By India McCarty
John Michael Finley opened up about what it was like to return to one of his early roles in I CAN ONLY IMAGINE 2.
“I am so thankful and grateful that they entrusted me with that process,” he told Movieguide® of reprising his role as Bart Millard, adding that he ended up having “so much more fun” because of the experience as an actor he brought to the sequel.
A major part of the fun? Turning the set into “a family environment.”
“Every single day, there’s at least 45 people who are part of the real story — not breathing down your neck but just yelling and supporting,” Finley explained.
The actor also reflected on the message of both movies, explaining, “Grief is so easy to find…but to find gratitude at the same time — because it’s not necessarily about waiting for the storm to be over. It’s: how can we balance the tension of grief and gratitude at the same time?”
“I think anyone — old, young, white or black, male or female — can probably connect to [the movie],” he said when asked about what he wants audiences to take away from I CAN ONLY IMAGINE 2. “Our big theme is, once again, holding that grief and gratitude at the same time.”
In I CAN ONLY IMAGINE 2, MercyMe’s Millard (Finley) is on top of the world in his professional life but struggling when it comes to his personal relationship with his son.
“When hopeful newcomer Tim Timmons (Milo Ventimiglia, THIS IS US) joins the band for their biggest tour yet, he unknowingly brings a renewed gratitude to Bart’s life through their unlikely friendship,” a synopsis of the movie reads. “Bart soon discovers that Tim carries hardships — and secrets — of his own, forcing him to face his past and repair his relationships with Sam and his wife, Shannon (Sophie Skelton), before fame costs him what matters most.”
In an interview with NBC’s WTHR 13, Finley talked about what it was like to have Ventimiglia join the cast.
“I still have to pinch myself,” he said. “I was a teenager in junior high, sitting in my best friend’s living room weekly watching episodes of HEROES and just being in awe of Milo Ventimiglia, not knowing who he was. When I heard that they were considering him for Tim Timmons, I couldn’t believe it.”
Finley continued, “He wanted to be here. We couldn’t have unconvinced him to not do this…The dude deserves nominations. He’s the light in the darkness of this film, and the best part of all that, I want to brag on him as an actor, but he’s an even better human being.”
I CAN ONLY IMAGINE 2 is playing in theaters.
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