RichDrama - Blog #Bev HollowayRichDrama - Blog #Bev Hollowayhttps://www.richdrama.com/blog/tag/Bev-HollowayTue, 07 Apr 2026 04:06:06 -0700http://zoho.com/sites/<![CDATA[Unsung Hero]]>https://www.richdrama.com/blog/post/UnsungHeroWe just got back from seeing Unsung Hero  and absolutely loved it! It was so moving and such a picture of trusting the Lord at every step.  He ]]>

Another Escalator Prayer Answered

We just got back from seeing Unsung Hero and absolutely loved it! It was so moving and such a picture of trusting the Lord at every step. 


Here's my connection to the film: 

Here's some backstory on my escalator prayer: In 2000 I was at the premiere of the AMC Empire 25 on Times Square. My friend Nancy Buchanan was the producer of the gala, which was a benefit for a few Times Square charities including The Lamb's Church of the Nazarene, where I had been an intern and lived for four years. The event left quite an impression on me, so when we moved to Midtown Manhattan it became our theatre of choice, and it was after that first film there that I was reflecting on the gala and prayed that one day I'd be descending that escalator having seen a film I was in. 


You can read more about how special the AMC Empire 25 is by clicking here.


In case you haven't watched the video, I'm not in the film, but thanks to Bev Holloway I was the accent coach for Terry O'Quinn. 


And here's what I wrote down the night I told Joel Smallbone about my work:  "Joel was hoping all the Australian characters could be played by Australians, but he was so pleased with Terry O'Quinn playing his grandfather, and Joel said, 'I never questioned his accent.'"


I also have to thank Ash Sellers, a friend in Sydney, who was willing to record Terry's lines for him, which helped tremendously in the coaching process. 


I'm so blessed with the work Terry did and how the film turned out! 

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We're so very blessed by some recent gifts which have put us closer to our budget for our upcoming trip to bring my one-man play Beyond the Chariots to Europe...

]]>Sat, 27 Apr 2024 20:37:11 -0400<![CDATA[The Least of These]]>https://www.richdrama.com/blog/post/the-least-of-these

Shari Rigby ( October Baby,  Overcomer) spoke to the New York Media Initiative on January 24 when she was in town for a screening of her newest film, The Least of These: The Graham Staines Story.

Joyce and I saw a screener of the film and really loved it! Our friend and colleague, Bev Holloway ( Beyond the Mask, I Can Only Imagine, Mom's Night Out) was the casting director, and she put together a great family. Shari plays Gladys Staines opposite Stephen Baldwin ( 105 credits on IMDb). Both do a brilliant job of bringing this couple to life and showing their peace in the presence of persecution. The screenwriter has framed the atrocity at the heart of the film in a very intriguing way. We see it unfold through the eyes of a journalist who is trying to find evidence that supports his viewpoint. So it feels relevant in an era of fake news. This important story is being told in theaters February 1 with a special showing January 31. Find a theater near you: www.TheLeastOfThese.movie.

Shari's talk for NYMI was outstanding! She shared some personal trials she and her family have gone through, and she said as Christians we shouldn't cringe when we face battles because it's an opportunity to take ground for the Lord. She said we are created and called to take ground for the Kingdom of God, and Jesus the Warrior is by our side when we walk in obedience. She shared that in the midst of her family's trials she heard a sermon on Joshua leading the Israelites to circle the city of Jericho six times, and on the seventh they blew their trumpets and the walls came down. I've personally seen those crumbled walls, and archeologists have found the corner where Rahab's home was kept secure. But that day Shari didn't want to hear another sermon on Joshua. The Lord urged her not to just look at the march and the fall, but to look at what led up to it. She remembered Joshua's obedience to speak an honest report about the Promised Land in the face of the majority of the spies who were cowards. He was obedient to take over when Moses died. He was obedient to lead the way across the stopped-up Jordan River. And when the Lord appeared to him in human form (one of many evidences of the Trinity), Joshua worshipped Him. It was Joshua's life of obedience that paved the way for the miraculous wall fall.

Shari's obedience was to go back to her beginnings. She charted a map of all the connections that got her where she is today, starting back to her childhood. When she looked at the map it was so clear to her that the Lord had a hand in it all! She urged us not to get wrapped up in doing projects that make us famous. Every December she prays for stories to tell in the coming year that will make Jesus Christ famous. When we operate in obedience to his call on our lives the walls will fall, and He will get the glory.

Pray that many see The Least of These and that the Lord will get the glory!

Parents may want to visit the Dove Review for more details.

The Fathom Event
I watched the Fathom Event on January 31, and I was moved all over again! It was followed by an interview with Shari and world-renowned apologist, Ravi Zacharias.

Shari talked about working in the presence of real lepers in one of the actual Leper Homes the Staines had run. She said that when one of them raised her foot for Shari to work on it the smell of death was in the room. She ran off camera to her husband, who encouraged her. They prayed, and when she went back to the set she smelled a fragrant aroma she knew was the Holy Spirit. Others on set commented on it, too.

Shari loved working with the three Australian children, who were actually siblings in real life! She was grateful that they were helping her with her accent!

When the interviewer, Krish Dhanam, asked Shari what she would say if Gladys Staines was in the room, Shari broke down weeping. She said she would thank Gladys for such a profound act of forgiveness.

Ravi thanked the filmmakers for shining the light on the good that Christians are doing in India, and have been doing for hundreds of years. He said that the story of forgiveness is a picture of what Christ did. All forgiveness requires sacrifice, and we saw that so profoundly through this story, but Jesus Christ forgave all of humanity. What a price! What a reward! All who call on Him will be saved.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/nGaxUI5I1po

https://www.youtube.com/embed/frKX-gBjdWw


I got to perform in For the Glory and The Screenwriters with Jason Burkey, who performed in October Baby with Shari. The photo shows us in our 1940's duds covered up for a meal on the set of The Screenwriters.

]]>Thu, 24 Jan 2019 20:46:00 -0500<![CDATA[I Can Only Imagine]]>https://www.richdrama.com/blog/post/i-can-only-imagine
Wow! I feel like I still have tear stains on my cheeks. It grabbed me from the start and never let go!

It's the story of Bart Millard, of the band MercyMe, writing the best-selling single in Christian music history, "I Can Only Imagine." That log line falls far short of describing what this film really is. It is certainly the best biopic I have ever seen. The artistry that went into it is truly stunning. Long ago I heard a sermon by John Langlois on "The Father Heart of God." Because I have a great father it's been easy for me to see God the Father as loving, kind and encouraging, but for people without a father on the scene or for people with an abusive father that can be more of a challenge. I applaud Millard for letting his story of his journey to greater intimacy with his earthly and heavenly fathers be told in such a transparent way.

In 2013 I heard Stephen Kendrick say that the Christian film industry was still in its infancy, but babies crawl, then walk, then run, then ride bikes, then cars, then planes, then rockets. I Can Only Imagine is a formula 500 race car! The scriptwriting (Alex Cramer's story adapted for screen by Jon Erwin and Brent McCorkle) is precision tuned. The team made all the right decisions when it comes to what to show and what to reference. The actors (cast by our friend Beverly Holloway) pull everything off with a depth of emotion that reaches right out of the screen.

Bev turned her sights to Broadway so they could find someone with the acting/singing combo they needed to represent Millard on screen and found J. Michael Finley. Jon Erwin showed his chops as a director, pulling Finley from Jean Valjean, filling an almost 1500 seat house, to his first film demanding a full range of nuanced emotions from giddy fanboy to wounded boy-man to healed phenom.

Jason Burkey and I
protecting our costumes
on the set of
The Screenwriters.
I was jazzed to see Jason Burkey (who performed with me in For the Glory and The Screenwriters) playing MercyMe guitarist, Michael John Scheuchzer. The son of Jeff Rose (who performed opposite me in The Unexpected Bar Mitzvah) played young Bart Millard beautifully. Cloris Leachman brought spark to her roles as Millard's Memaw and inspiration for the band's name. Madeline Carroll brought a deeply compelling subplot to life playing Millard's sweetheart from childhood. Ethan and Ashley Ledden, who have worked with me on five films, did supervised the special effects. We didn't notice many, which speaks to their consistently great work!

But the real MVP is Dennis Quaid, playing Millard's abusive father, who is transformed through a relationship with Jesus Christ. His baby steps into Scripture reading, prayer and being a good father are at once charming and heart-wrenching. I haven't read any secular reviews yet (though The Hollywood Reporter was "impressed" by it making $1.3M before opening today), but since there are no artistic flaws to be found ( TheNew York Times passed on a review), my guess is that those brave enough to review something of excellence that doesn't fit their worldview will take aim at the life-transformation. How can you explain away someone's true story? My bride was told by a colleague that her changed life was the first miracle the woman had ever seen, so I'm praying the world will receive what Jesus Christ can really do in a life as it is depicted in this wonderful film.

While there is enough violence for Millard's description of his father as a monster to ring true, most of that came through verbal descriptions, and the actual depictions of violence were brief and tastefully done.

Everyone in our theatre on Times Square prayed for the film afterward. One gentleman pointed out that there is no vulgarity. What a refreshing surprise to find a team creative enough to give a full sense of a monster without scarring us.

One of the things that has stayed with me from that "Father Heart of God" sermon I heard over 15 years ago: Whether we have or had a great, absent or abusive earthly father, we can use our perceptions of him to help us imagine a perfect Heavenly Father. He is always there for us, gave us our dreams and callings and will encourage and empower us to live them out for His glory. This film does just that, and I hope people are remembering its impact decades from now.

Parents should know:
It's rated PG for themes of abuse and alcoholism, and Dove.org recommends it to children 12 and up.

You can click below to watch the trailer, a piece on Dennis Quaid's Christian faith and a brand new music video of the song "I Can Only Imagine." If you got this in an email visit www.RichDrama.com/ICanOnlyImagine.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/TYFs9iAsChk?rel=0

https://www.youtube.com/embed/y4gfFTaQzPE

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZNDEyxEMNp0?rel=0



There are still openings for the 2018 Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp.
]]>Fri, 16 Mar 2018 18:23:00 -0400<![CDATA[The Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp]]>https://www.richdrama.com/blog/post/the-rocky-mountain-christian
I got to reprise my role of the Slave Trader from Polycarp for this intro
to Zack Lawrence's review of the film.

I just got back from a great two weeks at the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp, where we produced five short films, got an IMDb credit for all of our students when they performed in an opening sequence for film instructor Zack Lawrence's Indy Christian Review, and coached them all in auditions for an upcoming feature film. To make the most of our time together we uploaded teaching modules the students watched in advance so they could hit the ground running. Once on site we made the whole process as close to professional production as possibly, while teaching principles along the way.

We also had Emmy Award-winning writer John Fornof with us for a few days. He's directed actors for his radio dramas who have performed in Narnia, The Lord of the Rings and Downton Abbey, and he directed our students on voice-over pieces. 

Before Film Camp began we had a conference call with Bev Holloway. She fielded questions and shared from her wealth of experience casting nearly 60 feature films.

During both weeks of Film Camp actor/filmmaker/casting director Rebekah Cook gave an over-the-phone workshop on creating an actor website. She shared some outstanding insights, and then Zack and Ken Lawrence gave a student-only offer to create their sites for an incredibly reasonable rate.

You can hear my report on the Film Camp for our church, Westchester Chapel Church of the Nazarene by clicking here.

Pray about joining us next year:  www.ChristianFilmmakersCamp.com.
]]>Fri, 12 Jun 2015 00:36:00 -0400<![CDATA[Beyond the Mask]]>https://www.richdrama.com/blog/post/BeyondTheMask

Beyond the Mask, in which I play Dr. Bonneville, is in theaters across America now! Thank you everyone who came out and supported the April screenings, which made this larger distribution possible. It more than doubled the previous record for the theatrical-on-demand model. Thanks to those that supported the film on opening weekend it's still available for public screenings in your area.

It is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray in Walmarts and online to rent or own.

The Christian Post included me and the NYC April screening in their article "New Faith Based Film 'Beyond the Mask' Uses More Green Screen and CG Effects Than Any Other Christian Movie."

They most certainly pull it off! I got to see Beyond the Mask with about 1000 people in San Antonio at the Christian Worldview Film Festival. They all leapt to their feet as the credits rolled. After the show two-time Emmy Award winner John Fornof, who directed Sean Astin of The Lord of the Rings and Joanne Froggatt of Downton Abbey in The Extraordinary Adventures of G.A. Henty, told me, "Tonight everything changes."

Then he sent me this: "I remember when Star Wars came out--it revolutionized how movies were made. I got that same feeling watching Beyond the Mask. Rich and I were stunned. We both agreed. This is truly a breakthrough movie in Christian filmmaking. It fires on all cylinders--an intriguing and exciting story of God's redemption with plenty of surprising twists and turns, solid acting, captivating cinematography, blow-your-mind special effects and sets, and a powerful music score. Beyond the Mask sets a whole new standard for what a faith-based film can be--and should be.”

All of these fantastic elements come together in a fictional story based around actual historical events. I play a doctor who helps an assassin recover in a village that thinks he's the expected pastor. He must immerse himself in the Word and there comes face to face with Grace. He's ready to leave his past behind him, if only his former boss--played by John Rhys-Davies (who carries a significant amount of screen-time) will let him.

Rich plays the doctor who nurses a
reformed assassin back to health in the
village where he is thought to be the
new pastor.
Faith Flix and Jeannie Ortega, who used to cover Rihanna, also covered my performance and the NYC screening: Action Film 'Beyond the Mask' Set to Hit Theaters April 6 in NYC For Special Screening.


Dr. Diane Howard reviewed the film and included elements from an exclusive interview with producer Aaron Burns for Sonoma Christian Home: "''Beyond the Mask' Producer Aaron Burns Talks Adventure & Family Entertainment."

We had been hearing about the film for over a year before I was cast in it, and I believe the first time we heard about it was when we were on the set of Indescribable. Beyond the Mask is a spectacular story, written by Paul McCusker, who wrote for the children's radio program Adventures in Odyssey.

I was cast as Dr. Bonneville by Bev Holloway and got to work with acting coach John Kirby, both of whom I've worked with a number of times over the years.

It was a delight to reconnect with crew from Christmas Grace, The Screenwriters, Indescribable, Pawn's Move, and Alone Yet Not Alone, and to work with a lot of new friends, many of whom I would work with on later projects like Princess Cut and Polycarp.

John and I both think Beyond the Mask is going to be a hit. He was thrilled with what he was seeing in the monitors.  

To learn more about the film and get involved in spreading the word, go to www.BeyondTheMaskMovie.com.
 
This is the set, where I performed my scenes.
Here's a Behind the Scenes piece they did on the mansion. You can see me briefly at the start.
I thought it was a beautiful parallel that the mansion is a place of healing, and that was the central scene that we shot there. I pointed that out to director Chad Burns, and he invited me to pray before we shot that scene, which he also did before the film screened at the Christian Worldview Film Festival. 
Christians should also know:

*The film is rated PG. 
*There’s some swashbuckling action, mostly aimed at stopping the villains. At one point someone gets conked on the head with a candlestick, but it’s stumbling over the fallen candlestick that puts an end to the fight. You see him tripping from the knees down, and then there’s a cut to him lying on the fireplace hearth. At one point someone gets electrocuted, but it’s seen from a distance.
*There's one smooch to celebrate an engagement.
]]>Thu, 19 Mar 2015 03:07:00 -0400