Lecrae on Playing the Angel Gabriel in New Musical JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM
By Cooper Dowd, Movieguide® Staff
Akin to HAMILTON and recent upbeat, critically acclaimed musicals, JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM takes the genre to a new level of storytelling and stars Antonio Banderas, Joel Smallbone, Lecrae and Fiona Palomo.
The movie’s synopsis reads: “A young woman carrying an unimaginable responsibility. A young man torn between love and honor. A jealous king who will stop at nothing to keep his crown. This live-action Christmas musical adventure for the entire family weaves classic Christmas melodies with humor, faith and new pop songs in a retelling of the greatest story ever told, the story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus. A unique new entry into the collection of holiday classic movies, this epic Christmas musical is unlike any before it.”
Grammy award-winning artist Lecrae recently sat down with Movieguide® to talk about the musical and his role as the angel Gabriel.
“I play the angel Gabriel, who gets to deliver the news to Mary, and for me, that was a massive opportunity because [what] better news to deliver,” he said. “So you know, just to be able to carry that weight, was encouraging to me.”
Although Lecrae is familiar with music and singing, he said that the acting part of the movie was a welcome challenge.
“I’m used to being stretched in terms of the music, and so doing some of the music for the film, and in the film, was not tough at all. But I want it to be taken seriously, and I didn’t want to hinder the audience’s ability to enjoy the film by being a bad actor,” he explained. “So I had to take some classes, and I really just had to hone the skill set of delivering these lines and playing this character, so that was a new challenge for me, but I welcomed it because it made me better.”
While the story of Joseph and Mary’s journey to Bethlehem is a popular one to adapt for the big screen, Lecrae said that the musicality of JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM added to the powerful retelling of one of the greatest stories in history.
“We’ve already seen the phenomenal impact of telling powerful stories to music with the phenomenon of HAMILTON,” he said. “I think this is something that’s being brought to the big screen with the same level of artistic excellence. A lot of times, people may have lower expectations because it’s a musical or it’s about a faith-based theme. But no, the acting is top tier, and the writing and storytelling is top tier. So I’m excited for people to just encounter it. I think they’re going to be blown away by what they see.”
Lecrae said that he hopes audiences understand better the humanity of Mary and Joseph through JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM.
“It’s important for people to see the humanity of these characters, like seeing Mary as a human being who’s going through stuff and wrestling through stuff, the humanity of Joseph, and just the wrestles and all of those things. I think sometimes we remove that and make it just kind of this mystical thing,” he explained. “But for this amazing miracle of the birth of the Savior of the world to come to regular human beings who would be like you and I, it’s something phenomenal. And so I would hope that people walk away saying, ‘Wow, God can impact little old me and use little old me in the same way that he would use Mary and Joseph.’”
“It’s so crazy how God uses the story to transform our lives and I get to be a part of the retelling of this story,” he added of his own role in the movie. “I think that’s the cool part about it is that throughout the film, you’re always aware that there’s something big and amazing about the birth of Jesus coming. But you are walking with Mary, as she’s navigating her own humanity and she’s wrestling.”
“I think it’s important that we go out to the theaters first because it just shows the demand for something like this in society and culture and it helps,” he said. “This is something that we need to invest more in because we see how important it is to society. So when we show up to the box office, we’re telling a message with our tickets, and I think that’s very important as well.”
JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM is scheduled to release in theaters on Nov. 10.
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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.
