For a few weeks in the fall of 2023, Hollywood came to Saint Louis University.
Filming for the movie On Fire, which tells the story of SLU alum John O鈥橪eary (CSB
鈥99), took place at several campus locations in November and early December. The film
is slated for a 2025 release.
O鈥橪eary was 9 years old in 1987 when he was so badly burned in an accident that doctors
gave him less than a 1% chance of survival. He shared his journey to recovery in the
2016 bestseller On Fire: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life, which
is the basis for the film.
鈥淚鈥檓 a Midwest kid, a SLU grad, so this whole thing is shocking,鈥 O鈥橪eary said. 鈥淭he
fact that there鈥檚 a movie about it is remarkable.鈥
Members of the SLU community got an up-close look at the making of a movie both in
front of the camera as extras and behind the scenes by shadowing the director and
crew.
Production crews spent seven days filming on campus using outdoor locations near the
Chaifetz School of Business and Lipic Clock Tower Plaza, as well as indoors at Chaifetz
Arena, the former YWCA building on the West Pine Mall (now owned by SLU) and Salus
Center.
The film stars Joel Courtney as O鈥橪eary; Masey McLain as his wife, Beth (Hittler)
O鈥橪eary (DCHS 鈥01); John Corbett as his father, Denny (Law 鈥68); Stephanie Szostak
as his mother, Susan; William H. Macy as broadcaster Jack Buck; and James McCracken
as young John O鈥橪eary.
鈥淚鈥檝e always loved our campus,鈥 O鈥橪eary said. 鈥淚 brought our director here to just
meet with my family 鈥 that was it. We weren鈥檛 going to film in St. Louis, but we met
with St. Louisans and then he toured SLU and asked, 鈥榃hat is this place?鈥 I told him
it was where I went to college, and he said, 鈥楾his place is stunning. It should be
in the movie.鈥欌
In a Salus Center hallway, O鈥橪eary (left) talks with McCracken, whose bandages match
O鈥橪eary鈥檚 following the 1987 fire.
Art director Clark Woodman puts the finishing touches on a room at the YWCA building,
which substitutes as a SLU residence hall room circa 1999. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all so cool,鈥 O鈥橪eary
said. 鈥淭he story is told in three different time periods 鈥 when I鈥檓 9, when I鈥檓 21
and then around 28. These scenes bring me back to being on the quad, being in the
dorm room and the fraternity house, and back with my friends.鈥
In a scene depicting a luau-themed party filmed in the former YWCA building now owned
by SLU, Courtney (far right) moves toward the camera as SLU student extras Danavan
Wright and Mariah Slaughter (center) pose as party guests. More extras stand to the
left.
Macy as Jack Buck (left) and Corbett as O鈥橪eary鈥檚 father stand near McCracken (in
wheelchair) as his character pays a visit to the St. Louis Cardinals locker room.
The scene was filmed in an empty space in Salus Center, decorated to depict the 1987-era
Busch Stadium room.
Beth O鈥橪eary (right) teaches McLain (second from left), who portrays her in the film,
occupational therapy exercises on Courtney as John O鈥橪eary (left) looks on. 鈥淢y wife
and I met on campus, we became friends on campus and eventually fell in love on campus,鈥
O鈥橪eary said.
Macy strums a ukelele between takes at Salus Center.
Szostak and Corbett enjoy a laugh while waiting for a scene to start at Salus Center.
At center, O鈥橪eary (at podium), with Courtney and film director Sean McNamara (center,
right) in front of the Center for Global Citizenship, formerly the West Pine Gym,
for a 1999 business school precommencement scene. O鈥橪eary makes a cameo in the film
playing the ceremony speaker. 鈥淗ollywood does such a wonderful job of showing superheroes,
and this movie does a phenomenal job of showing what it looks like in real life,鈥
he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a family, it鈥檚 a university, it鈥檚 doctors and nurses 鈥 it鈥檚 ordinary
folks who see an opportunity to make a difference, and they take it and do it, so
they change the world.鈥
