FORT WORTH, Texas — Rob Riggle is proud of his latest film.

The 56-year-old Kentucky native portrays Colonel Terrill in “Jimmy,” a film about James Stewart’s military service in World War II and how that shaped his performance as George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life.” “Jimmy” is now playing in theaters.

For Riggle, the film is a chance for audiences to learn what the true meaning of service is. He is a Marine Corps veteran who served for 23 years.

“[Stewart] embraced the responsibility, and he took ownership of his service,” Riggle said. “That redefined what service looked like to me.”

Riggle recently spoke with the Star-Telegram about “Jimmy” before the film premiered in Fort Worth.

The conversation delved into his history with Stewart and what he learned from making the film.

[This interview has been edited for clarity and length.]

Q: What’s your first memory of Jimmy Stewart?

A: My first memory would probably be “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Well, maybe I shouldn’t say that. No, it was. But then I remember in college, I was a film major, and we watched “The Philadelphia Story.” I thought, “This is a great performance, great film.” Then believe it or not, I remember “The Tonight Show,” everybody doing impersonations of Jimmy Stewart [laughs]. I was like, “Who’s Jimmy Stewart? What are these impersonations?” Because everyone was dying laughing. Who was it, Martin Short? Someone use to always do impersonations. Dana Carvey, I think, also did a good one.

Q: At that time, did you know much about Jimmy’s military service?

A: I didn’t know anything when I was a kid. When I was in the military, the Marine Corps, we had a commandant’s reading list. Our commandant puts out a reading list for different ranks, so as a young lieutenant we were expected to read certain books and one of those books was “Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot.” I read it and that’s when I really first did more of a deeper dive. But that was back in my 20s.

I remember reading and thinking, “Wow, how cool.” Because I obviously had an interest in acting and things, but I didn’t ever know if I’d ever pursue it. But I thought, “Wow, this is cool that Jimmy did all this service, and really intense service, when he had off-ramps.” He had ways that he could probably have avoided that, if he had wanted to, but he didn’t. He embraced the responsibility, and he took ownership of his service. That redefined what service looked like to me. It was very powerful.

Q: I think it’s interesting that you’re playing a version of yourself in the movie, as far as you served and here you’re playing someone in the military. When you have a personal connection to a role, does that add anything extra to it? Does it make you want to work harder, or appreciate things more?

A: Not that portion. The portion where I wanted to be a part of telling his story. I think his story is so important that the next generation learn it. I think his generation knew it. Maybe some in my generation, but I think this next generation needs to hear this story and see what service looks like. Especially service before self, what that really means. I want the next generation and many generations to keep hearing this story, because it is powerful and it is unique. It doesn’t happen every day. I was fortunate enough to have been a military officer, so I understand on some level the responsibility that comes along with military leadership. I have a lot of empathy for both my character and Jimmy’s character.

Q: I think a lot of people are going to learn a lot about Jimmy from this movie. For you, did you learn anything about yourself or filmmaking with this project?

A: Well, I hope that every project I do, I learn something new. I always like to take away a little something. I’m sure I did on this. Getting a chance to work with KJ [Apa], that was a wonderful learning experience, too. He’s an incredibly talented guy. You’ll see it in the film. You’re transformed in a way that even I didn’t expect to be transformed. All of a sudden I found myself in the briefing room in England in World War II, and it really felt real because of his performance. I felt like I was talking to Jimmy. I learned a lot from him, which is always wonderful. If you see somebody having success, which I think KJ has in this film, it’s always a good idea to observe it, study it, maybe absorb some of it. I think Tony Robbins said, “Success leaves clues.” So study it.

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