Jimmy Stewart's daughter reveals hidden struggles behind 'It's a Wonderful Life': 'He never talked about the war'

FORT WORTH, Texas — For decades, Kelly Stewart Harcourt knew her father, legendary Hollywood actor James Stewart, as a devoted family man whose integrity and faith defined his life. But after his death, the discovery of a wartime diary revealed a side of the “It’s a Wonderful Life” actor that even his own daughters had never fully understood.

The handwritten account, which Stewart kept while serving as a bomber pilot during World War II, documented the fears and doubts he rarely discussed with his family. Now, those experiences are being brought to the screen in "Jimmy," a biographical drama exploring the sacrifices Stewart made during the war and how his suffering ultimately shaped his performance in the beloved Christmas classic.

"He was very human, very human, and he never talked about his time during the war," Harcourt told The Christian Post in an interview alongside director Aaron Burns at Papaian Studios.

"He didn't talk about his struggles and his fears, but it was there. I mean, my sister found this diary that he had kept during the war, after he died, and it expresses those doubts and fears and struggles."

Harcourt, who serves as an executive producer on the film, said that seeing those private struggles portrayed on the big screen offered a new perspective on the father she had admired throughout her life.

"To see that portrayed in this film is just a side of Dad that I hadn't seen before," she said. "My sister and I read his diary, and the world doesn't know about a lot of [it]. A lot of the world doesn't even know he was in the war."

Directed by Burns and starring KJ Apa as Stewart, "Jimmy" chronicles the actor's decision to leave Hollywood at the height of his career to serve his country during World War II, the psychological toll of his combat experiences and his eventual return to acting.

Stewart, who had won an Academy Award for his performance in "The Philadelphia Story," enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and went on to fly 20 combat missions over Europe. He rose to the rank of colonel during the war and later became a brigadier general in the Air Force Reserve.

Despite his celebrity status, Stewart insisted on serving in combat rather than accepting a safer assignment, a decision that the film shows exposed him to the horrors of war and profoundly affected his life.

When he returned to Hollywood, Stewart struggled to find his footing, questioning whether he could resume the career he had left behind. His eventual role as George Bailey in Frank Capra's 1946 film "It's a Wonderful Life" would become one of his most celebrated performances.

Burns said that, for him, Stewart's wartime experiences were the missing piece of a story he believed deserved to be told. The director shared how, after discovering an account Stewart had written about his military service, he began to understand that the actor's real-life experiences were just as compelling as the characters he portrayed.

"I had no idea that Jimmy Stewart was anything more than a fantastic actor, and I love his movies," Burns told CP. "I grew up watching 'It's a Wonderful Life' and 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' and the Westerns and Hitchcock's and all of it."

"The story of Jimmy the man, and particularly this period of his life, is so much more interesting than any of the movies he made because it's real, it's true," Burns said.

The director said he was particularly struck by the connection between Stewart's suffering during the war and his eventual return to acting.

"He was a bomber pilot, a squadron commander in World War II. He came home broken and found his healing on the set of 'It's a Wonderful Life,'" Burns said. "I said, 'This is a story that the world needs to hear, that I want to learn more about,' and that led me to be able to connect with Kelly."

Known for his modesty and reluctance to draw attention to his accomplishments, Stewart rarely spoke publicly about his wartime experiences and generally preferred to let his work speak for itself, according to Harcourt. Yet, she said her father would “approve” of the film, though he’d initially be resistant to telling his story on the big screen. 

"I think he would approve," she said. "After he would have doubts, he certainly never would have given permission to make a movie. He would have balked at the idea. And then if he saw this, I truly believe that he would have approved."

"I've always been proud of him, but this movie highlights some of the qualities that make me proud of him," she added.

Speaking with CP again on the red carpet at the film's premiere, Harcourt said she hopes audiences remember her father as a man who consistently sought to do what was right, even when doing so required sacrifice.

"He always tried to do the right thing. He always tried to be good, and that's why he was a good man," she said. "He always really did what he felt was right, and that's not that easy, especially not in Hollywood and with the accolades he had."

"It's just easy to slide, get lazy," she said. "I think Dad was really aware and conscious of leading a good life. That's what he aimed for."

The film also explores Stewart's relationship with his father, Alexander Stewart, portrayed by Neal McDonough, and how his upbringing shaped his understanding of faith and duty. 

Burns said the themes of integrity are especially relevant in a culture increasingly divided by fear and political antagonism.

"If you look at the world today, there's so much fear, there's so much anxiety, and whether it's politics or whatever zone of fear you want to look in, there's so much anger," the director said. "There's almost an intention of cultivating antagonism. This group did this, and this group did that, and it's growing louder and louder and bigger and bigger."

Burns said Stewart's response to the turmoil of his own generation offers a different example. Rather than retreating into personal comfort or becoming consumed by fear, Stewart chose to serve, sacrificing his Hollywood career.

"If you look back at the 1940s, the world was in just about [as difficult] a place, and maybe worse. It's called World War. It's tearing itself apart," he said. "Jimmy Stewart put up his hand and said, 'I'll serve. Let me serve. He saw the evil of the Nazis, and he said, 'I will trade my life for your freedom, and I will go do what it takes to put an end to this evil,' and that came at a great cost to him personally."

"When he came home, at that time he was no longer needed as a combat pilot, but he chose to serve again through storytelling," Burns continued. "He chose to channel all of what he'd experienced in the war into this character of George Bailey, which gives us, 80 years later, inspiration each year when you watch it."

Released in 1946, "It's a Wonderful Life" follows George Bailey, a man whose dreams have been repeatedly deferred and who becomes so overwhelmed by his circumstances that he considers ending his life. Through the intervention of a guardian angel, Bailey discovers the profound impact his life has had on his family and community.

Burns said he hopes younger audiences, particularly young men, will recognize in Stewart an example of masculinity based in faith and courage. As a father of two boys, the director said he wants his sons to grow up admiring men like Jimmy Stewart who demonstrated that through their actions. 

"I love that they have an example now of a patriotic American, of a man of character and faith and courage and conviction," he said. "Who didn't just have a successful career, but who's also a wonderful husband and a wonderful father. And for me and for my boys, I hope that they can grow up to be men like Jimmy."

The film, distributed by Fathom Entertainment, opened in theaters Nov. 6 and features a cast that includes McDonough, Rob Riggle, Sarah Drew, Jen Lilley, Kara Killmer, Christopher McDonald and Max Casella.