Chrissy Metz Dishes on Taking on Real-Life Survival Story in FAITH IN THE FLAMES

Published: July 28, 2025

By Michaela Gordoni

Chrissy Metz shared what it’s like to portray real-life hero Nichole Jolly in her Lifetime movie FAITH IN THE FLAMES.

Jolly was a nurse who saved lives in the November 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, California, which killed 85 people and destroyed the whole city.

“Our first conversation, I just asked her so many questions — mainly ‘How in the world did you do this? How did you go through everything you went through and still have the courage to keep going?’ When she was sort of stacked against all odds,” Metz told TV Insider this month.

She enjoys learning from her real-life-inspired roles — especially about their faith and tenacity.

“I feel very, very lucky and very grateful to be able to be just a conduit of a part of this story,” she said. “I hope people will feel inspired but also encouraged to keep pushing when you don’t think you can anymore.”

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Metz shares more about her roles and life in her book, This Is Me: Loving the Person You Are Today.

She says she had 81 cents in her bank account when she got her breakout role in THIS IS US.

“I had to borrow gas money to get to the audition,” Metz said. “I vividly remember that after [I got the role] I called my friend to tell her that I was going to be able to pay her back for the rent and thanked her for believing in me before I believed in myself.”

She loved her time on THIS IS US and misses her co-stars.

“I miss just going to set every day and seeing all my friends and being able to play on set and just explore and challenge ourselves and challenge myself,” she said. “And just being a part of something that was so impactful is what anybody dreams about. … I know that nothing will ever come close to what we experienced.”

Metz has a new song coming out in FAITH IN THE FLAMES, too.

“The song’s called ‘Last Day in Paradise.’ I’m pretty excited. Definitely a bucket list to star in a movie and then write a song for it,” she said.

Metz shared photos with the real Nichole Jolly on her Instagram last week.

She said, “Celebrating #FaithInTheFlames with the real-life Nichole Jolly. She’s the real hero, I’m just lucky enough to help share her story 🧡”

She also shared some behind-the-scenes photos.

“Filming with this cast and crew in South Africa was one of the most incredible, most humbling experiences I’ve had on a set,” she shared in the caption.