A Foot Forward

The edited version of this story first appeared in inMotion Magazine

November/December 2007

Volume 17, Issue 7

 

As one young amputee demonstrates, the will to succeed leads to a foot in the door.

Soon, the name Jason Leonard will appear in the closing credits of a Universal Studios film. A below-the-knee (BK) amputee, the 18-year-old Californian was cast as an “extra” in the upcoming film, Charlie Wilson's War.

For Leonard, a Valley Center High School graduate, amputation became a part of life at the tender age of 4. Recurring tumors that were borderline cancerous and multiple surgeries eventually led to the unavoidable option of amputation. Youth, determination and an adapting attitude were the markers that helped the young student overcome his limb deficiency. Although speaking about his amputation helped Leonard overcome peer judgment in elementary school, that was not the case in junior high.

“In elementary school it wasn't a big deal to kids,” recalls Leonard. “I even used to talk about it in front of the entire class. Junior high was the most difficult for me. It was almost every day of getting picked on.”

Using the most athletic prosthesis that his insurance would cover, Leonard began playing football in his freshman year. It was the same prosthesis he used on a day-to-day basis. By the time he reached his senior year, he was also involved in weight training.

Leonard became an accomplished athlete, and he expanded his middle school interests to include acting. After participating in a few plays, the hook had been set: He earned a scholarship to a drama camp. He enjoyed the company of actors and actresses during that time, and they were accepting of his physical challenges during those critical adolescent school years. He began drama classes his senior year.

Responding to an announcement made through the drama club at his school, Leonard auditioned for a role in a Universal Studios production. With Universal seeking actors of Middle Eastern and (Afghani) descent and/or amputees, he landed a role as an extra in Charlie Wilson’s War, starring Oscar® winners Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

In the movie, congressman Charlie Wilson (Hanks) teams with a Houston socialite (Roberts) and CIA agent (Hoffman) to lead the largest and most successful covert operation in American history, helping to force the Soviet Red Army out of Afghanistan, during the 1980s. Leonard will play a wounded Afghani soldier awaiting medical attention at a triage center. Directed by Academy Award®-winner Mike Nichols, the movie is based on George Crile’s best-selling book and is set to be released December 25.

Sources: Deeley Harley Davidsoncle & Moped Industry Council of Canada.