{"id":11172,"date":"2024-02-24T01:55:02","date_gmt":"2024-02-23T20:25:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/24\/hilary-swank-blessed-to-star-in-christian-film-ordinary-angels\/"},"modified":"2024-02-24T01:55:02","modified_gmt":"2024-02-23T20:25:02","slug":"hilary-swank-blessed-to-star-in-christian-film-ordinary-angels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/24\/hilary-swank-blessed-to-star-in-christian-film-ordinary-angels\/","title":{"rendered":"Hilary Swank ‘blessed’ to star in Christian film Ordinary Angels"},"content":{"rendered":"


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By Leah MarieAnn Klett<\/a>, Assistant Editor \"Twitter\"<\/a><\/div>\n<\/header>\n
\"Hilary<\/source><\/picture>
Hilary Swank <\/span> | Rich Polk\/Getty Images for IMDb<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

NEW YORK \u2014 For Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank, starring in \u201cOrdinary Angels,\u201d the true story about a woman who rallied her local community to save a young girl\u2019s life, allowed her to use her platform to spread a message of hope and service at a time when it’s desperately needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve been so blessed with the opportunity to play in real life characters in stories that definitely are stranger than fiction \u2014 if you read the script, you would say, \u2018That didn\u2019t happen, that couldn\u2019t happen, let\u2019s tone it down a little bit.\u2019 But it did happen,\u201d Swank told The Christian Post at the red carpet premiere of \u201cOrdinary Angels.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s just such a reminder that kindness can be found anywhere, but we all have to make sure that we\u2019re slowing down for a second and looking at our fellow humans wherever we go and just acting with a little more kindness. We can find purpose in serving others.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 49-year-old actress plays Sharon Stevens in \u201cOrdinary Angels,\u201d from Kingdom Story Company and Lionsgate, a hairdresser struggling with alcoholism and estrangement from her son. But after discovering the story of Michelle, a little girl in need of a liver transplant in the local newspaper, Sharon pours her energy into raising funds for the surgery.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Though Sharon soon raises thousands for the family, her efforts aren\u2019t exactly appreciated by Michelle\u2019s father, Ed (Alan Ritchson<\/a>), a gruff roofer who recently lost his wife. Undeterred, Michelle rallies her community, with the support of a local church, to ensure Michelle receives life-saving treatment, all while working to overcome her own struggles.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Swank, who became a mother last year, said she was attracted to the true story because of the sensitive way it tackled themes of addiction while highlighting the human capacity for empathy and support.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you’re waiting for an organ transplant, or you want to be a donor or you’re struggling with addiction, know you’re not alone,\u201d she said. \u201cAs a mom, there are some nights that are sleepless and you’re so exhausted, and I just think of all the other mothers or fathers or caregivers out there who are also comforting their baby at night \u2014 we’re not alone in anything.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone’s been through something before, and I think that’s one of the things beautiful things about movies, they depict all different types of people and all different types of struggles,\u201d she added. \u201cI just hope that people recognize that and ask for help. It’s hard to do, but that\u2019s such an important aspect of the movie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOrdinary Angels\u201d is the latest project from Jon and Andy Erwin, the brothers behind the wildly successful faith-based films \u201cJesus Revolution\u201d and \u201cI Can Only Imagine,\u201d and is directed by Jon Gun (\u201cCase for Christ”).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Andy Erwin told CP that Kingdom Story company is committed to truthfully telling uplifting stories to both move away from the \u201ccheesy Christian movie\u201d stereotype and highlight God\u2019s faithfulness despite the brokenness of humanity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes a cheesy Christian film is the fact that, as Christians, sometimes we’re scared to embrace struggle and tension, and all those things of being flawed individuals, to get to that place of hope or that place of redemption,\u201d Erwin said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we try to do with all of our movies is embrace the struggle; in this case, Sharon is a hot mess of a person but she\u2019s also an \u2018ordinary angel\u2019 in Ed\u2019s life who finds her purpose in saving a little girl. I think it gives hope to the ordinary, everyday person that is flawed and struggling their way through life to find their calling and their purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sharon and Ed\u2019s story, which highlights the importance of Christian service, Erwin added, was the \u201cperfect follow-up\u201d to the revival film \u201cJesus Revolution.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a rush of hope,\u201d he said. \u201cIt just had such a beautiful take on the power of just making a difference in one person’s life and being an ordinary angel. How can I make a difference in my community? How can I be the hands and feet of Jesus?\u201d<\/p>\n

Addressing the star power of Swank and Ritchson \u2014 who\u00a0stars<\/a> in \u201cReacher,\u201d one of the most popular shows on Amazon Prime \u2014 Erwin said it\u2019s evidence of Hollywood’s awakening to the underserved faith community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it’s really a moment in time where there’s been a group of individuals that have all been trying to work behind the scenes to tell stories of faith. But collectively, whether it’s through \u2018The Chosen\u2019 or \u2018Sound of Freedom,\u2019 or what we did with \u2018Jesus Revolution,\u2019 all of a sudden, it’s been legitimized,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re so grateful to have a partner in Lionsgate that has really invested so many resources into this community to tell stories that are mainstream relatable. So to have a two-time Oscar winner like Hillary Swank, to have Alan Ritchson, who’s one of the hottest actors on the planet right now, both telling a story of faith and doing it unapologetically \u2014 that’s what we’ve worked for, and it\u2019s being heard by the industry. As we support these films in the theaters, there’s an opportunity for the movies to get bigger and bigger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though released in theaters today, \u201cOrdinary Angels\u201d has been screened across U.S. churches for the last several months \u2014 and Erwin said the response, especially from pastors, has been \u201cincredible.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are so excited to see the church be the hero of the story again,\u201d he said. \u201cIn society, so much of the time, the church becomes the butt of the joke, the punch line. We\u2019re reminding the outside world that the church is a safe place where you can get help, and that\u2019s a message churches really, really embrace. When we show it to audiences, it brings them to tears, and it brings them to their feet, they’re cheering at the end. It\u2019s exactly what we need right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

“Ordinary Angels” is now playing in theaters. The film\u00a0also stars Nancy Travis, Tamala Jones, Amy Acker, Drew Powell, Skywalker Hughes and Emily Mitchell.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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