Stephen Atherholt performs the function of nineteenth-century poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow within the latest film I Heard the Bells. The movie is the primary cinematic launch from the favored Christian musical theatre Sight and Sound. It chronicles the lifetime of Longfellow as he experiences a disaster of religion following the demise of his spouse, Fanny, and the grave damage of his son Charley, culminating in his writing the poem that will turn into the favored carol “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” Atherholt has been an actor at Sight and Sound since 2001, and is now my colleague at Lancaster Bible Faculty, the place he heads up the varsity’s Musical Theatre program. He sat down with me for an interview to speak in regards to the movie.
The next interview has been edited barely for readability.
It appears to be form of an unlucky reality that evangelical Christian creators have a protracted historical past of manufacturing generic or subpar merchandise. Was that ever one thing you had been involved about for this undertaking, and the way did the crew work to develop a bit of profitable Christian filmmaking?
Sure, nicely, we began out with this movie being a brief movie, and so sure, we had been all involved, I feel, initially [about] simply what’s the high quality going to be like, however they took all that expectation proper out from the get-go, they eliminated it, as a result of it was meant to be a studying course of, it was meant to be a studying course of for Sight and Sound, for Josh Enck, for all the forged members; [this] was a low-pressure undertaking that was speculated to be actually for instructional causes. They didn’t count on to launch it. It was speculated to be possibly [at] a movie pageant right here or there, form of garner somewhat consideration for Sight and Sound Movies, however Josh Enck knew that coming into this movie, he wanted to supply one thing of top of the range to be able to get the backing of the remainder of the corporate, as a result of it’s traditionally a theatre firm, and movie is . . . a brand new medium and never one thing they had been comfy with. So I feel that by selecting this time interval and figuring out that they may masks the world round them pretty nicely with their creativity, I feel Josh knew proper from the start that he was going to have the ability to create one thing that was going to be lovely. Whether or not or not the storytelling was going to completely work, I don’t suppose anybody knew. However they knew they had been going to have the ability to create the standard of the movie.
I feel that somebody with the extent of expertise like Henry, there’s a calling, and there’s a accountability . . . to make use of that to the perfect of your potential to spark optimistic change.
So Lancaster’s Sight and Sound firm was producing this movie, and, as you identified, they’re recognized for his or her roots in musical theater, which can also be the place your coaching considerably lies. Despite the fact that I Heard the Bells is about a track, it’s not a musical, so how did you all go about crafting a dramatic storyline, and what wanted to occur to make it cinematic slightly than theatrical?
Yeah, Josh even stated at first of the filming course of that he was not going to draw back from sure theatrical components, which he didn’t. That’s one of many criticisms I feel some folks might have of the movie is that, just like the Youngsters’s Hour, when Henry is recounting this poem—now you could know that in that point interval, it’s one thing they might have carried out as a type of leisure, however for the present viewers, it comes throughout a bit theatrical . . . at occasions, and Josh had stated . . . “Sight and Sound is thought for theatricality, and I’m not going to draw back from a few of that theatricality within the movie.” Nevertheless, I don’t suppose he took it to date that it overplayed. There have been occasions the place he was trying to include some music into it. When Rachel [Hughes] and I as Fanny and Henry are speaking about [Charley] going off to battle, we then go in and be part of the youngsters who’re enjoying the piano, and all of us sing collectively. Initially, Rachel sang a great portion of the track by herself, which might have very a lot come throughout as a musical, and as soon as they form of noticed it in relation to the remainder of the movie, they acknowledged, “No, this isn’t going to work. We’re not going that far with the concept of a musical.” So I don’t suppose it’s that onerous in storytelling to . . . take away musical throughlines as a lot as it’s to justify them and make them work whenever you need to create a musical. I feel it’s lots more durable to create [something] musical in movie that works than it’s for them to take away a few of the theatrics that could be naturally current.
That’s attention-grabbing. I by no means would have considered it on these phrases, however that makes lots of sense. Now because the movie factors out, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a literary celeb in his personal day, and he’s nonetheless broadly learn, although . . . possibly another writers of his technology have considerably eclipsed his fame since then. However how did the crew choose his story because the one to go together with?
Josh had needed to do one thing throughout the . . . 1800s time interval due to the colonial facet of the realm. Then they needed one thing that was faith-based. And as they continued to speak about who . . . was a great illustration, who has a great story to inform, a real story to inform, he and his spouse, Kristen, had been form of throwing round some completely different concepts, and “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” had been certainly one of Kristen’s favourite songs. And as they had been speaking by way of historic figures, Josh started to form of really feel like possibly this was a great story to inform. And his spouse, Kristen, form of confirmed that on a . . . non secular degree and on . . . only a household degree as . . . they had been speaking about it. She confirmed it, and instantly they knew this was the correct story to inform.
So out of your perspective as an actor, what did you could do to inhabit the function of Longfellow? In spending a lot time inside his head and his works, did you study something . . . from him about how Christian artists can interact with their cultures? Two-part query.
Two-part query. So first half: partaking with this character. The biggest engagement piece was together with his grief, simply because a lot of the film offers with the lack of Fanny, the . . . potential lack of Charley. I used to be in a position to form of faucet into his creativity partly as a result of I’m a artistic myself, however [also] by studying his works and studying about him in biographies, and his story of when he first met Fanny and the place they had been and him falling in love with the sound of her voice, the very first thing he fell in love with. Type of connecting with these key moments of his life helped me to get an total really feel . . . for what he was like. . . . Edgar Allan Poe was not the kindest in the best way that he wrote about Henry Longfellow, however [Longfellow] nonetheless despatched [Poe’s] sister after Edgar Allan Poe died, despatched her copies of his books . . . in order that she might promote them and make cash. You recognize, simply this actually type soul that was keen to offer wherever he might, who liked historical past. . . . Their residence in Cambridge was the fort the place George Washington was, and so he . . . fell in love with that concept of historical past. So form of simply studying lots of these tidbits that provide you with perception into the character, after which working by way of the grief course of with him. That was essentially the most linked a part of his journey, primarily as a result of I’ve not skilled that degree of grief myself, so to must step in and cross over with the character on an appearing degree was a problem, and it’s . . . an attention-grabbing course of. . . . With theater, you already know, you’re all the time residing inside a linear development by way of the present. You’re residing inside this type of fourth wall, protected, artistic atmosphere with a bunch of individuals. And on this course of, I used to be alone lots in that grief journey. And having to be so intricately linked with Henry that when the digital camera is on you, it’s fully plausible means I needed to actually go there in lots of methods. That has its personal impact on the performer.
Properly, and also you had been additionally only a second in the past mentioning—that is attention-grabbing, I hadn’t considered this, that it’s . . . not linear in the best way the movie is definitely filmed, proper? So that you’re truly appearing completely different levels of his life out of the order that you’d usually expertise them.
Sure, and, nicely, simply on a technical degree, Rachel Hughes was pregnant for the primary virtually three quarters of the 12 months that we had been taking pictures, and so we might [not] shoot any of . . . her pre-death scenes. We couldn’t shoot something together with her. And so, I needed to mourn the lack of her for nearly a 12 months of filming, and with out ever having the enjoyment and the household time that we acquired to have at first of the movie. Which made taking pictures the start of the movie lots sweeter in that this was what we’d been ready for, however, on the identical time, having that relationship together with her would have helped inform the loss in a while. It wouldn’t have used a lot creativeness to get there. What was the second half of your query?
Yeah, the second half was, after spending a lot time in his head, did you study something from him about how Christian artists can interact with their cultures?
In our portrayal of the movie, Henry is reluctant to get entangled politically; he’s reluctant to get entangled in issues that will be controversial. However he does, as a result of his spouse Fanny, in fact, challenges him to, and . . . calls him as much as utilizing his artistic authority to alter folks. And I feel that somebody with the extent of expertise like Henry, there’s a calling, and there’s a accountability . . . to make use of that to the perfect of your potential to spark optimistic change. And I feel . . . it may be an inspiration, I feel, to individuals who have a artistic genius, or at the least a artistic spark, to share that, I hope.
You’re an actor, and in addition form of an instructional, working at a Christian school the place biblical integration is emphasised. So what’s your personal strategy to appearing, and are there ways in which your religion impacts that, both immediately or not directly?
There’s a correct manner of writing that’s going to permit the viewers to expertise and fill within the gaps of the artistic course of that I feel lots of Christian authors and moviemakers should not good at.
So my strategy to appearing is a little bit of a combination. I’ll have a look at the script, do the analysis, element out the given circumstances . . . figuring out these specific objects and details a couple of character and their state of affairs—once more, how . . . Fanny and Henry met—to create form of the define of the life for the character. After which I do some Stanislavski work the place I can have a look at what does a personality need on this scene, what . . . are they trying to perform, what are the obstacles that stand in the best way, and . . . what are the techniques they’re going to make use of to beat these . . . obstacles? After which, the remainder of it, you go on set, and also you neglect the whole lot you considered, the whole lot you analyzed, and also you hear, and also you . . . open your self as much as the circumstances the character is in. After which it’s important to purchase into the imaginary circumstances, to the purpose the place you might be emotionally linked to the character, to the opposite folks on set, and that . . . something that they are saying to you that’s optimistic or unfavorable has an emotional response due to that relationship and that open listening.
Do you see any manner that your religion works into that course of, or is . . . this . . . extra like a commerce the place there’s identical to a sensible talent set that you simply do, or is there some mixture?
Properly, I imply, religion is well labored into this course of as a result of it’s a religion movie. So, relying on the fabric . . . I imply, my religion is all the time going to be integral in my efficiency, simply because all of my empathy and all of my emotional connection to different human beings is filtered by way of my . . . understanding of grace and reality. So, with this specific undertaking, it was even simpler in that it was a battle of religion that’s form of the core of Henry’s journey. Inside his grief, you already know, he questions the whole lot. He didn’t have a super-strong religion earlier than Fanny’s demise. . . . The household, and his . . . artistic pursuit in writing had been just about the whole lot to him, after which after Fanny died, he even says, you already know, “When Fanny was alive, my religion was alive.” So, I feel after we lean on our personal artistic energy, we lean on [our] funds . . . (they had been rich)—I don’t know that earlier than Fanny’s demise he wanted God that a lot in his life. And I feel I can perceive that. I’m blessed myself, and . . . there are occasions when an excessive amount of blessing in your life can turn into an idol, can turn into one thing that pulls you away from the Lord, and I feel that’s what occurred with Henry. Till the Lord stripped all of that away, which he tends to do—on this case, extraordinarily tragically. And so I do really feel lots of parallels in my very own life, besides I need to study from Henry and not must lose my very own spouse.
That will be supreme.
That will be supreme.
So, whenever you have a look at the present Hollywood panorama, what do you suppose Christian actors, artists, and filmmakers carry to the desk? And what, on the opposite aspect, do you suppose Christians might find out about their crafts from their secular counterparts?
I feel actually good storytelling is tough to do, and I feel . . . folks overgeneralize storylines as a result of they both need to spoon-feed materials or they’re simply not good writers. I feel that’s the largest a part of it, is that they’ve an ideal idea—Christian writers need to get a particular theme throughout, however you can’t simply put it on the market. It must be refined. . . . There’s a correct manner of writing that’s going to permit the viewers to expertise and fill within the gaps of the artistic course of that I feel lots of Christian authors and moviemakers should not good at. I do suppose that we’ve got one thing that must be instructed, and that’s, in fact, our religion and the idea in Jesus Christ, and so when movies will try to succeed in the center, they’ll try to succeed in the thoughts, they’ll even attempt to press into non secular areas, they’re all the time going to fall quick with out reality. So secular movies, whereas they’ve probably higher writers, larger budgets . . . the films that may come from a secular enviornment, for essentially the most half, are going to solely have an effect on two or three completely different areas. Whereas the movies that we’re attempting to create from a Christian perspective, can also meet a non secular want, which I feel, when the secular world makes an attempt to fulfill non secular wants, it’s often simply complicated and misplaced. So what we have to do is we have to be part of the truth that, okay, we need to attain them mentally and psychologically and emotionally . . . and even bodily, have a bodily response throughout the movie; we additionally need to attain them spiritually, after which we have to do it in a manner that isn’t preachy. . . . As lots of the reviewers are saying, [we were] not “cringey”—apparently that’s a time period—you already know, they had been like, “Fortunately, I Heard the Bells was not a ‘cringey’ film.” . . . However [in many cases] the storytelling, the writing, is de facto the place . . . it’s missing.
Do you might have something extra you want to add, something you want to say in regards to the undertaking that will be good for anyone to listen to?
I feel in that very same vein, one of many greatest failings of writers are that they write the story as they see it of their thoughts, not the story by way of the human expertise. And so . . . they need to categorical a sure feeling, they need the viewers . . . to have interaction in a sure feeling. However the truth is, humanity . . . it’s not linear, level A to level B in any human journey. There’s a relentless human battle and the struggle in opposition to the issues which might be good for us and in opposition to the issues that we’re afraid to face. So a great author wants to have the ability to . . . take the storyline after which weave it out and in of the messy humanity in a manner that isn’t clear. . . . With [this] movie, it was superior—that’s a horrible phrase—it was . . . a pleasure to work on the movie with the crew. The crew was extraordinarily proficient. I imply the whole lot that we did on the movie was principally all carried out in-house. Even the snow results had been carried out in-house. . . . they constructed the entire construction, the costumes, simply such a proficient crew. It was actually humbling to be part of the movie and work with only a mass[ive] quantity of expertise amidst all these different folks.
