Mr. Rogers, we are told in another article, “had to work at being good.” [6] I’m pretty sure his service to others was motivated by a belief that they were deserving, and that he was, too.

But with his 1998 Esquire article about Rogers came something more: a friendship. The new film, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, is inspired by Junod's profile and their years-long relationship.

She’s the wife, the mother, the Mister Rogers fan, and that’s it. Maybe it’s not surprising that an Esquire feature should inspire such a thinly sketched woman, but there were easy remedies ...

Mr. Vogel is initially reluctant about the assignment, regarding Mr. Rogers as a saccharine lightweight, but the experience and the relationship become life-changing.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is based on an Esquire profile by Tom Junod, fictionalized in the film as Lloyd Vogel and played by Matthew Rhys. Hanks is tickled with the way Rogers ...