It was 10 PM and I’d been bouncing between one streaming network after another for at least twenty minutes. I was restless – nothing looked intriguing enough to watch for my mood at the time. Mind you, I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for, but surely I’d know when I saw it. After scouring Prime Video, Hulu, and Paramount Plus (I may have a problem), I digitally sauntered over to Netflix.
And there it was, as if a beam of light was shining down on it:
A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood – the 2019 biopic-esque film about Mr. Rogers, portrayed by Tom Hanks. Ka-blammy. I was feeling melancholy at the time, so apparently the idea of watching this really appealed to my central nervous system…and to the “little Mikey” in me. Although I’m still occasionally haunted by images of one of those puppets – that Lady Fairchild freaks me out!
It’s 1998, and Esquire magazine journalist Lloyd Vogel, portrayed by actor Matthew Rhys, is reluctantly tasked with writing a profile story about the children’s TV icon for a special “Heroes” issue. As a hard-hitting reporter with a reputation for being cynical, Vogel wants to find out who Fred Rogers really is. Sure, he looks like the real deal on camera, but there must be some dirt on him, something that could taint the image of America’s favorite neighbor – and boost Vogel’s career in the process.
No one can be that nice all the time!
As Lloyd just wants to get the story over with, Mr. Rogers befriends him – because of course he does. But Vogel, being the cynic that he is, doesn’t instantly warm up to him. He’s annoyed that Fred Rogers is always asking questions about him. Like, who’s interviewing who? It takes what seems like far too long for Lloyd to grasp, but this wasn’t a matter of Rogers being intrusive. On the contrary.
How Mr. Rogers treated Lloyd is the same way he treated everyone: as someone who matters.
What fascinated me about the film was that it was based on a true story. There really is a 1998 Esquire article about Mr. Rogers. It really was for a special Heroes issue . It really did have a lasting effect on the author’s life. And it’s that profile piece, by Esquire journalist Tom Junod, that set so many things in motion – including the film itself.
“I was assigned the story about Fred because one of the editors at Esquire thought it would be amusing to have me, with my stated determination to ‘say the unsayable,’ write about the nicest man in the world,” Junod says. –The Atlantic
While many of the film’s circumstances are fictional, the core truths of the impact Mr. Rogers had on Junod are real. It changed him both personally and professionally, influencing his views on journalism, compassion, and faith.
Tom and Fred remained close friends until Rogers’ death in 2003, keeping in touch via phone, email, and in person when possible. Since then, Junod has given numerous interviews about their friendship and the impact it made on so many aspects of his life.
“I’m at my best as a father when I try to think what Fred Rogers would do, and I’m probably at my worst when I think what my own father would do.” -Atlanta Magazine
“From the moment I met him until my last conversation with him, a few months before he died, (Fred) was just always working on me to bring out the best in me from beginning to end.” -GPB.org
“Fred wrote to me many times of the simple fact that God never gives up on you. And I think that Fred’s idea of grace was the manifestation of that.” – Sojourners Magazine
It started with just a way to pass an evening. It ended with, well…it hasn’t.
The film has taken really taken me on a journey. It’s made me do some deep reflection about family and friends I’ve been blessed to know, people who’ve loved me. People who’ve made me feel like I mattered to them.
I hope when they think of me, I’ve made them feel the same way.
Some of them are no longer here. Others are no longer in my life.
But I’m grateful to have shared time with them.
What Tom Junod discovered, and what the film captures so beautifully, is that the story was never about whether Fred Rogers was authentic.
The story is – what happens when you discover that he was.
I used to think Mr. Rogers was just somebody for kids.
What I found instead was a man whose influence reached far beyond the television screen. He meaningfully impacted everyone from children, to parents, to teachers, to senators…and to skeptical magazine writers.
Maybe that’s his real legacy.
Not the sweaters. Not the songs. Not even the television show.
Just the reminder that people matter.
YOU matter.
In a world where looks, wealth, and charisma are so highly regarded, Fred Rogers stands in stark contrast.
He spent a lifetime doing something much less glamorous: paying attention to people.
In the end, that may have been his superpower.
Yes, Mr. Rogers is still in the neighborhood – every time we slow down and make others feel seen.
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