When Hollywood legend Jimmy Stewart won an Academy Award in 1941, he didn't sit back and bask in the afterglow. At the height of his film career, he walked into MGM executives' offices, turned down a cushy USO assignment, and fought his way into combat, eventually flying 26 bombing missions over Nazi Germany and rising to the rank of brigadier general.
Decades later, a young, struggling actor working as a Hollywood waiter poured a Scotch and soda for Stewart, revealing he had missed out on West Point’s Military Academy but still felt called to act. Stewart looked at the young man and gave him simple advice:
“Young man, you make good movies.”
That young waiter was Catholic actor Jim Caviezel.
Speaking to Raymond Arroyo on EWTN’s The World Over, Caviezel opened up about his deep connection to Jimmy Stewart — a connection that subtly weaves through his new action-thriller, Ghost Soldier.
‘Mr. Smith’ and the Legacy of Moral Courage
In Ghost Soldier, Caviezel plays Henry “Fitz” Fitzgerald, a former Special Forces Green Beret and weapons developer living off the grid in Wyoming. When a predatory foreign corporation attempts to bully local ranching families off their land, Fitz steps up to protect his neighbors.
Viewers paying close attention will catch a television playing in the home of a family Fitz protects: the 1939 classic Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, starring Jimmy Stewart as a lone man taking on a corrupt system.
“I think there is a Jimmy Stewart element in this guy,” Caviezel shared with Arroyo.
“Stewart was a genius of an actor and somebody I really looked forward to. I got to meet him... When I walked away, he said, ‘Young man, you make good movies.’ And I never forgot that.”
For Caviezel, Stewart’s choice to risk his life in WWII and use his screen presence for noble ends set a lifelong benchmark for how an actor should view their vocation.
“I hope that there are young men after me and young women that come forward and say, ‘By God, I'm going to do the right thing.’... I think it's a continuum.”
Tactical Authenticity and Spiritual Weapons
Like Stewart’s real-world military service, Caviezel wanted Ghost Soldier to carry authentic weight rather than relying on standard Hollywood stunts. Drawing on his extensive work with Tier 1 operators and veteran Green Berets like screenwriter Chris Papasidero, Caviezel ensured the film reflected the mindset of true warriors.
“Everything was based on the work that I've done with previous Special Forces guys,” Caviezel explained.
“It wasn't like some Hollywood movie that makes a bunch of stuff up. I wanted it to be very organic... Thankfully, we have thousands and thousands of Special Forces soldiers out there that are not too hep to losing our Constitution.”
That realism extends to the spiritual realm. The film prominently features the St. Michael Prayer, a detail Caviezel introduced after noticing how many active-duty operators wore St. Michael medals into battle:
“I say, ‘Hey, on your neck. What is that?’ ‘That's my scapular.’ ‘What's that on your neck?’ And it's a St. Michael's...”
And then he asked them:
“I said, ‘Are you Catholic?' ‘No.’ 'Oh, why did you get it?’ ‘It's better than a lucky rabbit's foot, I guess.’ And so I was like, it needs to be in the movie.”
For Caviezel, combining tactical skill with spiritual devotion highlights the ultimate mission of his character — and his career:
“I don't make faith-based films... When we did The Passion of the Christ, we went out to kick everybody's ass. We wanted to be number one... And it was important because we're in a war over this culture right now... I always start with the spiritual weapons, the sacraments... My character has to fight a whole army of Special Forces. But I have weapons that nobody's ever seen, and I'm able to get inside. That's why it's a Ghost Soldier.”
Storytelling as an Eternal Annuity
Reflecting on Jimmy Stewart’s perennial classic It’s a Wonderful Life — a film Caviezel keeps framed above his mantle and watches every year — Caviezel noted that true art should echo long after an actor leaves the stage.
“Every year I see it, I watch it, I weep, I know every scene, every line... He had a connection from God. And I at some point said, ‘Lord, when I do this business, I want to bring as many people to You, even when I'm dead and gone... I don't want them to see me, I only want them to see You.’”
Whether stepping into tactical gear for Ghost Soldier or using his platform to witness to his Catholic faith, Caviezel remains dedicated to ensuring that every story he tells points toward eternal grace.
“Everything that I do in my job is about bringing people to Jesus. Because I love Him and I don't deserve it. But He loves me, and I want the world to know that I love Him.”
The EWTN interview came just ahead of the release of a new movie on the life of Jimmy Stewart. Gracing several Alfred Hitchcock thrillers including Rear Window, the Academy award winner is remembered for his heroism and excellent acting abilities.
Jimmy hits theaters today telling the life of Jimmy Stewart and Ghost Soldier hits theaters nationwide this Veterans Day weekend.