Eric Close Reveals How Faith, Mercy, Grace Carry Pat Boone’s THE MULLIGAN
By Movieguide® Staff
Actor Eric Close, known for AMERICAN SNIPER and NASHVILLE, recently starred alongside Hollywood legend Pat Boone in the new faith-filled movie, THE MULLIGAN.
THE MULLIGAN is based on the book of the same name written by Ken Blanchard and professional golfer Wally Armstrong.
Movieguide® previously reported:
The movie, starring former Movieguide® Awards host and iconic singer and actor Pat Boone, is set to release in select theaters nationwide as a two-day event on April 18 and 19.
The movie follows Paul McAlister (Eric Close), a businessman who puts his career ahead of everything else in his life—including his family. With the help of a new friend known as “the Old Pro” (Pat Boone), Paul learns how to prioritize what truly matters in life.
Close, who plays McAlister, noted that THE MULLIGAN is not only about golf but about faith, forgiveness, and family.
“One of the things that’s really cool about the game of golf, unlike any other sport, is it really resembles or reflects life in many, many ways,” Close told Movieguide®. “Sometimes you’re doing the right thing and bad things happen, sometimes you’re not doing the right thing and things can kind of work out. Scripture talks about it where you see people that don’t want to have anything to do with God and yet their life seems to be kinda blessed, right? But the interesting thing about this movie is the term ‘The Mulligan.’
“The concept is that when you’re out playing in a tournament, you have to play by the rules,” he continued. “It’s a game of honesty, integrity…. [but] ‘The Mulligan’ is a term that came up where if you’re out playing a friendly game with your buddies and you go to the first tee and everybody tees off, a lot of times you hit a kind of a lousy shot. And just out of a friendly game of golf or extending some grace you say, ‘Hey, take a Mulligan.’ Meaning, take a do-over.
“So Ken and Wally took this concept and related it to life in the sense that in life there are rules and their consequences for our actions, but with God in the equation, God is a God of forgiveness and mercy and grace and he gives us second chances time and time again,” he continued. “While there are consequences for our actions in life, [in] our relationship with God, he gives us a second chance because he wants to be in a relationship with us.”
McAlister struggles to balance supporting his family financially and his role as a father and husband, but his perspective changes when he understands the theme of grace, Close said.
“Sometimes people feel like, ‘Well, I really blew it. Why would God want to have anything to do with me?’ And that’s the last thing God wants you to think,” he said. “He wants you to come back. It’s like the prodigal son, where his father welcomed him with open arms, even though he had gone and made a mess in his life. It sort of parallels The Mulligan, where God gives us a Mulligan. In the story, there’s characters in this film who get to experience that grace, that mercy, that forgiveness, and receive a second chance.”
Close knew Armstrong before THE MULLIGAN started production through his love for golf. However, Close said that what was most evident on set, was Armstrong and Boone’s faith.
“He’s a wonderful man,” Close said of Boone. “He’s very authentic and transparent and real. He loves Jesus and he’s just just a wonderful human being and we became instant brothers the minute we met on the movie.”
“We would rehearse together and just pray together, and we just became great friends,” he added. “We actually got to go out and play some golf together on our days off and I’m grateful that I got a chance to work with him.”
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
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Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
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