Andrew Steel:
Wish Man
Episode 166: #DroppingBombs with The Real Brad Lea (TRBL)
Everyone can be a hero.
Wish Man is a biographical drama based on the life of Frank Shankwitz – creator of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Andrew Steel, who plays Shankwitz in his first US leading role, talks about where this simple act of kindness originated from.
Andrew Steel talks about Wish Man, his first leading US role…
It’s the story of a remarkable man who has done such an incredible thing. Back in 1980, Frank Shankwitz was a motorcycle cop in Prescott, Arizona and Phoenix area. Basically, due to the popularity of the TV show CHiPs, all the kids wanted to be motorcycle cops when they grew up.
The film begins when Frank Shankwitz, at age ten, is traumatically separated from his father and follows him through his rocky and traumatic youth. At age 38, we find Frank a motorcycle cop who’s at rock bottom in his personal life, until a near fatal accident creates a rare opportunity for Frank to meet a 7-year-old boy with terminal leukemia who dreams of becoming a police officer.
The film’s message is clear: one boy’s wish changed a man. One man’s wish changed the world.
Frank Shankwitz met this little boy, Chris who had leukemia and was never going to grow up. But, his wish was that he would meet one and be part of the team. Frank and the other policeman, went to him, made him a little uniform and gave him his own pair of bronze wings cast specifically for him. And they made him an honorary state trooper, which is the only one in the history of the Arizona highway patrol. And basically, for two weeks, they traded this kid like one of their own.
Sergio left Spain in search of better opportunities and went to Mexico City, where he started selling electronic taximeters. By 20 years old, he’d saved up enough to move to the United States.
Wish Man is coming to theaters on June 7th, 2019.
The film stars Andrew Steel (The Justice Lease) and Bruce Davison (X-Men) as Frank Shankwtiz in his younger and senior years. Other cast includes Danny Trejos Machete, Desperado, Con Air) Kirby Bliss Blanton (Project X, The Green Inferno), Robert Pine (CHiPs, Frozen, Independence Day) and more. Check the website www.wishmanhero.com and trailer for Wish Man, below
