Tonight, after a movie, I got to thinking about great women in history.  Iconic women who have shaped our culture.  With all the movies we have based on history, I found myself thinking about women from the past whose stories have yet to be told — and should.  There are many, but for some reason I went straight to one of my other loves aside from history — space.  As a joke, I sent a message out into the void, “If I were to portray a woman from history who would it be and why?” I got a lot of reactions which surprised me. One friend responded with Sally Ride. Sally Ride. The first American woman and youngest American (at the time) to enter outer space. I wondered if she had been played yet in movie? Was there a movie about Challenger even made yet? If so, how did they do? So I did a little research. After learning a bit more about Sally via Wikipedia and the additional flights of the Challenger that took place, another name popped into my mind — Christa McAuliffe. I remembered Christa obviously because of the later Challenger disaster, and something had kept me coming back to her name anytime I looked back at that flights crew.

Now, quite often when you learn about someone you will no doubt find similarities within yourself. After reading more on Christa I saw a lot of parallels. I remember she was the teacher — the “ordinary citizen” as they put it to take part in an extraordinary adventure. Over the phone when asked if they could see me playing her in a film, my friend responded with, “Well yes, I could see it, she’s a bit more conservative than you though, but the basic qualities are there.” Interesting.

If I were to portray Christa in a film how would that fly? Has she been played before? Yes, Karen Allen portrayed her in an early 90’s movie, which I have yet to see. After reading up on that film I saw it was mainly centered around NASA and it’s difficulties it faced leading up to the disaster. What I had in mind was more of a one-woman character study and how that woman, her life, her message, her hopes and dreams were metaphoric for what we question about ourselves in this world still today.

One of my favorite films of all time; Contact; produced so many great questions and memorable lines. I remember in the end, Jodi Foster was asked by a little kid if she believed there were aliens on other planets. Jodi replied with, “Yes, yes I do. If not, I think it’s a real waste of space — don’t you?”

I later decided to open the thought to the masses. A fantasy question if you will. If I were to portray one of these two women, who do you think I should be and why — Sally or Christa? Sally, who no doubt walked into history just by being the first woman in space was a great story, but it lacked something — it lacked some meat. Christa on the other hand, had something more there, and it really had nothing to do with how her life ended, to me, it has to do with how it was lead and where it was leading other people who watched her. So, I asked and hands down, people wrote to say Christa — the one I secretly chose myself.

So with that said, with a few years now since the disaster, I wondered if I did portray her how would that unfold? Is there a strong enough story there, a strong enough arc? To me, yes, there is. I’m not sure how I’d approach it, but if given the chance, that would be something I think people would be fascinated to see… I’d like to see it, so I’d do it as a fan.

Christa (as well as Sally) to me represent the type of human story that I always feel people want to know about. The type where the underdog gets to roll with the big chief so to speak. There’s always something very transcendant about that. More importantly though, for me, it’s the inspiring message that it holds, and she’d make the perfect vehicle to get there.

Ordinary person. Extraordinary circumstances. Extraordinary message. While on the phone with my friend, together we were drawn to what it said on her gravestone. We read the message out loud together and were completely moved and impacted by what it had to say.

If I did play Christa, it would be a dream come true. I think the story of her life and her history-making chance is one that can be reborn again from a new perspective. What perspective though, that’s something I’d need to think about, but the idea is there and the concept is interesting. Who knows, anything is possible right?

Christa’s gravestone reads:

“She helped people. She laughed. She loved and is loved. She appreciated the worlds natural beauty. She was curious and sought to learn who we are and what the universe is about. She relied on her own judgement and moral courage to do what’s right. She cared about the suffering of her fellow man. She tried to protect our spaceship earth, and taught her children to do the same.”

When I saw the Challenger explode on the now infamous footage that sadly captured almost too much, I wasn’t sad. I was, like most people shocked, but there was a nobility to what happened in my mind — that to me, makes it extremely powerful and even more relevant for todays generation.

So, me as Christa? Maybe. The story is one that can be related to by anyone. The desire to learn what’s behind all this — why are we here really — who else is out there — why is it that we feel that kinship with the average joe more so than the trained and well prepared elite? How do you tell a story from a new angle that can be applied today?

I’d gladly go back into Challenger to be Christa. She’s got another story there I feel. It certaintly makes for an interesting “what if” scenario.

JL