Tai Freligh chats with Soul on Fire star Stephanie Szostak…
After suffering a accident, a young boy ends up relying on his family, his faith, and his community in his fight for survival. Directed by Sean McNamara (Reagan, Soul Surfer) and starring Joel Courtney (The Kissing Booth, Jesus Revolution, Super 8, Players), William H. Macy (Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes, Shameless), John Corbett (My Big Fat Greek Wedding, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, And Just Like That) and others, Soul on Fire is the heartwarming and inspirational story of John O’Leary.
Flickering Myth’s Tai Freligh caught up with Stephanie Szostak (The Devil Wears Prada, A Million Little Things, Iron Man 3, Dinner for Schmucks) who plays John’s mother, Susan O’Leary, about how she prepared for the role, the source materials she studied, and what it was like being on set with the real life Susan O’Leary.
John O’Leary credits his mother’s courage for his recovery, specifically her question, “Do you want to die?” Can you describe the weight and complexity of that line for your character?
As a mom, that question is so unexpected. It is extraordinary. Here’s the context, Susan just heard that her son had less than half a percent chance of surviving the night and as he is being wheeled into surgery scared, alone, in pain he asks his mom, “Mommy, am I going to die?” In that moment, all a mother wants to say is “No, you’re going to live, you’re going to be okay. I love you.” But instead of giving him the expected reassurance, Susan asks, “John, do you want to die?” She doesn’t pretend to have the answer. She doesn’t give him reassurance. She asks her son what he wants to do in this moment and when he says, “no,” she gives him a vision of how to fight. And this was not in the script but is in her book. She said to him, “Then John, you are going to have to fight as hard as you ever have in your life. You are going to have to run as fast as you ever have on the soccer field. You are going to have to give it your all and you won’t be alone. Know that and Daddy and I and Jesus will be with you each step of the way.” Those are her real words. It was a radical act of love. She helped him see that he had what it took to fight.
How did you prepare to portray a mother faced with such a profound and heart-wrenching situation? Did you feel a heavy responsibility in bringing her story to the screen?
Yes, I felt a huge responsibility—it was my first time playing a real person. I immersed myself in Susan and Denny O’Leary’s book Overwhelming Odds, John’s memoir On Fire, and every podcast or video I could find of Susan. I worked with a dialect coach to study not just her voice but her mannerisms. I also drew from my own experience. When my son was four years old, he was diagnosed with a rare infectious disease called Kawasaki. He was in the hospital for five days—nothing like the five months John endured—but they were the scariest five days of my life. I’ll never forget him saying to me, “Mom, I don’t know if I’m going to come home.” That experience gave me a way to connect with Susan’s reality. The goal was once I arrived on set I could let go of all the preparation and just be present. But once I arrived on set, I found the greatest gift of all… Susan O’Leary. She came on set many days and seeing her, being able to speak with her, hug her and Denny in the morning before filming was invaluable.The film highlights the role of faith and family in overcoming adversity.
How did you and the cast work to authentically represent those spiritual and emotional bonds on screen?
We didn’t have the luxury of rehearsals, but the O’Learys’ story carried its own weight. Everyone on set felt personally moved by it—you could feel that energy. John was there every day. It didn’t feel like “just another job”; we all felt honored to be a part of this story. We were recreating this true story in St. Louis, filming in John’s childhood home, with his parents there, the nurses who helped him there when we shot the hospital scenes. All of that fed the bonds between us. And also, working with children actors, who portray John and his siblings, brings a level of reality and spontaneity. Sean, our director is very much an actor’s director, and he created a space that was collaborative, fun, safe, and serious… all at the same time. Ultimately while the O’Learys are a Christian family, what was beautiful is that we all had the freedom to bring our own spiritual and emotional truth to the characters in deeply personal ways.
What do you hope audiences, particularly parents, will take away from your portrayal of a mother’s strength and love?
That sometimes the hardest love to give—tough love—is also the most empowering.
From Director Sean McNamara (Reagan, Soul Surfer), the film is inspired by the true story and 2016 bestselling book On Fire by John O’Leary. O’Leary’s story begins with his miraculous recovery from a near death accident when he was 9-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.
Many thanks to Stephanie Szostak for taking the time for this interview. She can be found on the IMDb, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and X.
PHOTOS: Courtesy Affirm Pictures
Tai Freligh writes about entertainment and pop culture for Flickering Myth from sunny Huntington Beach, California…just a hop and a skip from Los Angeles. He can be found on Threads, Blue Sky, TikTok and his website.
