Chrissy Metz’s New Book and Album Teaches Children About the Power of Prayer
By Movieguide® Contributor
THIS IS US star Chrissy Metz and her boyfriend, songwriter Bradley Collins, recently spoke about the inspiration behind their new children’s book When I Talk To God, I Talk About You, which teaches children about the power of prayer.
The couple wrote the book over the last few years while Metz filmed the last season of THIS IS US and Collins worked on his music in Nashville.
The writing duo recently appeared on the TODAY show to talk about their new children’s book and accompnaying album which Metz debuted at the 30th Annual Movieguide® Awards on Feb. 10.
“Creating something together as a couple is fascinating,” the actress shared. “You don’t want to step on any toes, but you want to be respectful….but he makes it very easy!”
“Our hope is that it is as well-received as it was intended,” Collins explained. “My grandfather was very sick when I was growing up and I didn’t know if I could pray or not. The book tells you, ‘Yes, you can.’ You can pray for your pets, you can pray for your grandparents, and no matter how old you are, you can have a relationship with God.”
The companion album is called Prayed For This Day, which Metz co-wrote and produced with Collins.
She revealed that her grandmother’s saying “Singing is like praying twice” inspired her create this album.
“It’s wonderful to spread the message,” Metz reflected on her hope for the book and album.
Movieguide® previously reported on Metz’s faith and the role prayer has played in her own life:
Actress Chrissy Metz, known for her role on the hit TV series THIS IS US and faith-based movie BREAKTHROUGH, shared how she preserved in life through prayer.
“In BREAKTHROUGH, I play the mom of a boy who drowned and was declared dead. She refused to believe it and kept praying, praying when no hope seemed possible, praying when all the evidence argued against her prayers, praying that the boy would come back to life. Miraculously he did,” Metz wrote in 2019. “That kind of resilience is something I can relate to. In life and in prayer.”
Metz recalled the many challenges that led to her role in BREAKTHROUGH and her Emmy nomination for the drama series beforehand. Despite her success, other things occupied her mind.
“A year and a half ago, I was gearing up for the Emmys. I’d been nominated for best supporting actress in a drama series and convinced Mom that she had to come out to Hollywood to be my date for the red carpet,” Metz remembered. “But one August morning back in Gainesville, Florida, where I’d grown up, she’d just come home from getting her hair done – prepping for the awards – and fell outside her car. An ambulance rushed her to the hospital. She’d had a massive stroke, two major clots in her carotid artery.
“I took the first flight I could out of L.A. and drove from the airport two hours to get to Gainesville. Rushing to Mom’s bedside, I passed the hospital chaplain. ‘Oh my. . . you’re Kate from THIS IS US,’ he said. No, not at that moment. I was just Chrissy looking for her mama,” Metz continued. “The doctor said her prognosis was grim. The stroke was on the left side of the brain. He said he was certain she would have paralysis on her right side and that her speech and swallowing would be severely compromised. ‘You don’t know my mom,’ I said.”
However, Metz did not lose hope and continued to pray over her mother.
“I looked down at her unconscious form. They said it was unlikely that she could hear me or understand anything, but I refused to believe that. ‘You are strong,’ I told her again and again. ‘You are healing,’” Metz said. “I could be there for only 36 hours – I had to get back to shoot another episode of This Is Us – but I was joined by my brother and three sisters, all of us gathering around Mom, talking to her, praying. A friend of Mom’s dropped by and took in the scene. ‘I cannot tell you,’ she said, ‘how much the energy and light of Jesus is in your mom’s room. There is so much love here.’”
She added: “My mom didn’t make it to the Emmys red carpet. But to none of our surprise, she made a strong recovery. The swelling in her brain went down without surgery. She went from being bedridden to going to the bathroom on her own in less than two weeks. Soon she was able to put playing cards in order from the king to the ace. After three weeks, she was in rehab, walking so fast that the aides had to tell her, ‘Slow down!’”
Metz said her mother’s strength and perseverance helped her portray the mother in BREAKTHROUGH.
“Maybe that’s why I was so glad to play the part of that movie mom in Breakthrough – showing the world what resilience can do,” Metz said. “It gives you the strength to pray without giving up. To believe when others around you have said you’re holding on to false hope. My own life’s journey has been one of proving others wrong. More important, it has been about proving those negative voices in my head wrong and listening to the voice inside that said I would always be loved.”
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