading man marveled. She had so much control over her talent and what she was doing during filming.
Directed by Nancy Meyers, who worked from a script she co-wrote with David Swift and Charles Shyer, the romantic comedy film premiered in Los Angeles on July 20, 1998, where Quaid attended with his then-wife Meg Ryan by his side. .
The Parent Trap ended up debuting in theaters on July 29 and quickly became a huge hit with fans and critics, grossing $92.1 million at the worldwide box office on a budget of just $15 million.
It received positive reviews from critics, with Lohan’s performance, in particular, garnering high praise.
The film’s success led Lohan to become a major child star and to play roles in subsequent Disney projects, such as the television films Life Size (2000) and Get A Clue (2002).
The Parent Trap opened in theaters on July 29 and quickly became a huge hit with fans and critics, grossing $92.1 million at the worldwide box office on a budget of just $15 million.
Quaid attended the premieres of The Parent Trap in London and Los Angeles with his then-wife Meg Ryan by his side; They appear in the UK debut photo in July 1998.
From there, Lohan jumped back onto the big screen, starring in the fantasy comedy film reboot Freaky Friday (2003), which became another smash hit, and Confessions Of A Teenage Drama Queen (2004), which hit shortly before she became a teen star with the hit Mean Girls (2004).
Quaid is currently promoting the historical drama film The Long Game, starring alongside Jay Hernandez, Cheech Marin, Julian Works, Jaina Lee Ortiz, Brett Cullen, Oscar Nuñez, Paulina Chávez, Gregory Diaz IV and José Julián.
“It’s very uplifting,” he said of the film, which tells the true story of the San Felipe Mustangs, a group of Mexican-American caddies who won the Texas state high school golf championship in 1957. “It reminds us who we used to use be as a country and how far we have come and where we still have to go.’
While The Long Game premiered on South by Southwest in March 2023, it was only released widely on April 12.