HIS ONLY SON Director Says ‘The Lord’s Hand’ Led Him To Find Lead Actor
By Movieguide® Contributor
HIS ONLY SON writer and director David Helling revealed the role “the Lord’s hand” had when it came time to cast the lead in the movie.
HIS ONLY SON is a retelling of the story of Abraham, focusing on God’s command that Abraham sacrifice his son Isaac and the journey the father and son took to Mount Moriah.
“I had looked at over 1,700 applicants for the role of Abraham — no one fit the bill at all,” Helling said.
The situation got so complicated that Helling was told by producer Roman Medjanov that the movie would have to be delayed if he couldn’t find an actor to play Abraham. Helling turned to prayer to help him figure out a way to find his Abraham.
“You know who Abraham is,” he remembered praying. “You know who You’ve declared to play Abraham, so please just show me who that person is.”
He started looking again and stumbled across Lebanese actor Nicolas Mouawad, who had created an IMDb page just one day before Helling found him. Mouawad was a successful actor in the Middle East but had never had an English-speaking role.
Helling reached out and received an audition tape from the actor.
“[His performance was] exactly as I envisioned it when I was writing the film,” Helling shared. “I’m talking about the intonation, the pauses in his speech, even his mannerisms and his hands. It was like, ‘This is exactly like I envisioned when I wrote it.’ So I had to get him.”
He continued, “It’s just proof that this is totally the Lord’s hand on the project. I mean, you see His hand throughout the whole thing.”
HIS ONLY SON was made with a budget of just $250,000. It has already made over $11 million at the box office.
A portion of Movieguide®’s review reads:
HIS ONLY SON tells a deep story, with good performances, but so-so production values. It deals with its historical subject in a biblically accurate way. In focusing on a difficult biblical passage, it brings deep philosophical and psychological insight into Abraham’s situation. Viewers will feel Abraham’s pain as he seeks to obey God’s will. HIS ONLY SON has a strong Christian, biblical worldview that connects Abraham’s story to Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection. MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children due to the story’s weighty nature, some peril and references to the physical condition of Abraham’s wife.
- Content: +1