Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low around 70F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph..

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low around 70F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph.

Ten years ago David “DJ” Johnson met a girl while on vacation in Hawaii but his mother lost her contact information, leaving him with a single 17-year-old photo to remember her by. (David Minton/GSN Staff Photographer)  

Ten years ago David “DJ” Johnson met a girl while on vacation in Hawaii but his mother lost her contact information, leaving him with a single 17-year-old photo to remember her by. (David Minton/GSN Staff Photographer)  

A photo and a girl’s first name form a real-life love story and inspired a movie project that could make a Gilbert man a movie star and change how the world sees people with intellectual disabilities.

Ten years ago, Luke Johnson said he promised to make his younger brother David a movie star and hopes to do that with a feature-length movie that will make people realize it’s always worth the effort fighting for loved ones.

“To help make his dream come true is the very least I could do to pay him back for just being the greatest brother that he could be,” Luke said.

Luke and David were two of seven siblings.

Luke said he always loved making movies with his brother and aspired to work in the industry one day.

“When we were kids, we both loved making funny videos and shooting on the family VHS,” Luke said. “And just shooting anything that would make us laugh.”

David, 38, has Down Syndrome and a personality as big and bright as the lights of Hollywood, but Luke said that presented a challenge in finding how to make him a star.

“Because he’s not exactly a trained actor, even though he is the world’s greatest entertainer,” Luke said. “I didn’t know how to do that.”

Luke, 42, has worked in television for the past 10 years, including productions such as “My 600 Pound Life” on TLC, “Diesel Brothers” on Discovery Channel, and “Ax Men” on the History Channel.

Now a network executive for BYU TV at Brigham Young University, Luke said he decided to make a movie based on a true love story that began during a 2005 family vacation to Hawaii.

Their mom, Gina Johnson, said David was 22 when he met a girl named Naria on that vacation and the two kids instantly became best friends.

“As a mother, you can tell if someone’s just being nice or polite to your child who has a disability, or if it’s really genuine,” Gina said. “And this girl was really genuine.”

Gina snapped a photo of the kids and David told his mom he wanted to stay in touch with his new friend.

In a time before social media, Gina said she wrote down Naria’s name, address and phone number in a pocket-sized spiral notebook so the kids could stay in touch.

A few days later, Gina said Luke, 26 at the time, also made a friend in the film industry and used his mom’s notebook to exchange information with the colleague.

Upon returning home, David excitedly asked his mom for Naria’s information to reach out to his new friend.

But, Gina said she couldn’t find the girl’s information and soon realized the unimaginable: Gina said she must have lost Naria’s contact info and despite futile searches on social media, they haven’t located the girl since then.

Now, Naria only exists on David’s dresser in a photo of the two friends standing knee-deep in the waters of Hawaii.

“For years, he kept it there telling us, he’s going to marry Naria,” Gina said. “I felt heart sick that we couldn’t get a hold of her.”

And that’s the jumping off point, Luke said, for his movie about a fictional road trip the brothers take to find David’s long-lost friend.

After writing the script, Luke told his mom about the idea but Gina wondered who would play David.

“[Luke] just looked at me and goes ‘Mom, David’s going to play David,’” Gina recalled.

Luke said he hopes his movie continues to add to that the “very little representation” people with Down Syndrome have in TV and movies.

While Down Syndrome might bring some challenges with filming, Luke said David’s personality will bring a bit of improvisation the other actors will have to play off that adds a sense of authenticity to the movie.

“It’s going to feel like a very real representation of what life is like living with someone with Down syndrome,” Luke said.

While David has held jobs throughout his life including nearly 10 years corralling shopping carts at a supermarket, Luke said the pandemic disrupted his “pretty good” life and David hasn’t found a job since then.

“As people with Down syndrome start to get older, it becomes harder for them to find activities and find their place in the world sometimes,” Luke said.

This project also shows how much a brother’s promise means by covering another important issue close to the family’s heart.

Several years ago, Luke said he battled with substance abuse and David’s “shining light” personality helped him cope with his struggles, which inspired him to keep his silver-screen promise.

Intertwined among the buddy-comedy jokes and love story premise, Luke said the movie also chronicles his character struggling with substance abuse.

“At a time when I was trying to push away from family, David was right there to pull me in with a big heart or to make me laugh,” Luke said. “And he was always a constant light in my life.”

The untitled project has already garnered more than $33,000 on GoFundMe – a fraction of the way to their $200,000 goal.

But with the crew agreeing to donate their time to make this movie, Luke said his dream could become a reality if they can reach their goal.

“I would really like to make this film on donations ideally,” Luke said. “But I want to make this movie exactly as I see it in my head.”

Though some production companies and investors have shown interest, Luke said his methodology behind this project means more to him than a big payout.

“If this movie, never made a dollar back, I would have accomplished my goal,” Luke said. “Because the most important thing for me is for David to see his face up on the big screen.”

For more information or to donate to the movie, visit davidmoviestar.com.