Mike Lindell kicks in $1 million for the upcoming pro-life Christian film.
He's often referred to as the "My Pillow guy" and you've no doubt seen him in television commercials for his company's wares. You may not have known, however, that the 57 year old Lindell is a Christian and stongly pro-life.
Unplanned is a biopic about Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood clinic director who left the abortion provider and became a pro-life advocate. The movie was written and directed by Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman - the team that wrote God's Not Dead - and it stars Ashley Bratcher as Johnson.
Lindell's investment amounts to one sixth of the film's budget. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, the multi-millionaire entrepreneur says he was "happy to do it" because he believes in the cause the movie champions.
"I don't get into things for the money; I get into them if the message is right."
Lindell founded My Pillow in 2004. His Minnesota company now employs 1,600 people, has sold a staggering 43 million pillows and earned him a net worth of $300 million. That is all the more impressive in light of the fact that Lindell is a former addict. He has a book coming about about his transformation - What are the Odds? From Crack Addict to CEO - and plans to finance a film based on it.
In the meantime, he will have a cameo in Unplanned. Never one to shy away from controversy, Lindell jumps in with both feet: in the scene, he bulldozes a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic to clear the way for a pro-life group's headquarters. The movie is scheduled for release in March of next year.