Eddie McClintock Dedicates New Faith-Filled Movie To Father: ‘My Hero, My Best Friend’
By Movieguide® Staff
Actor Eddie McClintock has an impressive Hollywood resume, starring in hit series such as BONES, SHOOTER and WAREHOUSE 13.
However, McClintock partnered with JC Films for his latest project, MIRACLE AT MANCHESTER.
McClintock starred in and directed the movie based on the real-life miracle of Bryce Newman.
A portion of Movieguide®’s review reads:
MIRACLE AT MANCHESTER is a drama streaming on Pure Flix starring Dean Cain and Kory Getman. The movie is based on the inspiring true story of Bryce Newman, a student at Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego. Bryce starts having headaches after baseball practice and goes to the hospital. Dr. Getty, played by Dean Cain, discovers that Bryce has an aggressive brain cancer that must be treated immediately with surgery and chemotherapy. The initial surgery goes well, but cancer remains. Through family, community and the power of prayer, Bryce battles the cancer with faith and perseverance. As his classmates, friends and family pray for a miracle, broken relationships are restored and healed.
MIRACLE AT MANCHESTER is an inspiring, uplifting, faith-filled movie that honors a true story and champions family and the healing power of prayer. The movie’s moral content, pro-family, pro-faith, and pro-veteran themes are a refreshing addition to redemptive entertainment in 2023. MOVIEGUIDE® advises discretion for younger children for some hospital scenes and mature themes. Ultimately, however, MIRACLE AT MANCHESTER is a story of faith and healing that can be enjoyed by the entire family.
McClintock, who plays Bryce’s father in the movie, Richard Newman, said that he dedicated the movie to his own father who passed shortly before the movie was released.
“When I read the story, at that time my father was very sick himself. My dad was my best friend and my biggest supporter and he was very excited about having me direct this film,” he told Movieguide® in a recent interview. “Unfortunately, he passed away before he got to see the film. JC Films and Bryce Newman and Rick Newman were kind enough to let me dedicate the film to my dad. So it was a big deal for me.”
In preparation for his role, McClintock said that he and Richard Newman drove to set together every day.
“Rick picked me up every morning,” he recalled. “I’d be dragging and he’d be fired up 24/7, so in the movie, you understand why he was so tenacious about his son. The guy’s a bulldog.”
Despite his success in Hollywood, McClintock said that his upbringing had many challenges that challenged his idea of faith.
Growing up in a Catholic school that ostracized him, McClintock said that his journey of faith has been one of both pain and grace.
I grew up Catholic, went to Catholic school. I was not an easy kid,” he recalled. “They diagnosed me with hyperactivity, and I was on Ritalin and all this stuff. The nuns were not kind to me. They used to take my desk and they would put my desk in the corner of the room and then they would take a partition and it separated me from the class, so that kind of became a through line for my life. I kind of took that on and kind of walked away from any kind of organized religion.”
Early in his career, McClintock said that he struggled with drugs and alcohol to cope. However, he celebrated 23 years of sobriety on January 1 of 2023.
McClintock also rekindled his faith in conversations with his father.
“The last couple years of my dad’s life, he started saying he was praying for me,” he said. “My dad was my hero, and I thought, ‘If my hero, my best friend, is headed down this path, maybe I should take a look at it again,’” he said. “It’s helped me to seek out something more than myself, I want to talk to God, I do talk to God, I say prayers and I ask God to look over my friends and my family.”
“When I started working for JC Films I just wanted to make money again, but being around these people and people that have faith, it’s like, and especially in today’s circumstances when it comes to people of religion, they’re mocked and put down and I’ve never been around a better group in my life,” he added. “When it comes to this film, there’s a religious component, but it doesn’t beat you over the head with dogma. This is what happened and you’re willing to believe it’s a miracle or you’re willing to believe it’s a coincidence, and that’s up to you and no one’s telling you how to think.”
“If you just present it in a way that is loving and kind and then I think people are more willing to maybe consider a spiritual path or if not then just to be more compassionate to those that do,” he continued.
While it deals with real-life hardship, McClintock notes that it is presented in a family-friendly way with an emphasis on hope, perseverance, and love.
“It’s the type of film that you can sit down and watch with the whole family. There’s no gratuitous violence or sex or language or anything like that. Everybody can watch this film,” he said. “And the message in the film is it’s okay to have faith. It’s okay to question your faith. It’s okay to know that there’s still family and community and hope.”
“Life is challenging, but through it all, Bryce Newman just leaned on his faith. I just feel like we need more stuff like that in the world,” he added.
MIRACLE AT MANCHESTER is exclusively available to stream on Pureflix.
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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.
