Dennis Quaid, 70, Shares the Best Part of Aging in Hollywood

Dennis Quaid turned 70 on Tuesday, which was celebrated by CinemaCon when the veteran actor accepted the Cinema Icon Award on Thursday. After being presented with a birthday cake and serenaded by the crowd, Quaid revealed the best part of aging in the industry.

Quaid is gearing up for a busy year. He’s playing the title character in Reagan, a biopic of the former president; as well as heading The Long Game, an inspirational sports drama in theaters this weekend. Quaid is keeping tempo with last year, when he appeared in four different films. It’s a pace the actor is comfortable with, and he has no plans to slow down.

“I’m on my sixth decade in this wonderful business,” Quaid reflected Thursday night in Las Vegas, before telling the crowd he intended to be a veterinarian in his youth. “I’m really glad I changed my mind,” the Traffic star cracked, “although I could still go back to school if I wanted,” he added to raucous laughter.

But then Quaid became more serious, reflecting on how his approach to the work has changed in his seventh decade. “To tell you the truth, I really do feel like I have more fun. I enjoy it now more than when I was young and hungry,” he explained, adding, “[I’m] not trying to get anywhere [now]."

Quaid went on: "I do it because I love it and that makes me kind of the luckiest guy on Earth, to tell you the truth.”

At the end of his speech, Quaid told his adoring fans, “I’ll keep making movies. You guys keep doing what you do. Thank you very much. God bless you.”

The Long Game is in theaters now. Reagan is expected to hit cinemas in August. You can check out Quaid’s full CinemaCon speech below.