The actor points to the death of costar Natasha Richardson as being the reason not to revisit the film, which he credits with giving him “a second career”
As much as his costars Lindsay Lohan and Lisa Ann Walter have voiced enthusiasm for a sequel to 1998’s “The Parent Trap,” Dennis Quaid isn’t sure it’s something he’d want to do following the death of Natasha Richardson. When asked if he would work with Lohan again, Quaid told “Entertainment Tonight,” “I would.”
“I’d love it,” Quaid continued, but added, “You know, I don’t know if we could do ‘Parent Trap 2.’ Because who wants to touch that? Natasha’s not here.”
Natasha Richardson, who starred in “The Parent Trap” as Lohan’s mother and Quaid’s ex-wife Elizabeth, and whom the twins played by Lohan look to reunite with their dad, died in 2009 following a ski accident.
Quaid’s comments came as part of a career retrospective with “Entertainment Tonight,” in which Quaid looked back at interviews he’d done with the entertainment program throughout his career, as well as clips from his films. In footage from the time of the 1998 film’s release, Quaid was already praising Lohan’s acting talents.
In March, “Abbott Elementary” star Walter said of the film at the NAACP Image Awards, “I would love to go back for another version of it — or if [Lohan] wants to come on to our show, I’d love that, too.”
Despite all of that, Quaid shared fond memories of the project, which he credited with giving him “a second career” that’s lasted. “I tell everyone under 30 that I was your babysitter,” Quaid shared, noting how this is the movie everyone would put on for the kids while they did what they wanted to do.
Quaid ran through a list of his greatest hits in the “Entertainment Tonight” feature, which began with 1979’s “Breaking Away” — for which Quaid complimented both how much the film holds up, as well as his own younger body. “Look at those abs. Got two guns and a six-pack, hope I don’t get pulled over.”
That list included 1983’s “The Right Stuff.” The actor was shown an interview from the movie’s promotional run in which he said acting is “all I want to do” — a sentiment he still agrees with today. “Even moreso, actually. Yeah. Because it’s — I’m just doing it for fun now. Not trying to get anywhere like I was back then,” Quaid explained.
The actor praised costar Liam Neeson’s work in 1987’s “Suspect” and added that he only occasionally keeps in touch with costar Cher — “once in a blue moon or every other blue moon.”
He also revealed that controversial but historically important musician Jerry Lee Lewis was “one of my piano teachers” during the filming of “Great Balls of Fire” — and that Lewis paid close attention to his playing. “He was over my shoulder the entire time going, ‘You’re getting it wrong, son,’” Quaid shared.
In an interview shown from the release of 1996’s “Dragonheart,” Quaid had described the movie as “a story I think my kids would really love to see” — and present-day Quaid notes that it turned out son and actor in his own right Jack did love the film — though not as much as Quaid’s somewhat infamous “Jaws 3-D.” The actor added that Jack had a connection to their profession from early on, noting he “had a camera in his hand when he was 4 years old, making movies.”
You can watch the full interview with Dennis Quaid discussing his career, including recent films “A Dog’s Purpose” and his latest “Reagan,” in the video above.