John Corbett has shared heartfelt reflections on his latest role, portraying John O’Leary’s late father in the upcoming film Soul on Fire.
Speaking with Us Weekly, Corbett explained how meaningful the experience was, as he got to know Dennis O’Leary, who battled Parkinson’s for three decades, shortly before his passing in May at age 80.
“I really feel like I got to know him a little bit, and then I would have to go over here 10 feet and be him in a scene, knowing he was watching me on a monitor,” Corbett admitted.
In the film, Corbett plays Dennis O’Leary, while Joel Courtney takes on the role of the iconic motivational speaker John O’Leary.
The flick in discussion, Soul on Fire, is set to hit theaters next week.
Though the actor confessed it was “a little nerve-racking” to portray someone while they were watching, he said, “I got used to that pretty quick, because I wanted to do a good job for them.”
Before his passing, Corbett was able to spend some time with Dennis on set, describing how despite his illness, he still radiated warmth.
“When I crouched down by him … he could push out enough for us to talk. He tried really hard to talk. We could have a few laughs, and he had a big smile on his face.”