Actor Andrew Steel turns heads in Hollywood
Sydney-born, LA-based actor Andrew Steel shines in his breakthrough role as Make-A-Wish founder Frank Shankwitz in the new feature film Wish Man.
Southern Courier
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Wish Man star Andrew Steel was hand-picked by Make-A-Wish founder Frank Shankwitz for the lead role in the feature length biopic that is turning heads in Hollywood.
The Sydney-born, LA-based actor, who married the “love of his life and best friend” Aussie actress Kym Jackson in February said being given the seal of approval by Shankwitz to play him in his life story was truly humbling.
“I first saw Frank was being interviewed at an entrepreneurial event by Wish Man’s producer Greg S. Reid,” Steel said.
“After Frank came off the stage I approached him to say thank you on behalf of the recipients of the half a million wishes that have been granted world wide in the past 39 years.
“I told him that I was the co-founder and president of my own non-profit — Flicks4Change, a film festival with a social conscience.
“After I told him I started the festival to provide a platform for humanitarian film makers to have their voices heard, he said: “Somebody like you should be playing me in the movie”, with that he took his cowboy hat off his head, put it on mine and said: “Well that might just work … But you’re going to have to lose that accent”, weeks later after a number of auditions, and I had ‘lost’ the accent the role was mine.”
Steel described Shankwitz as “a great man, honest, hardworking, loyal and tough as nails”.
“Behind the strength of his Arizona Highway Patrol exterior, there is a scared little boy dealing with the trauma of a broken home,” the former Home And Away star said.
Wish Man covers Shankwitzk’s young life, the incidents and people who helped develop his character, and his adventures during his law enforcement career, including being killed in the line of duty and being brought back to life. And finding his mission in life was when he met Chris Greicius, the little boy who inspired the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Steel, 34, left Sydney two years ago bound for Los Angeles to pursue his acting dreams and Wish Man is his first lead role in a US feature film. His new wife, Kym, who just been cast as a series regular in the US ABC show Triangle is also in the film.
“Kym had a pivotal role in Wish Man, she is the one who through mouth-to-mouth resuscitation breathes life back into Frank,” he said.
“We were just friends at that time, but the scene is a perfect metaphor for our relationship, and a prime example of ‘life imitating art’ in the best possible way. What can I tell you, she fills me with life.”
Steel might be living the dream in LA but Sydney will always hold a big place in his heart.
“The best part of the year is when I come back my sister Hayley’s place in Clovelly for a big family Christmas,” he said.
“Picking up my nieces Raffaelli, Milano and Luella from Clovelly Public School brings back a lot of wonderful memories, taking me back to when red frogs were 1c each.
“Getting ‘pruney fingers’ learning to swim and competing in nippers down at Clovelly beach. A visit home wouldn’t be complete without a family meal at the Clovelly Hotel where I had my first job out of high school as a glassy and barman.”
The Australia release date for Wish Man is yet to be released but it is expected to hit our shores in September.
FLICKS4CHANGE
Flicks4Change started as a short film festival that screens both narrative and documentary films advocating for positive social change. It begun in Los Angeles and now have annual events in LA, Washington and Sydney.
Steel has also started a new initiative, Scripts 4 Change — the winning socially conscious short script will be produced into a film in partnership with Flicks4Change. Submissions for all categories and cities are closing soon. Go to flicks4change.org for details. For 50 per cent off submissions use the code: SouthernCourier.
Flicks4Change is also co-producing their first feature film Kent State, telling the story of four college students that were horrifically shot dead by the national guard whilst protesting against the Vietnam War, on their own campus. We have some real Hollywood heavy weights lined-up, Steel said.
MAKE-A-WISH
Since its creation in 1980, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has granted wishes of more than 450,000 terminally ill children in 50 countries worldwide. On average, one wish is granted every 38 seconds. It is the world’s largest wish-granting organisation.