Angelina apologized realizing it was a little premature. All Rights Reserved. Louie Zamperini's life hits big screens everywhere on Christmas Day. For instance, when his life raft was being strafed by the Japanese on Day 27 of his odyssey, he dove overboard to avoid the bullets and ran into two sharks. Yes, they did. The family was shocked when she learned of the news and Mrs. Zamperini broke down in tears. To know more about advertising opportunities, refer to our advertising page. She is brilliant beyond words and her passion. RM: In this sequel, Unbroken: Path to Redemption, we see how Louis came to know Jesus and Billy Graham was a big part of that. Obviously, we loved talking about our dad. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. On Thursday evening, at post-screening dinner at Porterhouse in the Time Warner Center, Jolie, who is usually somewhat guarded, mixed and mingled with a crowd that included dozens of members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (aka Golden Globe voters, who had earlier in the day participated in the films press junket), Academy members such as Jodie Foster and M. Night Shyamalan and other tastemakers including 60 Minutes Steve Kroft as well as her Unbroken stars Jack OConnell, Miyavi, Garrett Hedlund and Finn Wittrock. His story is featured in the new movie Unbroken, based on Laura Hillenbrands book of the same name. But, I may be wrong. Your email address will not be published. Listen, I knew him all my life and I thought I knew everything about his story, but I was reading that book was powerfully emotional for me and my brother and we learned, the way she wrote it, its just such an intimate and graphic description of what he went through. But Sarah plays an. You know, Luke cut his own path and had his own life to live. LZ: He loved talking about running in the race with his hero, [the great American miler] Glenn Cunningham. They were coming to have lunch. Theyd go to a movie and they go, Oh, come on. So, she toned a lot of things down. Judy Blumes classic novelAre You There God? Cissy Zamperini: The Woman Behind the Man. By sharing her story, we can honor the contributions of women like Cissy who played a vital role in shaping our history. He got over all of it. In just a month, he went from having 2,000 attendants at his sermons to 10,000. Luke: Yes, and to start our own friendship with Will; knowing the relationship between the Grahams and Zamperinis will be continuing. He was on his way out a second time, when he remembered that promise that hed made, Ill seek you and serve you if you get me out of this. And, it basically humbled him and he accepted Christ that night. I was athletic, but also artistic, and that just appealed to me. Can You Swim After Getting Ears Pierced? The hand of God was guiding his life to serve a greater purpose. But he was training his lungs to expand and hold more air for his running. We would hear the pots and pans clanging in the kitchen. Cynthia Applewhite Age She was born on January 20, 1926, in Clayton, Missouri. Cynthia: That was rough on us. Luke: We grew up telling his story to other people that wed meet. He was 19 years old when he qualified for the 1936 Olympics. She has won several marathons, and she has even thrown the first pitch at a game! Read on to learn about her father, her mom, and her running style. He would like to tease me. In 2014, the couples story was immortalized in the book and subsequent movie Unbroken.. They grew up really fast, because they grew up in the Depression and then the war came and they had to be men. He was also a Christian and dedicated his life to helping at-risk youth. 2023The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., A nonprofit 501 (c)(3) Charitable Organization. If I coughed in the night it was my dad who would come in and put a lozenge in my mouth and take my temperature. Oh, So That's Who Decided Joe Biden Would Run for Re-Election, Pro-Lifers Have a Victory in Kansas After All, Hunter Finally Appears in Child Support Case, Judge Blasts Him for Concealing Income, Ireland about to execute free speech as in "kill it off permanently". In the film, it just shows a shark coming near Louis and he kicks it with his foot. RM: Is Clay involved with the family legacy? Its the reason why the story is going to touch everyone who sees it because you hope that you can beat age 81, after what hed been through, to have that glorious smile on his face and holding a flame thats representative of so much. Risen sat down on the Unbroken: Path to Redemption set with Zamperinis kids: Cynthia Zamperini-Garris and Luke Zamperini with his wife, Lisa, to learn more about bringing his faith legacy to the big screen. She said it just wasnt going to be dramatized. Cynthia: We were fully aware of his story from our first memories because thats how he put food on the table for us, and clothes on our backs, and a roof over our head. Cissy Zamperini is the mother of Louie. Review our privacy policy. So I relaxed about it and then I thought, Okay, Ive got to break this to my brother. But after the war, in the 1950s, he picked it up again. When did you understand who he was and what he had faced? Cart. The movie, Unbroken, is based on Laura Hillenbrands book of the same name that took a deep dive into Zamperinis epic life, from delinquent kid to Olympic runner to soldier to prisoner of war to icon of forgiveness and grace. Its one of the great, great moments of his life. I know it feels horrible to have resentment against people, so I always try to let it go. He was there for us for anything that we were going through. Cynthia Garris: My father was such a wonderful example to me when I was a child. Do you think men and women today could have survived what your dad survived? Dinah Mattingly American Celebrity Wife of NBA Legend Larry Bird, Stella Ciccone The Adopted Daughter of Madonna. It had a powerful impact on him and I just think he needed it so desperately and if you were talking to him right now hed be able to look back on his whole life and think of all the times he almost died but didnt. RW: When you say he had a unique physique and running style can you explain that? Because the movie is about his early life, and Im just guessing because I didnt ask him that question, but it just showed him triumphant. Zamperini passed away just before Unbroken hit theaters. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. The movie, Unbroken, is based on Laura Hillenbrand's book of the same name that took a deep dive into Zamperini's epic . Hed always brag about his 7-liter lungs. Of course to train, he would go down to the bottom of the Torrence [California, where Zamperini grew up] municipal public pool and hang on to the bottom for as long as he could, and people would think, Theres a boy down there drowning. Luke: Lisa, you had an encounter with him when you complained that the whole story was not going to be told. Chris Carpenter is the program director for CBN.com, the official website of the Christian Broadcasting Network. Thats where Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie live. Turns out, they hadnt met yet. He was 30 years old with no job, no interest in finding one, and living in a friends mothers home. I dont know what his initial reaction was, but I threw my head into his chest and started weeping because I knew what hed gone through and it just impacted me powerfully. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. It was in development still and he left to do another film that was offered to him and then we waited awhile and then a Norwegian directors team were slated to direct it and I was very excited about them. (l to r) Merritt Patterson as Cynthia with her husband Louis Zamperini played by Samuel Hunt in the film Unbroken: Path to Redemption. Cynthia Zamperini, formerly Applewhite, was the wife of Louis Zamperini. Anthony Zamperini. He was speaking to the Department of Defense high schools and junior high schools for the kids of the GIs over there and he was telling a story and we go to the Q&A portion and a hand shoots up and asks, How could you forgive them for what they did to you? Well, he got to tell them all about his conversion experience. In the wake of leaving the military, he was only 30 years of age with no work. Louis used to get constant nightmares due to PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), which led him taking illegal substances. In the event that she hadnt done that, we could never have heard the incredible story of absolution and empathy, and Louie probably wont have been an amazingly popular person. Surprisingly, it was never picked up by any major publishers, but did spark her passion for books. two weeks after Christmas. He was 96 years old at the time, but he still had an eye for the ladies. She was born in 1914 and grew up during the Great Depression. Luke Zamperini: Billy Graham meant a whole lot to my dad because it was when he met Billy and heard him speak that his life really changed for the better. Exploring the Benefits, Uses, and Science of Cannabidiol, 5 Best Family Holiday Destinations in Europe to Visit in 2023, Keeping it Clean: Antimicrobial Additives for Plastic & Polymer Products in the Age of COVID-19, Essential Traits to Look for in a Drug Addiction Treatment Facility, My Experience with ContourMax from Surebeauty: The Ultimate At-Home Body Contouring Device. And, you know, how do you live up to an athlete like that, as his children? Jolie's husband Brad Pitt was not seen at both the events. From the time he was a little boy, all the way through. Dad kinda resented the fact that athletes had become motivated by the promise of wealth and that it made them competitive in not a very attractive way. He saved me from drowning once. MB: Its interesting the two sports he was passionate abouthe was self reliant in both of those sports. Runners World: Did your fathers love of running, or sport in general, get passed to either of you? January 20th, 1926, Clayton, St. Louis County, Missouri, USA, One day in Miami Beach, while having a drink in leisurely, Louis saw Cynthia first. He ran everywhere. So, he was terrified at times during horrific storms at sea and he would pray, If you get me through this, I will seek you and serve you for the rest of my life. When he got back from the war, he forgot about that promise. With $10,000 in back pay (from his POW years) and $1,600 of life-insurance proceeds (which he was allowed to keep), Louie invested in various ventures. I love watching skiing, I love watching surfing, anything where its a person in the elements competing against other individuals, and I think I got that from my dad. But, he was just too fine a person to belabor the point of all of the excruciating suffering, horrible things that were done to him. Sign up for a free trial here . LZ: Which came in handy in the plane crash in the Pacific, of course. Luke: Its interesting, I went with my dad to Germany a couple decades ago. Over the years, he has interviewed many notable entertainers, athletes, and politicians including Oscar winners Matthew McConaughy and Reese Witherspoon, evangelist Franklin Graham, author Max Lucado, Super Bowl winning coach Tony Dungy and former presidential hopefuls Sen. Rick Santorum and Gov. RW: Was he emotional when he was running, or was he just truly filled with joy? Louis knew he was floundering, but not even the birth of his daughter, Cissy, could bring him out of the darkness. Cissy Zamperini, the wife of famed Olympian and WWII hero Louis Zamperini, is a woman whose story deserves to be Thats what I hope people walk away with; the astonishment of knowing that placing your faith in Jesus Christ can save your life forever for the better. He was an Olympic distance runner and a motivational speaker. That was his style always. Louis Zamperini served in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. For him, the emotion of carrying that torch past hundreds of people who lived in that town where hed been tormented and tortured, who were cheering him and all the children who were waving to him and smiling, he was elated beyond words. He just stayed so true to his faith unwavering until the moment he died and went to Glory. But, back in that day, I think my father and a lot of those men were just boys. Cynthia: I just love this because when Angelina did her first rough cut of the film, her father had passed away a month or two before and she [invited] us to Universal to screen it for us and it was really traumatic because we had just lost our father. We have lived our lives and then the whole question of doing a movie began to be raised again. RW: So when he lost that first race, he was kind of surprised and happy with how he felt and dealt with it? He would drop anything to help anyone a stranger in need. We were all brutalized by that. Approach correctly. By signing up, you are consenting to our privacy policy. Like Luke said, he was my hero. But I bet it was in there. As a teenager, she won several races, including the Boston Marathon. Their wedding function was taken in a hurry, doubtlessly arousing a lot of dismay for Cynthias loved ones. He ran to the market. This all came on the heels of another Peggy Siegal-coordinated event on Tuesday, a luncheon at the regal Metropolitan Club at which Jolie was seated with media elite including Huffington Post chief Arianna Huffington, CBS This Mornings Gayle King, Cosmopolitan editor Joanna Coles, MSNBC host Lawrence ODonnell and ABCs Good Morning America and This Week anchor George Stephanopoulos. Zamperini inherited a unique running style from his father, Louis. See more Hollywood's 100 Favorite Films . So, unless you are in an elite part of the military, I dont think that your average trained military person would survive and have those skills. LZ: Oh yeah, of course. And Much More, When You Dream of flowers, What Does it Mean? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. They are buried in Los Angeles. The film strikes me as a likely hit and Oscar nomineebut if it isnt, it wont be for lack of effort on the part of those who made it. It wasnt until 57 years later that Unbroken got made and we didnt really have much say in it. My fathers faith was very much a factor in my coming to faith in Jesus Christ. The bestselling book "Unbroken" told the harrowing true story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympian and war hero. Credit: Lisa O'Connor/ZUMA Wire/Alamy Live News. When Louie is a boy, he argues with his father and runs away before deciding to return home. But as a child, the story doesnt have all the gruesome details in it, so it wasnt really until we became adults that we really started thinking about what he actually went through. Copyright Townhall.com/Salem Media. But, it was love at first sight between them and I could tell it was going to be a fantastic journey.. Sneak Peek of the 2024 Olympic Marathon Course, Molly Seidels Strategy to Manage Her ADHD and OCD, Witchy Half-Marathon Record Has Been Broken Again. Louies parents did not know that he was a POW. I mean, up until he had to quit at age 91, he was still wowing people on the slopes with his grace and ability. What your dads interaction with the crowd was like, what he was like when he went back to the site of the POW camp? I had the opportunity a couple days after the screening to meet his children, Cynthia Garris, 65, and Luke Zamperini, 61. Not just because of her accomplishments on the CZG: Theres a picture we have of him, arms up, setting the high school record or the collegiate record, Im not sure which. Im someone who believes that things happen for a reason and that they happen when they happen for a purpose. That first night, Louis became angry when Graham asked the congregation how long it had been since theyd prayed. Luke: Expect for the torture scenes, those were all real. LZ: Before he did the torch relay, he spent months running with a two-by-four in his hand, developing his style for changing hands and waving with his other hand. So the deep knee squats would begin around the middle of July. And I asked her afterwards, Angelina, why didnt you show him hitting the sharks in the nose, pushing them away, dodging the bullets, all that stuff. She said, Because, even though it really happened, nobody would believe it. We were zombies after that. So you can kinda spot him in a pack of runners; youd always know which one was Louie Zamperini. He took up skateboarding in his seventies. If you love sports, youll love this athlete! Its Me, Margarethas impacted generations with its timeless coming of age story, insightful, For over fifty years, Judy Blumes classic and groundbreaking novelAre You There God? Cynthia Applewhite is the wife of Louis Zamperini, the world renowned inspirational speaker about forgiveness. Copyright 2023- The flexy. He screamed wildly until the dish was taken away, and although Louis was able to calm him down, it was clear that their pasts were never out of reach. interview Louis Zamperini's Children on Their "Unbroken" Father By Chris Carpenter CBN.com Program Director. How did you feel when you learned the film was finally being made? New York, NY --You may have heard of World War Two hero Louie Zamperini, whose story is told beautifully in Laura Hillenbrands 2010 New York Times bestseller, Unbroken. But, this Christmas, audiences will be able to watch his miraculous life unfold on screen. Despite the frequent disruptions to her education, Cissy was a gifted student and graduated from high school at just sixteen years old. She ran fast and had an explosive start. He was losing his whole life, he was losing his young bride and his infant daughter. Advertise your brand/services on our blog. She fought four kids for Louies pants and even tried to bribe a boy in school to spy on him. Despite these difficulties, she eventually found him and remarried him. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Cynthia Zamperini: Her Life with Louis & Finding Faith. Deeply in love, the couple had money at the start. In the very beginning when we first met with director, Angelina, I expressed the concern that they would tell the entire story and not just leave it off where they did leave it off, which was with him coming home from war. (Photo by Gregg DeGuire/WireImage) Embed. NBC is a competitor of CBS. CZG: It was almost like his legs were disengaged, they reached longer. He loved that saying that, Hating someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. It only hurts you, they go on with their lives, and theres all this hatred inside you and its just killing you, like it was killing him. And like I said, his great passionbecause he couldnt run after the war because of his knee and what hed been throughhis passion became skiing. I think his name was Norman Bright. But even as an adult, Ive probably read his autobiography half a dozen times, and Unbroken Ive read three times, and the films and just all the hundreds of time we have heard him tell the story, but it still is fantastic to fathom what he went through. During this time, she worked as a nurses aide and volunteered for the Red Cross. Her family was impoverished, and Cissy often had to work odd jobs to help support them. No, I dont. I was managing my fathers career so I was there for those meetings and I thought that was going to happen and it was just taking a long time. They had two children Luke Zamperini & Cissy Zamperini, February 21st, 2001, Los Angeles County, California, USA. Whether its an actor, athlete, author, musician, politician, or another influencer of this generation, Risen shares an exclusive angle that wont be read anywhere else. Its interesting, he was raised Catholic. His life had a very clear purpose and meaning. Luke: Genius. Interviewed for Risen Magazine on the film set in Pomona, California. Download this stock image: Cissy Zamperini attending the 'Unbroken' Premiere in Los Angeles - 2HY62RB from Alamy's library of millions of high resolution stock photos, illustrations and vectors. He became a star runner after graduating from high school and set a world interscholastic mile record. He never forced us to go to Sunday school. He felt medicated by drinking a lot, because they didnt even have a name for what these wonderful warriors what they were going through. Today, Cissy Zamperini is remembered as a devoted wife and mother, as well as a woman who played a vital role in supporting her husbands achievements. People demonstrate the power of God in their lives and thats what happened to my dad. Your email address will not be published. cissy Zamperini and Luke Zamperini. How did Cynthia Applewhite Die?Cardiovascular breakdown, Who Played the Role of Cynthia Applewhite in the Movie Solid: Path to Redemption, Your email address will not be published. Interestingly, the press conference also saw attendance of Louis' children Cissy Zamperini and Luke Zamperini. RW: Do you know what he thought about the running scenes? Cissy Zamperini arrives for the premiere of the film 'Unbroken' at the Dolby theater. He before long communicated his affection towards her, and in something like fourteen days, they got ready for marriage. Cissy Zamperini arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of "Unbroken" at The Dolby Theatre on December 15, 2014 in Hollywood, California. Then it just kind of vanished. We are thrilled with who was finally chosen to direct it (Angelina Jolie) and the job that she did. Later Louis was involved in several business ventures which helped him raise some money, which helped him to rent a small apartment in Los Angeles. His daughter, Cissy, accepted the award on behalf of her father. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Things got worse when one day Cynthia found out that Louis was violently shaking their daughter. Louie's friend at USC who bond over love of track, Japanese immigrant, ends up being a spy for the Japanese, but did provide Japanese secrets to USA, meets with Louie but treats him well at a camp, ends up being an . Virginia . They grew up in the Hollywood hills in a house their father bought after. Your email address will not be published. But I know that if hes watching, looking down today, hes overjoyed that the second film is being made because that is a huge part of his story and, in many ways, the most, Judy Blume! We played with our toys and grew up. Life was normal for Louis and Cynthia at first, but his trauma as a prisoner of war haunted him throughout.
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