Joel Smallbone Says Playing His Dad in UNSUNG HERO Gave Him ‘Great Empathy…Insight’
By Movieguide® Contributor
For KING + COUNTRY’s Joel Smallbone is opening up about what it was like to play his father in his new movie UNSUNG HERO.
“This movie is obviously the definition of a passion project for me, as you would imagine,” Smallbone shared during an episode of “The Drive-In Podcast.” “It’s my parents’ origin story, it’s a 90s film, it’s music, it’s moms, it’s miracles, it’s all of it.”
In addition to starring in UNSUNG HERO, Smallbone was also the movie’s co-director and co-writer.
UNSUNG HERO tells the story of Smallbone’s family’s journey to America from Australia and how they built a new life for themselves. Playing his father in this retelling of his own life gave Smallbone a new appreciation for what his dad was feeling at the time.
“So much of us, as men, are sort of a mirror of our dads, and so the more awareness we have of our father and understanding of our father, I think the more awareness we have of ourselves, so it’s given me great empathy for him and great insight for me,” he explained.
In addition to the father-son themes, Smallbone also pointed out that UNSUNG HERO is really about all familial relationships.
“With this film, I tried to go as close to the heart of the story as possible so that it would relate to as many people as possible,” he said. “Really, at the heart of it, it’s a film for the family.”
In an interview with Deseret News, Smallbone called UNSUNG HERO “the closest story to home, the most guttural, the most honest story that we could ever tell, being our own family story,” adding that it felt like “the right step” as he and his brother enter the movie industry.
Smallbone’s brother Luke served as a producer on the movie and echoed his statements about the movie’s emphasis on the importance of family and how their mother was the true “unsung hero” of their family.
“My mom is one of the greatest people that I’ve ever met,” he told The Christian Post. “My mother taught me what it means to forgive. My mom taught me what it means to follow Jesus. She implemented patience in me when I had none. She taught me self-control when I literally didn’t have any. And what has happened with her sacrifice is that her seven kids have been forever changed because of her example.”
The Movieguide® review for UNSUNG HERO reads:
UNSUNG HERO is a true story about a Christian family from Australia’s struggles to survive and thrive in the rough and tumble music business while trying to serve God. When the father, David Smallbone, loses big on promoting an unsuccessful tour, he thinks relocating the family to Nashville may be their best route forward. Odd jobs and a local church keep the family afloat while David seeks work in the music industry. David’s father, wife Helen and others tell him he should focus on the musical talent living under his own roof. The family’s prospects rise when he takes that advice to heart. Can focusing on God and family lead them to the new life they seek?
UNSUNG HERO is a powerful, compelling story of faith and family, told with lots of sincerity and heart. The acting and writing is very good and convincing. UNSUNG HERO has a strong Christian, biblical worldview. The family’s Christian faith is not only clear from their repeated prayers to Jesus to guide and provide for them, but also from their infectious enthusiasm and spiritually uplifting song lyrics.
