The actor, who brought his beloved character George Bailey back to life with the inventive classic “It’s a Wonderful Life,” quickly becomes the subject of a feature film that sheds light on his powerful journey.
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The late actor Jimmy Stewart is the inspiration for filmmaker Aaron Burns’ new project “Jimmy,” and is a film that provides a lens for Hollywood’s Stewart’s personal story of heroism, faith and navigation.
Burns & Co. Productions announced the cast of the film on Tuesday, revealing that “Riverdale” star KJ APA will play Stewart. The APA expressed excitement to portray the role in a statement shared with CBN News.
“I have always been a huge James Stewart fan and I am extremely honored.
Life” said. “As someone from New Zealand, I have long admired that generation of Americans.
A man who stood for a patriotism, integrity and a deep sense of duty. Giving is important to me
Returning to the country that gave me so much, a better way to do it than to honor it
The man who served that greatly. ”
Others cast on the project include “Seinfeld” star Jason Alexander (Louis B. Mayer), “Sopranos” actor Max Casella (Frank Capra), “Grey’s Anatomy” alumni Sarah Drew (Hedda Hopper), and “Days of Our Life” performer Jen Lilly (Gloria Stewart).
Stewart’s daughter, Kelly Stewart Harcourt, is the executive who is producing the project and expressed her excitement for the cast.
“My family and I are happy to be excited that KJ APA has agreed to play his father in this film,” she said in a statement. “In addition to his considerable acting skills, KJ’s enthusiasm for the project only adds to the energy and depth he brings to the role.”
“Jimmy” director Aaron Burns spoke to CBN News last year about his motivation for making the project come to fruition.
Burns said Stewart, like many other Americans, had known Stewart as an actor for a long time, but his perspective spread when he stumbled upon an article detailing the performer’s backstory a few years ago.
“My storytellers were very intrigued by this,” he said.
See Burns’ description:
The filmmakers re-evaluated some of the stories of Stewart’s origins, explaining that the actor grew up in a small town and had a loyal father, a deacon of the Presbyterian church.
“(his dad) prayed for his son, raised him and invested in him,” he said. “And then, all of a sudden, Jimmy ends up making it as an actor, heading for Hollywood, climbing the ranks and becoming a huge star.”
Of course, Stewart continued to win five Oscars, but the actor felt somewhat “hollow,” Burns said. He didn’t know if he was simply a “fake movie star” or a “real hero.” At the time of the early 1940s, the instability of the world was “war clouds on the horizon.”
That’s when Stewart made an incredible decision.
“(Stewart) said, “I wanted to be more than just a Tinseltown hero. I wanted to serve my country and serve my fellow Americans.”
Burns said Stewart was a private pilot, but he decided to join the Army Air Corps, where he became the commander of the squadron.
“(It was) an incredible story that Jimmy Stewart never imagined,” he said.
One of the moving stories that Burns shared included a letter Stewart’s father gave him before shipping out of the war.
“It’s about the comfort of the Lord and the fact that He is with you,” Burns said. “And his dad said, “I am confident and I will pray for you all while you are away that God is with you.
The actor went home, but he suffered from PTSD after seeing hundreds of his men being shot and killed. By the time Stewart left the battlefield, he was far from the main Hollywood man he was in before fighting at the Frontline.
“He asked… ‘Can you come back to Hollywood?’ “Barnes said. ‘And… his contract will expire, no one wants him. So he had one offer to make a movie. It was “Jimmy’s War,” where he was a bomber pilot and was able to bomb the Nazis with cameras. He’s like, “Sorry, I can’t do that.” ”
However, Stewart received a call from an old friend named Frank Capra, a Hollywood manager who also worked for World War II. Capra told Stewart he had a “perfect role.”
“Capra… “I have the perfect part for you. Jimmy, I was struggling too. I was at war. No one wanted me, but we can do this project together,” Burns said. “That’s a great story.”
Stewart has become part of George Bailey. The rest is history.
“It’s A Wonderful Life has become a transformational film for Jimmy, even if it’s a transformational and inspirational film for all Americans,” Burns said, saying he was excited to tell the story behind the story.
He continued, “I hope my children will know Jimmy Stewart’s hero, see what he has experienced, the sacrifices he has made for us, and see the powerful prayers and love of the Father for his son.
Watch Burns talk in full.
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