Nancy Meyers Remembers Casting Dennis Quaid For The Parent Trap And Lindsay Lohan Had A Sweet Response

Dennis Quaid and Lindsay Lohan in The Parent Trap
(Image credit: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution)

Nancy Meyers’ movies really do have the power to make you feel so good inside. She graced us with The Parent Trap, one of the funniest family movies that you can watch so many times and never get tired of. The film’s director remembers the day she knew Dennis Quaid would be perfecting casting to play Hallie and Annie’s father and Lindsay Lohan shared her sweet response to that. 

The Parent Trap really was an excellent example of perfect casting. We see the film debut of Lindsay Lohan who was able to pull off playing two different characters as well as the graceful Natasha Richardson and the fun-loving Dennis Quaid as their parents. The Parent Trap director Nancy Meyers posted on Instagram the story of how she knew The Rookie actor was perfect for Nick Parker after her daughter gave her a throwback photo of him from the movie. Take a look at this heartwarming post below.

So, now we know that all it took was for Dennis Quaid to smile in this director’s direction to know he was perfect to play the dreamy Parent Trap father. Meyers’ intuitions were correct as Quaid really brought heart into the character. Speaking of Hallie, the actress who played her and Annie (aka Lindsay Lohan) provided a simple yet sweet response to Meyers’ post- a heart-shaped emoji. You better believe Instagrammers were very happy to see Lohan revisit her roots with this response. It also warmed my heart when one person commented to her that the Disney flick deserves a sequel where Annie and Hallie have their own set of twins. As many ‘90s classics are making revival sequels, let’s cross our fingers for this.

This wouldn’t be the first time that Lindsay Lohan has revisited her Parent Trap days. On the film’s 23rd anniversary, the Freaky Friday actress had a sweet exchange with Nancy Meyers on social media thanking her for “the opportunity of a lifetime.” It truly was as the Disney remake put this actress’s name on the map. She also reenacted a scene from the movie on TikTok showing us she still can do her impeccable British accent. And when Jenna Ortega and Fred Armisen remade a Parent Trap scene on SNL, the former child star responded with heart emojis and a simple “Bravo.” That’s a praiseworthy reaction from the actress who first portrayed the 11-year-old twins. It proves that even if it’s been over two decades since your film debut, it’s never truly left you.

As for what Nancy Meyers is currently up to right now, she was originally going to put together an all-star ensemble for a Netflix film. This big-budget rom-com was going to be called Paris Paramount starring Scarlett Johansson, Michael Fassbender, Owen Wilson, Penélope Cruz, and more. Unfortunately, Netflix dropped the project when they were only going to sign off $130 million for Meyers' film budget compared to her requested $150 million. However, not all hope is lost as according to AV Club, Warner Bros. might save the project by reportedly picking it up. Let’s hope so as The Holiday director has an uncanny knack for making audiences smile. We need more movies like hers to be shown.

Nancy Meyers truly picked a winner by casting Dennis Quaid in The Parent Trap and Lindsay Lohan apparently agrees. If you’d like to revisit the on-screen father/daughter duo, you can watch the beloved remake now on your Disney+ subscription.

Carly Levy
Entertainment Writer

Just your average South Floridian cinephile who believes the pen is mightier than the sword.