What Would Jimmy Do?

By Gia Miller

Bedford Corners resident Angela Galgani Sullivan was on set in Ireland. As a producer, the casting director and the CMO for the upcoming film “JIMMY,” Sullivan was intimately involved in most aspects of the biographical drama about legendary actor Jimmy Stewart. On this day, she was sitting next to Kelly Stewart Harcourt, Jimmy’s daughter. 

“We were in the video village with the headphones on,” Sullivan remembers, “and she looked at me with tears in her eyes. Then she said, ‘KJ makes a damn good Dad.’ And at that moment, I knew we were doing the right thing. And then she really starts to tear up and says, ‘I can feel my dad everywhere. Thank you for doing this.’ So no matter what happens with this movie, I know we’ve done something special, and I think we’ll touch people’s hearts. 

“We really wanted to do right by Jimmy,” Sullivan continues. “Our motto on set was, ‘What would Capra do?’ But when marketing the film, our policy has been, ‘What would Jimmy do? What would he want?’ So we’re following our hearts and doing the things that would make him proud.”

Before this movie, Sullivan had spent her entire career working in marketing for the film industry. Now, she’s stepping into two new roles—producer and casting director—while also running the marketing department for Burns & Co. 

Here’s how she got there and what she hopes to accomplish with “JIMMY.” 

In 100 words or fewer, please give me a general overview of your career in the film industry. 

I ran the publicity and promotions team for Sony’s Columbia TriStar films out of their New York office for over 20 years. I started as an intern and rose through the ranks. Later, I moved to Pure Flix, which Sony owned at the time  because Columbia TriStar wanted me to move to Los Angeles, but I love Bedford and didn’t want to leave, so I took a buyout. Pure Flix allowed me to work from home. That’s where I met director Aaron Burns; working on “JIMMY” was fortuitous.

What was your most memorable experience with a movie or celebrity?

On my first day as an intern, I went to the “My Best Friend’s Wedding” premiere. My job was to hold Julia Roberts’ seat at her table. I ended up talking to her mom all night because Julia never sat down—she was going around talking to everybody. I remember thinking, “Wait, this is really a job and a career?” It’s silly, but it was really meaningful. It made me feel cool.

What was the biggest lesson you learned working on the publicity side of the movie industry?

The biggest lesson was to have an opinion and not be afraid to share it. I think I excelled because I spoke up. I also believed in working as hard as the people working for me—no matter what level I was, if we needed to ship movie posters, you would find me on the floor rolling up posters with the interns. Treating everyone with respect was really important to me, and I believe it’s the reason I have a lot of the relationships I have today.

Let’s switch to Jimmy Stewart. You mentioned that your involvement was fortuitous?

Yes, it was my last day at Pure Flix, and I was planning to work for myself doing PR and marketing. I called director Aaron Burns; we had formed a good relationship, and I wanted to tell him I was leaving. He responded with, “Hey, I just got the rights to Jimmy Stewart. Any interest in joining me on this journey?” I told him I don’t really know what that means, but sure, let’s go! Then he asked me if I’d ever thought about producing. I hadn’t, but I was interested and asked what it would entail. He explained I’d help work on the script and with casting; I asked to serve as the casting director. Now I’m handling the marketing for the film and have committed to working for Burns & Co.

Were you a big Jimmy Stewart fan before this?

“It’s a Wonderful Life” was always a family tradition in our house—it wasn’t Christmas until we watched that movie—but I didn’t know his real story. I didn’t know he fought to enlist in WWII, even before Pearl Harbor. He was at the peak of his career, having just won an Oscar a month earlier for “The Philadelphia Story,” but he was one of the first men to enlist. Hollywood and the government didn’t want him to go. Everybody told him no. But he went, and he flew those B-24 Liberators, even though literally half of them didn’t make it back. Jimmy signed up for the hardest missions because he was an accomplished pilot, and he believed in the mission so much that he put himself out there. So learning more about him made me love him even more.

The movie focuses on a slice of his life: from winning the Oscar, through the war, to coming home broken. When no one in Hollywood would hire him, Frank Capra offered him the role in “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Jimmy was actually struggling with what we’d now call PTSD during filming. A lot of those scenes where he is so over-the-top emotional are really him processing what he had just been through. And his scene at Martini’s bar where he’s crying out to God is actually a real moment, and it wasn’t scripted. It was him looking for healing, which was so interesting and made me want to tell the story even more.

Sullivan with Jason Alexander.

Wow! That sounds incredible. I didn’t know that about him either. 

Right—that’s what is so great about this film. It’s an inspirational story about a man with strong convictions who loved his country. He was a kind man; he was a good man. I think we need more role models like that. We’re opening right before Veterans Day and right after the midterm elections, so in a world where everything feels so broken, I think this movie is going to give a little hope and inspiration.

Was his daughter Kelly very involved in the movie?

Kelly gave us the life rights because she felt this was the story her dad would have wanted to tell. She was even on set with us, and she’s been a supportive partner throughout the process. Kelly told us stories about how kind he was. He never talked about the war, but he’d often invite veterans over for dinner or quietly pay for someone’s college tuition or their mortgage so they wouldn’t foreclose on their house. He would do all these random acts of kindness. He was just a good man.

Tell me about casting. Producing is one thing, but casting seems more challenging, especially if you’ve never done it before. How did you do it?

I just jumped in. There were a lot of conversations, and my husband—a huge movie buff—was a massive asset. I also talked with the writer, director and even my kids to see who was cool. I looked at it from both a character and marketing perspective. The hardest person to cast was Jimmy Stewart. We didn’t want a major star who would be distracting; we wanted someone you could believe as Jimmy.

We were lucky to find KJ Apa. He was the first one signed. If you don’t have the right Jimmy, you have nothing. He had the height and the work ethic. He lost around 40 pounds for the role and worked with a dialect coach. During the first table read on Zoom, people thought we were playing a recording of the real Jimmy Stewart. We also cast Max Casella as Frank Capra, Jason Alexander as Louis B. Mayer and Chris McDonald as Lionel Barrymore. Rob Riggle, a former Marine, played Colonel Terrill for that authenticity.

How did you get Karolyn Grimes to say yes?

She was the original Zuzu in “It’s a Wonderful Life”—she was five years old at the time. I literally went on Facebook, I found her, and I wrote to her: “I am not crazy. But I am making a movie about Jimmy Stewart. Any chance you are up to come to Ireland?” That’s where we filmed the movie. She was 85, but she came to Ireland and made a cameo in the movie.

It was amazing to have her there. At one point, she said, “Can you bring that KJ kid over here? I want to talk to him.” She remembered the way Jimmy Stewart would move his jaw when he spoke, and she said, “I am getting such Jimmy Stewart moments and flashbacks because of the way KJ presents himself on screen.” It was very nice to have that.

You mentioned the film is opening right before Veterans Day. Are you doing anything special to honor veterans? 

I asked Kelly what her father would want most, and she said it would be to have the world pay respect and really honor our veterans, military and first responders. It was the most important thing to him. So we’ve made it our mission to do that. We’ve partnered with over 50 organizations to do just that. For example, Bulova is reissuing Jimmy’s watch style with a portion of the proceeds going to charity, we’re working with Vet Tix to let veterans and their families see the film for free, and we’re also opening on military bases worldwide. We’ve partnered with groups like The Salvation Army, Folds of Honor, TAPS and many more to make sure the military community knows this movie is for them. We are really trying to do as much good as we can with the movie. We want to let our veterans know that we honor them and we support them. We really want to celebrate all that they do every single day.

Sullivan with Karolyn Grimes.

What was it like for them to be involved?

They were so happy to see this generation showcased. World War II veterans didn’t have much support when they came home. Rebuilding a B-24 on set was emotional; it’s a scary plane and the reason many men lost their lives. Veterans have thanked us for showing how hard it was.

Do you have veterans in your life?

My father was in the Italian army, and I’ve met so many veterans through this project. The actual United States Air Force Band even appears in the movie as the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Plus, we hired veterans and colonels for different roles in the movie; having that authenticity was incredibly important to us.

Where will the movie premiere take place?

We have several openings around the country, including a special event locally at the Bedford Playhouse on October 22 with some of the cast, benefiting Vet Tix. There will be a red carpet reception, screening and a Q&A. It’s open to the public, with options to donate to Vet Tix. I want to celebrate with my hometown. It’s fitting because Bedford Falls was the name of the town in “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

Do you think Bedford Falls was based on our Bedford?

I wish I could ask Frank Capra! Seneca Falls claims it, but there has to be something with Bedford. I wouldn’t be surprised if “It’s a Wonderful Life” has its roots here.

What’s your dream for the film?

My dream is to inspire people to be kind and to honor those who serve. We’re celebrating our 250th year of freedom, so it’s a perfect time to celebrate “It’s a Wonderful Life” and our veterans. We’re not a political movie; we’re a movie for everyone about unity and kindness.

What’s next?

I’m working on several upcoming projects, including a movie called “HUDSON & MARIA,” which is filming in Malaysia, and an animated movie about Tolkien and Lewis based on the graphic novel “The Mythmakers.”

This article was edited by Julie Schwietert Collazo and fact-checked by Virna Sandler.

This article was published in the September/October 2026 edition of Connect to Northern Westchester.