By Gavin Boyle
BRAVEHEART writer Randall Wallace discussed the value of writing stories that include the Gospel without becoming overly preachy.
“For me, it begins and ends with authenticity. It’s like when someone is preaching to me, whether we’re talking about in church or politics or anytime, but they’re preaching what they want me to believe, but they themselves do not believe, it stinks. And it doesn’t feel right in some place no matter how good it sounds. And so the big thing for me is that I’m telling a story that is true for me, that moves me, that surprises me,” Wallace told Greg Laurie.
Related: BRAVEHEART Writer Prayed This Before Penning the Oscar-Winning Movie
BRAVEHEART certainly follows this principle as Wallace’s honest portrayal of the Scots struggle against the English has remained a beloved story for generations because of its authenticity. Most amazingly, Wallace committed to this principle of storytelling at a time when he was about to lose it all, yet he chose to trust in Christ rather than sell out to Hollywood.
“It looked like we were going to lose our home…my career, I was going to have to go do something else,” Wallace said. “But my prayer was, what matters is my sons and maybe they’ll grow up to be better men, if, instead of living in a house with all the bedrooms and the bathrooms and the tennis court, they’ll grow up in a little house, like one without indoor plumbing [like we did].”
“‘[I]f I go down in this fight. Let me go down, not on my knees to Hollywood, trying to do what Hollywood says they want. Let me go down with my flag flying, fighting for what I believe,’” he said, recalling his prayer at the time. “And I stood up and went back to my desk, and that led directly to BRAVEHEART.”
Wallace takes inspiration to tell stories that point toward the Gospel without becoming too preachy themselves from the master storyteller Himself: Jesus.
“Growing up a Baptist, I read the Bible every day. I still do,” he said. “And I thought, ‘Okay, Jesus used stories’…and that’s how I see it. Jesus was the master storyteller. He spoke in different ways, He told parables, which were stories, and then He taught the meaning behind it…He emotionally engaged the audience.”
As faith-based stories make a comeback in Hollywood, it is encouraging to see many writers and producers embrace Wallace’s philosophy and write shows that connect with both Christians and non-Christians because they are solid stories that just so happen to be based on the Bible.
Read Next: ‘Jesus was the Master Storyteller’: BRAVEHEART Writer Channeled Faith in His Work
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