Executive producer of "Cabrini" movie shares what he wanted to capture about the saint's life and legacy
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Eustace Wolfington's admiration for Saint Frances Cabrini runs so deep that he named his business Cabrini Assets after her and even placed a statue of the saint in its hallway.
Still, he said it took years of convincing from the former president of Cabrini College, Sister Mary Louise Sullivan, before he agreed to executive produce a film about the celebrated Catholic missionary.
"I looked at what they were going to do and said, 'No, you can't do that to Cabrini,'" Wolfington said. "They were going to do a fairytale movie, [and] I said I'll do the movie if I could do the movie about a person that's universal."
Wolfington describes Cabrini as a woman whose life was full of good deeds who also happened to be a nun.
The film "Cabrini," featuring Italian actress Cristiana Dell'Anna, chronicles the life and legacy of the woman known as Mother Cabrini.
This Italian Roman Catholic nun established orphanages, hospitals and schools across 17 countries, ultimately becoming the first American saint.
"I'd go all around the world and talk about her and no one knew her," Wolfington said. "And that really shocked me because she was probably the greatest Italian woman that ever lived. She just became forgotten."
Wolfington, a West Philly native, poured $50 million into the indie film and was adamant about capturing the depth of who Cabrini was as a quiet crusader for immigrants.
"She quietly just said, 'Hey you're going to earn it on your own, you're going to excel, and you're going to do it through education,'" he said. "I think when people see [the movie], they'll say we're all [immigrants] and are in the same boat."
