Liberal Free Chat Zone

[ksquared]

Ronald Reagan's Family & Foundation Slam Will Ferrell Alzheimer's Film
Access Hollywood
April 28, 2016

Ronald Reagan’s family and many other conservatives are outraged that Will Ferrell is reportedly set to play the former president in a comedy based on the period in his life during which he suffered from Alzheimer's.

After Variety reported on Wednesday that Ferrell will star in and produce the Black List script "Reagan," critics almost immediately began blasting the upcoming film, which, according to the trade mag, has not started production and has no director yet.

Reagan's daughter Patti Davis expressed her dismay in an open letter to Ferrell.

"Perhaps if you knew more, you would not find the subject humorous," Davis wrote.

"Alzheimer's doesn't care if you are President of the United States or a dockworker. It steals what is most precious to a human being — memories, connections, the familiar landmarks of a lifetime that we all come to rely on to hold our place secure in this world and keep us linked to those we have come to know and love," she continued. "I watched as fear invaded my father's eyes — this man who was never afraid of anything. I heard his voice tremble as he stood in the living room and said, 'I don't know where I am.'"

Reagan’s son Michael also had strong words for Ferrell and filmmakers behind the project, sharing his feelings on Twitter.

In addition to Reagan’s children, The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation has spoken out to voice concern over the project.

"Anyone supporting the idea of such a movie ought to first familiarize themselves with the remarkable pain and anguish that families afflicted with Alzheimer's are visited with every day," John Heubusch, executive director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, said in a statement to Access Hollywood. "It's a tragedy that one in every nine families in America will be visited with and we find it disgusting that such a film would even be considered by Mr. Ferrell or anyone else."

Ferrell's manager told Access Hollywood they have no comment on the open letter from Patti Davis or the statement from the Reagan Foundation. They also would not comment to confirm or deny that Ferrell is actually set to produce and star in "Reagan."

-- Evan Seymour
https://www.yahoo.com/news/ronald-reagans-family-foundation-slam-013305888.html?ref=gs