Axe ’Em, Jacks!
NACOGDOCHES, Texas –– Actor Dennis Quaid celebrated his 72nd birthday by sharing his experiences advocating for the Texas film industry and reminiscing about his movies at the fifth installment of Stephen F. Austin State University’s Nelson Rusche Distinguished Lecture Series April 9. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick served as Quaid’s interviewer for the event.
The series, hosted by SFA’s Nelson Rusche College of Business, is designed to bring scholars and business leaders to SFA's campus to discuss timely issues and educate the next generation of business leaders while enriching the SFA and Nacogdoches communities.
“This event reflects the mission of the Nelson Rusche Distinguished Lecture Series by connecting our students with influential leaders and real-world conversations that extend beyond the classroom,” said Dr. Jason Reese, interim dean of the Rusche College of Business. “Hearing firsthand about the opportunities emerging in Texas' film industry was both inspiring and educational for everyone in attendance.”
Before the public portion of the evening, Quaid spoke with a select group of business students and answered their questions about the economic and entrepreneurial sides of the Texas film industry.
“With SFA students, Dennis Quaid shared insightful, relatable experiences,” said Fred Poston, executive director of Texas Media Production Alliance, vice president of the Rusche College of Business Executive Advisory Board, 1992 SFA graduate and moderator for the student Q&A with Quaid. “His story of starting his career was about a young Texan's passion to pursue a dream, tenacity and determination. His enthusiasm about Texas film/TV production, following recent film incentive legislation, was highly encouraging to students looking to pursue a career in the Texas film/TV industry.”
Quaid also attended a VIP reception before being interviewed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick for the main discussion of the evening. The two native Texans collaborated to support the passage of Senate Bill 22 during the 89th Texas Legislature in spring 2025. The legislation dramatically increased funding for the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program, allocating $300 million every two years to attract major film and television productions to the Lone Star State.
“There’s no rule that says the movie business has to be in Hollywood and New York,” Quaid said. “Texas has mountains, beaches, East Texas forests, big cities — we have everything you need to shoot movies here.”
Patrick added that the incentive program, which he considers a jobs program, will help make Texas the “No. 1 faith and family film center in the country.”
The interview began with a fun fact about Quaid: He’s Gene Autry’s third cousin.
Quaid then told Patrick how his older brother, Randy, and he were inspired by their college acting professor at the University of Houston, Cecil Pickett.
“The first week of his class, I knew what I wanted to do with my life,” Quaid said. “I didn’t have anything to fall back on because acting was my passion.”
Randy found acting success first when he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1974 for “The Last Detail.” He blended his commercial success in the “Vacation” movies and “Independence Day” with critically lauded turns in “Midnight Express,” “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “Brokeback Mountain.”
Dennis soon followed his brother to Los Angeles, where he landed his breakout role in the 1979 film “Breaking Away.”
He advised students contemplating acting careers that they need “fortitude to outlast hearing a thousand ‘no’s.’ You have to believe in yourself because you’re selling yourself and being proactive about that every day.”
Quaid also had a message for the future entrepreneurs in the audience: “Find something you love to do and figure out how to get paid for it.”
He advised students that their college years are the best time to make mistakes and learn from them.
“You learn through failure,” Quaid said. “That’s how I learned. Don’t be afraid to fail.”
Patrick told students if they start in the film industry right out of college, they can make $50,000 a year as a gopher on a film set in Texas.
“Thanks to Senate Bill 22, you don’t have to move to New York or California or Georgia anymore to be on a film crew,” he said.
George Lane, 2015 SFA graduate and director of government relations at the Texas Office of the Attorney General, was called out of the audience by Quaid and Patrick and drew great applause from the lecture series crowd as they watched the short film he created, “True to Texas” (gosfa.com/youtube-true-to-texas), to promote Senate Bill 22. Filmed in Dripping Springs, the short features Quaid, Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Billy Bob Thornton and Renée Zellweger.
Patrick added that fellow native Texan Taylor Sheridan, creator of “Yellowstone” and its spinoffs, has filmed seven series in the Lone Star State thanks to incentives. Sheridan also is set to create the 25-minute movie that will play in the new immersive theater as part of the Alamo’s $550 million makeover. He is producing the film on the Battle of the Alamo for free, and will be recruiting college students to work on the project so they can gain film industry experience and help build up Texas’ film crews.
“SFA students need to be part of that when that happens,” Patrick said.
The lecture series audience members also learned the following about Quaid’s movie-filming experiences as they shouted out titles from his nearly 50-year acting career.
- Quaid said one of his favorite movies he’s filmed is “Parent Trap.” “It gave me another career. I had been a bad guy in movies, and I just said ‘yes’ to ‘Parent Trap’ on faith.”
- He described “Frequency” and “The Rookie” as great father-son films. The warehouse scene in “Frequency” featured many real firefighters who died a year after the film’s release while rescuing those trapped in the twin towers on 9/11.
- “Day After Tomorrow” was filmed in a 70-degree studio in Montreal during winter when it was minus 40 outside. The snow was made from “trashed-up newspaper and soap flakes. It was slippery,” Quaid said.
- Gordon “Gordo” Cooper, the astronaut Quaid portrayed in “The Right Stuff,” ended up living a few blocks from Quaid in Los Angeles. The two became friends, and Cooper inspired Quaid to become a licensed pilot. Quaid owns a Cessna Citation jet.
- Quaid lost 48 pounds to play Doc Holliday, who had tuberculosis, in “Wyatt Earp.” He also used the cartoon character Foghorn Leghorn to inform his voice for Holliday.
- Ringo Starr was “the most fun, generous and wonderful person” on the set of “Caveman.”
- “Dragon Heart” was Quaid’s most challenging film to make. “I’m doing a scene in the mud in Slovakia with three tennis balls on a stick portraying a dragon, and a Croatian horse is trying to kill me.”
- Filming “Reagan” was an honor for Quaid because “he was my favorite president.” It was filmed on the Reagan Ranch, and Peaches, Quaid’s English bulldog often seen with him while rushing through the airport and giving interviews on shows like “Today,” portrayed Reagan’s dog, Rex, in the film.
Peaches joined Quaid and Patrick on stage and signaled when it was time for the discussion to wind down. The audience serenaded Quaid with “Happy Birthday to You,” and SFA leaders presented him and Patrick with axe handles.
“It’s the best birthday ever!” Quaid said as the audience headed to the Baker Pattillo Grand Ballroom foyer to enjoy cupcakes in his honor.
The event kicked off the biennial Lone Star Legislative Summit and featured the following state legislators in the audience: Sens. Robert Nichols and Mays Middleton and Reps. Nathaniel Moran, Joanne Shofner, Trent Ashby, Gary VanDeaver, Jeff Berry and David Cook. The UT System was represented by Regent Jodie Lee Jiles and Deputy Chancellor and Senior Policy Advisor Julia Rathgeber. Quaid and Patrick also spoke at the summit’s breakfast session April 10.
To learn more about SFA’s Rusche College of Business, visit sfasu.edu/cob. To learn more about Texas’ film incentive program, visit the Texas Film Commission website at gov.texas.gov/film.