By Gavin Boyle
Michael Iskander always wants his work to point back to the Lord and recently shared how that makes God the star of HOUSE OF DAVID more than anyone else.
“It’s very easy for actors to fall into the trap when playing a role like this, to make it about David; to make it about the human being rather than about God,” Iskander said while speaking at a Liberty University convocation. “Essentially, the show, for me, shouldn’t be called HOUSE OF DAVID; it should be called HOUSE OF THE LORD, HOUSE OF GOD, because it’s about Him. David’s heart was for the Lord, and so that’s what I try to find in every scene and every moment is where the Lord is and where the Holy Spirit can be found.”
While focusing on the Lord above the glory of men is not always easy, Michael Iskander does this in his life, making all the difference when applying that same principle to David. Not only has it allowed him to understand the character, but it has given his performance a level of realness that would be impossible to reach otherwise.
“There was actually a moment [during Iskander’s screen test] where I froze the frame, and I said, ‘That’s conviction, and you can’t fake it,’” HOUSE OF DAVID creator Jon Erwin recalled. “That cannot be manufactured, in my opinion, no matter how good the actor is.”
That moment came as a result of Iskander fasting a praying to connect with the Lord before he was even given the part. However, even after landing the role, the actor remains committed to allowing the Lord to lead his life, rather than working for his own glory.
“There was a moment where everything felt like it was just coming down,” Iskander said during a conversation with Jonathan Roumie about portraying heroes of the Bible. “I tore my shoulder slinging, and I had injured my hands, and they got infected, and I couldn’t close my fists. There was a lot of other stuff. And there was this moment, I was just crying to God, and I was in so much pain, and I said, ‘God, why does it have to be so difficult?’ — It was my first time on a set, so everything was shocking — Like, ‘Why does it have to be so difficult?’”
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“‘But, if this is the way that it must be, I would go through it one hundred time over.’ And it only got harder,” Iskander continued. “But I think it was all just to humble me. God was truly brining me down to my knees and telling me, ‘This is me. It’s not you, it’s me.'”
As Michael Iskander has remained faithful to the Lord, HOUSE OF DAVID has found amazing success, dominating Prime Videos charts as it was released. The show was also renewed for a second season, allowing David’s story to continue to be told, glorifying God in front of an audience of millions.
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