By India McCarty
Neal McDonough is talking all things JIMMY, the upcoming Jimmy Stewart biopic that tracks the iconic actor’s movie career and military service.
“First of all, Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne were probably the two guys…I watched these guys acting when I was a kid, and I was like, ‘That’s something I would love to be able to do,’” the actor said during an episode of Movieguide®’s “We Who Dad” podcast.
McDonough, who plays Stewart’s father Alexander in JIMMY, said he doesn’t usually rewatch movies but will always put on IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE “because the performance is so riveting.”
The actor also praised Stewart’s decision to enlist in the military during WWII, saying, “He didn’t have to go to WWII. He could’ve easily stayed out of it as a movie star. [He had] just won the Academy Award.”
Related: What You Need to Know About the Jimmy Stewart Biopic Coming This Fall
McDonough shouted out co-star KJ Apa as well, who plays Stewart in JIMMY, calling his performance “uncanny.”
“He fearlessly jumped into the skin of Jimmy Stewart,” he shared. “For him to nail it the way that he did and the emotional river that runs through everything that he was doing, he’s going to be winning one of those awards next season, that’s for sure.”
Speaking to USA Today about stepping into Stewart’s shoes, Apa said, “It became pretty apparent to me after reading about Jimmy, and learning about him through his family, that his proudest achievement was fighting for his country. He felt he had a real sense of duty to fulfill in this war because of where he came from: His father was a World War I veteran and his grandfather also fought. He just felt like he had to.”
In addition to spotlighting Stewart’s military service, JIMMY also showcases his strong Christian faith, including a moment when his father presented him with the 91st Psalm to carry while he was in combat — a scene McDonough calls “phenomenal.”
“His dad said, ‘I have confidence and I will be praying for you the whole time you’re away that God will be with you. You’ll make it home safely,’ and [Stewart] kept that with him in his uniform every mission that he went on,” JIMMY director Aaron Burns told CBN News.
He added, “I want my kids to be able to know the hero that Jimmy Stewart was and to see what he went through, the sacrifice he made for us, and to see what the powerful prayers and love of a father for their son — the impact that that can make, so that’s a story that we’re helping to tell.”
JIMMY premieres in theaters Nov. 6.
Read Next: First Look: KJ Apa Stuns as Legendary Jimmy Stewart in JIMMY
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