NEW YORK – By Markos Papadatos
[Photo Courtesy of Affirm Films]
Actor John Corbett of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” chatted about starring in the new film “Soul on Fire,” which premiered in theaters on October 10th.
Corbett plays the role of Denny O’Leary. Sean McNamara directed from a screenplay by Gregory Poirier; moreover, it is based on the true story and 2016 bestselling book “On Fire” by John O’Leary.
The synopsis is: John O’Leary’s story begins with his miraculous recovery from a near death accident when he was nine years old.
Given no chance of survival, John endures an unbelievable road to recovery with the support of his family, faith, community and the kindness of his all-time idol, Baseball Hall of Fame announcer Jack Buck.
Grateful for his miracle and shaped by life’s struggles, John’s mission to better the world inspires millions to do the extraordinary.
Corbett on reuniting with his ‘Soul on Fire’ cast
On reuniting with his “Soul on Fire” cast, Corbett said, “It’s funny because we made this movie over a year ago, and I hadn’t seen any of these folks in so long, so it is really cool to be back with them. We are all here in St. Louis and we are hanging out together again.”
“You forget how much you like these people until a year goes by, and then they’re right next to you again. So, it’s great and I’m so excited for the O’Leary bunch, especially since this movie is coming out in a short time,” Corbett elaborated.
Working with Sean McNamara as director
Corbett opened up about working with Sean McNamara, who directed “Soul on Fire.”
“Well, I had done a movie with Sean back in 2002. I did a Hilary Duff movie that he directed called ‘Raise Your Voice,’ and I just loved him. Sean was so encouraging, and he let me do whatever I wanted,” Corbett said.
“Any idea I would have, Sean would tell me ‘That’s genius, that’s great.’ That’s something that every actor wants to hear from his director. Sean tried to put me in a few of his other movies throughout the years, but I was always working on something else and couldn’t do it,” he elaborated.
“When Sean called me up, he told me he has this baseball movie in St. Louis, and he wanted me to be in it,” Corbett noted.
“I told him ‘Great, I want to be in it.’ When he sent me the script, I thought, ‘this isn’t really a baseball movie,’ but there are some baseball themes around it, but I’ll make a movie with him right now. I just love him. Sean is the best,” Corbett elaborated.
Lessons learned from this screenplay
On the lessons learned from the “Soul on Fire” screenplay, Corbett shared, “Perhaps the perspective of slow down. Don’t take everything too seriously. There are people out there who have much bigger challenges than you… So, what if your car engine just blew up and you’re acting like it’s the end of the world.”
“Well, this guy (John O’Leary) doesn’t have any fingers on his hands, because they were all amputated. So, it’s a perspective of getting your priorities in order,” he explained.
Playing Denny O’Leary
Corbett was drawn to playing Denny O’Leary due to the “love that he had for his whole family.”
“One of his kids had a tragedy, but he had six kids, and then he had his own challenges,” Corbett noted. “For the last 30 years, he developed Parkinson’s, and sadly, just passed a few months back.”
“Denny got to see the movie finished, and that was a good thing, because everybody wants to have a movie made of their life,” Corbett said.
“If everybody’s special, I would love to have a movie made of my life, even though I’m in movies. That doesn’t happen to most of us, but John O’Leary got to have a movie made, and I’m glad his dad got to see it before he passed away,” Corbett elaborated.
‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ franchise
On being a part of the “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” franchise, where he played Ian Miller opposite Nia Vardalos (as Toula Portokalos), Corbett remarked, “We did three of them so far. The fans really loved the first one, even though they weren’t crazy about the second or the third movie. I don’t know why. I thought it had a lot of laughs, but the first one made so much money.”
“It was such a financial success that nothing can ever really compare with that again,” he observed. “So even if the others make a third of that, which is still a lot of money, people say, ‘oh, it’s a flop’ but I still think all of them are funny.”
“The original ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ film is the highest-grossing romantic comedy of all time, and that’s a record it has kept for over 22 years. There has never been a comedy that has made more money,” he elaborated.
“I would have thought in 20-plus years, somebody would have made a comedy that made more money, but it hasn’t happened yet,” he added.
Filming in Greece
On filming “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” in the motherland Greece, Corbett said, “I have been there a couple of times before. I’ve been to Santorini a few times.”
“I never spent any time in Corfu, so we shot in Athens for a month and then Corfu, and I could go back this afternoon. I really love Greece,” he exclaimed.
Working with Elias Kacavas in ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3’
On working with Elias Kacavas in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3,” Corbett said, “I love Elias! He just sent me a text that he got a little German shepherd.”
“So, Elias has a new German shepherd, and I have two German shepherds, and he wants to come and put them together; that’s funny,” Corbett said.
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Corbett revealed, “What’s Next?”
“I am in a phase where I’m not sure where I’m going. I’m not sure if I’m doing this for the rest of my life, or if maybe this chapter is closed, and I’m doing another thing that I’m involved in,” he said.
Success
Regarding his definition of the word success, Corbett said, “Success doesn’t mean that much. It really doesn’t mean much to me. I can take pats on the back or no pats at all. I don’t care either way about either one.”
“Also, I have this theory… You can put me out in the middle of the desert naked, and I’ll come out of it driving a Cadillac wearing a three-piece suit. So, I will be okay no matter what, and I don’t need success to make me feel good about anything,” he added.
Career-defining moments
Speaking of his career-defining moments, Corbett acknowledged that “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” was a big one for him, especially since it made him a “movie star.”
“Prior to that, I had only been in TV shows,” Corbett said. “Then, to be in this gigantic movie and be the lead actor in it, all of a sudden, my career felt a little different. I wasn’t just a guy on a TV show here. There was something thing about it that I got to put a little notch in my belt.”
“I’m a TV actor who has been in ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ movies, and now, I get to be in another movie ‘Soul on Fire’,” Corbett added.
Closing thoughts on ‘Soul on Fire’
Corbett remarked about “Soul on Fire,” “If people like movies like ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ and ‘Blazing Saddles, then this is the movie for you.”
For his Greek-American fans, Corbett expressed, “Tell everybody that John Corbett says ‘yiasou’ (hello). Thank you.”
