NEW YORK, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Chuck, Tangled and Shazam icon Zachary Levi says the father he plays in his new film, The Unbreakable Boy, learns how to be a better man by following his young son's example.
Written and directed by Jon Gunn, the adaptation of Scott LeRette and Susy Flory's non-fiction book by the same name stars Levi and Meghann Fahy as Scott and Teresa, a middle-class couple who discover their firstborn child, Austin (Jacob Laval), has both autism and brittle bone disease.
While Teresa is clear-eyed about Austin's strengths and weaknesses, Scott becomes frustrated by the physical and developmental challenges the boy faces.
Scott's habit of drinking alcohol to cope with his feelings puts a strain on his marriage and his relationships with his sons -- Austin and his younger brother, Logan (Gavin Warren). Scott eventually is forced to clean up his act or lose his family.
"Scott struggles in his life because he's been dealt a hand that he doesn't think is fair," Levi, 44, told UPI in a recent Zoom interview.
"It's not according to his ideal of what he thinks his life is supposed to be and I think that resonates with everybody," he said. "We all have these ideas of what our life is supposed to be and God is like, 'Yeah, but I've got other plans for you.'"
Levi said was inspired by the fact the story was based on a real family's experiences.
"It was really powerful to be able to portray someone's journey," the actor explained.
"He's doing his best. He's seemingly a positive person, but, obviously, he's struggling internally a lot and I think recognizes that he's not actually fully loving and embracing the life that he's been given and learns through his son's own example," Levi added.
"Children can be our teachers. There's more to it than just whatever this ideal life that you think you're supposed to have is and radically accepting the life that God has given you and, in that, the beauty and the gifts. That is definitely something that I hope audiences take with them."
Jacob, 16, said he wanted to play Austin because the character embraces his natural joy and optimism, instead of letting his conditions define him.
"I feel like that is a really important moral and idea that we see in the movie," Jacob said.
"I really enjoy being able to portray that and put my -- at the time -- 12-year-old happiness into that, as well."
Levi agreed.
"What Austin shows his family and his father, specifically, is love is radical acceptance," he said.
"Austin accepts who he is and he loves who he is and, in that, he loves everyone around him and is such a beautiful example of that."
Although the relationship between father and son is a bumpy at times, Jacob said he spent a lot of time on set with Levi and always felt safe with him.
"We really had good chemistry and I feel like we both gave each other a lot to work with," he added.
"Your energy really did radiate Scott because you could tell that he was struggling a lot and, so, in the scenes where tension was needed, you could have that, but you could also tell that he's a really good dad who just is trying to do the best for his family."
Levi, who is used to fighting villains and flying in his Shazam movies, said Unbreakable Boy wasn't a physically demanding role by comparison.
"Emotionally, definitely," Levi said.
"There were a lot of scenes and a lot of moments that you had to really dig deep," he added. "Whether you're playing someone who's an actual, real-life person like Scott and Austin, or whether you're playing a character that's entirely fictitious, the goal is authenticity. It's always authenticity and, so, you want to do right by that. You want to honor their story."
Levi said he put a lot of himself into the role.
"In the midst of making the movie, I was going through a good amount of anxiety myself, just in my own life," he explained.
"I just tried to channel a lot of that into what was going on in Scott's life at the time. So, it wasn't a challenge as much as it was an opportunity."
Jacob also had to express a range of emotions throughout the course of the film.
"The movie really does show Austin at the highest highs and at the lowest of lows," Jacob said.
"You see him get taken to a mental institution after choking his brother. But you also see him having the time of his life at the camping trip, having the time of his life drinking the milkshake. So, you have to go on to set and be prepared to have any sort of emotion, sometimes even swap emotions," he added. "It was a bit difficult, but I feel like I was able to settle into it well as I did it more."
Patricia Heaton, Peter Facinelli, Drew Powell and Amy Acker co-star. The film opens in theaters on Friday.
