Jonathan Roumie’s Latest Project Urges Us to See the Humanity in Everyone
By Movieguide® Contributor
Best known for playing Jesus on THE CHOSEN, Jonathan Roumie is adding another faith-focused project to his résumé called HEART OF A SERVANT: THE FATHER FLANAGAN STORY.
“HEART OF A SERVANT reveals the full picture of Father Flanagan’s life and the challenges he overcame to provide abandoned and orphaned children with an opportunity to thrive. He responded to the most pressing questions of his era regarding at-risk youth with answers that were blind to color or creed,” a synopsis of the film reads.
Flanagan “was somebody who saw the common humanity we all share as brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. And if other people didn’t, he would fight for what was right,” Roumie says in the movie.
The film’s cast and crew shared with Movieguide® how Father Flanagan’s story touched each of them.
“I think he was like a true father to so many boys…it’s sometimes hard to be a father, but the tenderness, that’s really what touches young men, young children,” Rob Kaczmark, the co-director and executive producer, said, adding that that’s something he wants to “replicate” in his own life.
Daniel Gerbert, who wrote and co-directed the project, was also intrigued by Flanagan’s character.
“Right from the get-go when I was asked to be involved in the project, I did a little digging on Father Flanagan. I said I got to know who this guy is, a little bit more than just the superficial stuff that I think most people know…As I started digging in to his life and his legacy and his work across the world, I immediately gravitated towards his character. I was attracted to his leadership, his virtue, his heroism,” Gerbert explained.
For Roumie, who executive produced and narrates HEART OF A SERVANT, the project opened his eyes to getting more involved in the production side of the entertainment industry.
More than that, though, Father Flanagan’s story opened his eyes to a “revolutionary” way of caring for children.
“I don’t think I was prepared to see just how revolutionary he was in his approach to child welfare, just how much opposition there was,” Roumie said on Instagram. “I think by giving Father Flanagan the kinds of opposition from the people that he did, it forced him to expand his mission in a way that he perhaps hadn’t conceived of before…he went and he built his own town. Like who does that? Saints in the making do that. That’s who does that.”
HEART OF A SERVANT will hit theaters nationwide on Oct. 8. Check back for Movieguide®’s review.
Movieguide® previously reported on Flanagan’s story:
Father Flanagan was an incredible man of faith who devoted his life to making the light and hope of Jesus known to those overlooked and cast out by society.
“Flanagan gained influence and admiration over the course of his life from Presidents, CEOs, celebrities and more, but none mattered more to him than that of the children for whom he tirelessly worked. A sobering reminder of this was during WWII, as Flanagan saw droves of former Boys Town citizens go off to war. In fact, so many former Boys Town boys named Father Flanagan as their next of kin that the American War Dads Association named him as America’s No. 1 War Dad,” Fathom Events said.
The documentary explores the legacy he left on those he impacted while also sharing the struggles he faced along the way.
HEART OF A SERVANT features footage of Father Flanagan along with explanations from historical experts and discussions of the profound, far-reaching impact he had on all of America, all while being narrated by Roumie.