When you're 15 years old and just spent part of your 10th grade year in France making a movie in which you play the title character, it's only logical that your classmates back home will want to know all about it, and probably want to see it.

Eighteen years later, Sydney Penney can finally tell her Chaminade Preparatory School (West Hills) classmates, "Okay, you guys, here it is!"

It was in 1987 that Penny --- then a young star of "The New Gidget" syndicated TV series --- was recruited by famed French director Jean Delannoy to portray St. Bernadette in the film "Bernadette," about the life of the young woman who in 1858 witnessed apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lourdes, France. The film, created to be a historically precise dramatization of the encounter, was praised by Pope John Paul II for its accuracy and by those who saw it for its sensitive yet powerful message.

But "those who saw it" lived mainly in France, where the film was mainly distributed. Its U.S. distribution was nonexistent --- until today, with the DVD and VHS release of "Bernadette" through Ignatius Press.

"It's kind of exciting to know that the film will finally get to be seen here," smiled Penny, now 33, married, living in Los Angeles and an acclaimed actress (with Daytime Emmy nominations for "Santa Barbara" and "All My Children," a recurring role on "The Bold and the Beautiful," and a host of television and film roles to her credit).

"Making that film was such a wonderful experience, on so many levels," Penny told The Tidings in a phone interview. "It was a chance to work with a terrific director, a chance to visit France, a chance to play a title role which is always special for an actor."

And, a chance to portray one of Catholic history's most storied women, which necessitated intense research.

"I didn't know a thing about Bernadette," Penny recalled. "So I just read as much as I could and drank in who she was so I could let her become part of me. In the process, I began to really hear her words, and I was so struck by who she was that it's really stuck with me ever since then."

In particular, Penny said it was Bernadette's resolute faith and courage in the face of adversity that impacted her.

"She was a girl of wonderful simplicity, honesty, integrity and purity," Penny observed. "She wasn't a great student, she had a hard time remembering her prayers, and yet that never kept her from establishing a deep spiritual connection with God. She had such a simple yet strong faith, and that guided her through some very difficult times when, after her first vision of seeing 'the Lady in White,' people accused her of making it up, of being insane. She never doubted or questioned her beliefs."

As a non-Catholic Christian who began acting in commercials at age 6 (and who Delannoy wanted for "Bernadette" after seeing her in "The Thornbirds"), Penny has often looked to Bernadette's example to help her in her own career as an actress --- the kind of profession that can put faith to the test.

"To know that kind of faith can really take the pressure of you," she said. "It's all about bringing your life down to the basics --- faith and trust in God. Keep it real," she added with a laugh.

The film (shot over 10 weeks in Lourdes and Paris) also gave Penny the chance to learn French, which Delannoy required because each scene was shot in French and in English. "I thought they'd dub my voice," Penny smiled. "But they wanted it real, so I worked with a French teacher. And the cast and crew were so supportive, helping me with pronunciation and inflection. It made it easy once I got back to Chaminade to take French."

Since the filming (for which Penny visited the burial site of St. Bernadette, "a very powerful experience"), the actress has yet to return to Lourdes. "And I'm dying to go back; it is so beautiful there," she said. "But something always gets in the way. Someday, though, I'll be back."

When she returns, she'll find her face one of the most familiar in the historic little town, since that film (and the subsequent "La Passsion de Bernadette," about the saint's life in the convent) play in perpetuity in Lourdes. "I'm so glad I had the opportunity to play someone like Bernadette," Penny said. "Her story is so beautiful, and it's one that anybody can connect to, regardless of who they are."

"Bernadette" is available on VHS ($24.95) or DVD ($29.95) from Ignatius Press. For information, call (800) 651-1531 or visit www.ignatius.com.