Naman Shrestha
With Sean McNamara at the helm, ‘Soul on Fire’ is a biographical drama movie that recounts the true story of John O’Leary, whose bestselling memoir titled ‘On Fire’ served as the inspiration for the film. The narrative follows the heartbreaking yet inspirational journey of a nine-year-old boy named John O’Leary, who somehow survives an unfortunate explosion in his family’s home. However, he is left with severe burns all over his body. After surviving the fire, despite only having a 1% chance, John grows into a man who leads a fulfilling life, never taking any moment for granted. The coming-of-age tale of the protagonist is portrayed by the changing backdrops of St. Louis, where the tale is set, adding a layer of authenticity to the narrative.
Soul on Fire Filming Locations
‘Soul on Fire’ was reportedly filmed in its entirety in Missouri, especially in St. Louis County. According to reports, principal photography for the biopic got underway in the fall of 2023 under the working title ‘On Fire’ and went on for a couple of months before wrapping up in December of the same year. After the conclusion of the shooting process, Hannah Dahl Cosgrove, who portrays Kristy, expressed her gratitude on social media. She wrote, “so, so grateful for my time on set of the #OnFireMovie ❤️🎬working alongside incredible actors, meeting the kind-hearted @johnoleary.inspires & witnessing this story of faith, love, & redemption come to life is an opportunity I’ll never forget”
St. Louis County, Missouri
Staying true to John O’Leary’s story, the production team of ‘Soul on Fire’ decided to lens the epic drama on location, across St. Louis County, Missouri. In order to depict John’s childhood home, they set up a camp in his actual family house located in the city of Town and Country, where his mother continues to reside. It was a prominent part of the shooting process, as more than 100 people gathered around the property while the cast and crew members shot the explosion scenes. John told Fox2Now, “This is the house I grew up in. It’s the house I was raised in, the house I was burned in, the house where my parents still live.”
In the eponymous city, the production team shot a few scenes at Saint Louis University at 1 North Grand Boulevard. They were present on the campus for roughly a week, during which they utilized several spots across the university for both indoor and outdoor shoots. Shooting particularly took place around Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business at 3674 Lindell Boulevard); Lipic Clock Tower Plaza at the heart of the campus, along with the Chaifetz Arena, the former YWCA building along West Pine Mall, and the now-closed Salus Center at 3545 Lafayette Avenue, Suite 1200. Besides the educational institution, Busch Stadium doubled up as a spot for filming. Located at 700 Clark Avenue, it has been the home of the St. Louis Cardinals since 2006.
The team also visited the 19th-century Shrine of St. Joseph Catholic Church, located at 1220 North 11th Street, as well as the 1.9-acre Kiener Plaza, situated at 500 Chestnut Street in downtown St. Louis, for a portion of the filming. Additionally, the exteriors of the popular local joint, Humphrey’s Restaurant & Tavern at 3700 Laclede Avenue, was also selected to create the setting. In the city of Creve Coeur, the team settled on Mercy Hospital at 615 South New Ballas Road to lens a few shots. The iconic national landmarks, such as the 630-foot-tall Gateway Arch at 100 Washington Avenue and Union Station, also served as filming locations.
About 15 miles south of the city of St. Louis, filming was conducted at Jefferson Barracks, nestled on the Mississippi River. The shooting locations in Maplewood include Tiffany’s Diner (7402 Manchester Road) and Saratoga Lanes (2725 Sutton Boulevard). Meanwhile, the exteriors of EdgeWild Restaurant and Winery at 550 Chesterfield Center, Chesterfield and Frisco Barroom at 8110 Big Bend Boulevard in Webster Groves further contributed to painting the visual canvas of ‘Soul on Fire.’ Originally. the plan was to film the drama movie in Vancouver, British Columbia.
However, when the director, Sean McNamara, visited St. Louis to meet with the O’Leary family, he had a change of heart. During a conversation with SLU, John elaborated on the same and said, “I wanted to show him my college. So we parked the car and we walked past Griesedieck and he starts looking around and he says, ‘what is this place? I walked him to College Church, David-Shaughnessy and all these places that I had walked by for four years and taken for granted. He was blown away by how incredible Saint Louis University is, how incredible St. Louis is, and so it was actually Sean who said the film needs be shot here. That this University is a central part of what we have to tell the world about. So it was SLU who sold us on the power of Saint Louis University.”
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