Jimmy Stewart's Daughter Calls KJ Apa's Performance "Eerie" Ahead of November Release

It was "eerie" to see KJ Apa become her father.

That was the verdict from Kelly Stewart-Harcourt, daughter of Jimmy Stewart, on Apa's turn as the Hollywood star in Jimmy, the biopic that opens exclusively in theatres on 6 November 2026, according to Variety.

Stewart-Harcourt is an executive producer on the film and also filmed a guest appearance. She watched from the set. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, reported by Variety, she said she does not see how the film-makers could have found anybody better than Apa to play her father.

She said Apa channels Stewart without doing an impersonation. The distinction mattered to her. She wanted the man, not the mimicry.

Apa has talked about the work behind that balance. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, published on 10 October, he discussed finding Stewart's voice for the role and recreating a scene from It's a Wonderful Life, the 1946 Christmas classic in which Stewart played George Bailey.

The new film is directed by Aaron Burns. It picks up Stewart's story after his Academy Award win for The Philadelphia Story, the Oscar ceremony's prize for screen acting, and follows him into service in World War II.

Stewart flew 20 missions over Europe and rose to the rank of colonel, according to Variety. After returning home, he returned to the screen as George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life.

Stewart-Harcourt has said her father told her his military service was the proudest thing in his life, in an interview with WWLTV published on 8 October. That period forms the spine of Jimmy.

Filming began in West Cork, Ireland. A teaser trailer has been released, and tickets are listed as officially on sale ahead of the November date.

What makes this stand out is the family link. Biopics often arrive without a relative in the room. This one has Stewart's daughter as a producer, on set, watching another actor play her father and calling the result eerie.