Dennis Quaidhas an impressive, genre-spanning career and has appeared in many acclaimed movies, includingThe Parent Trapand the baseball dramaThe Rookie. For portraying Frank Whitaker inFar From Heaven,Quaid earned particular praise from audiencesand followed that success by starring alongside Jake Gyllenhaal inThe Day After Tomorrow, which generated over $552 million globally. While he earned an Emmy Award nomination for his performance in HBO’sThe Special Relationship,Quaid has also been attachedto several critical and commercial failures over the years, includingThe AlamoandMovie 43.
More recently, Quaid starred inA Dog’s Journeyand the biographical dramaReagan, where he played the former U.S. President. While he voicedJaeger Clade inStrange World, the 2022 Disney animated film was nonprofitable at the box office, despite being well-received by audiences. However,Quaid garnered positive attention for his performance in Coralie Fargeat’sThe Substancein 2024, portraying a producer who removed Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) from her long-standing television spot. He currently stars as murderer Keith Hunter Jesperson onHappy Face.
Dennis Quaid Nearly Rejected Breaking Away
The Film Is Considered His Breakout
Now, Quaid recalls nearly rejecting one of his first major roles in the 1979 movieBreaking Away. The comedy drama, directed by Peter Yates ofBullitt, centers on Dave (Dennis Christopher), a teenager in Bloomington, Indiana, who aspires to join competitive bicycle racing. Along with Quaid and Christopher, the cast includes Daniel Stern, Jackie Earle Haley, Barbara Barrie, and Paul Dooley. After it premiered,Breaking Awayreceived multiple Academy Award nominations,winning for Best Screenplay, andpresently holds a score of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.
During an interview withBusiness Insider, Quaid revealed that Yates stepped in to get him on board forBreaking Away. The actor explained that he had been previously cast inThe Dukes of Hazzardand lined up a film with Lee Majors when he auditioned forBreaking Away. However,the director said to him, “you have to do this movie,”and Quaid remains grateful for the experience. Read his comments below:
I actually got the part of Bo Duke, the John Snyder role. I also had this movie with Lee Majors about construction crews building high rises. So I went into this general audition with Peter Yates, the director of ‘Breaking Away,’ and he saw me as Mike and I said, ‘I’m sorry but I’m already doing this other movie.’ He blocked the doorway and said, ‘Listen to me, young man, you have to do this movie!‘And he was right. Peter Yates taught all us guys film acting and I could never thank him enough.
Our Take On Quaid Being In Breaking Away
It Might Have Been The Right Choice
Quaid’s comments about joiningBreaking Awayand working with Yates further suggest that the movie had a positive impact on his career. While he may have missed out onThe Dukes of Hazzard,he would quickly go on to appear in films opposite big-name talentand become a recognizable leading actor.Quaidhas since benefited from having longevity in Hollywood, and it is interesting to consider what the alternative might have been, had Yates never stepped in, or he never chose to star inBreaking Away.
