He stars as a soldier dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder in this new faith-based film.
From Christian screenwriter/executive producer Ty Manns and Christian director Kevan Otto, My Brother's Keeper debuts in about 200 theaters this weekend. T.C. Stallings heads a strong cast - Keshia Knight Pulliam, Joey Lawrence, Gregory Alan Williams and Shannen Fields - in a picture that's loosely based on the experiences of Manns' father, who dealt with the haunting issue of PTSD.
Stalling plays that role as Travis Fox, a U.S. Army Ranger who loses his best friend in war. Though his fight against the memories of armed conflict is a torturous one, it actually presents an opportunity for him to find his way to faith. Earlier this week, Christian Film Blog had the opportunity to speak with Stallings, who is a devout Believer, about the movie.
CFB: Tells us about My Brother's Keeper.
T.C. Stallings: "I couldn’t be more excited because we shot this movie several years ago. And obviously the pandemic came in and slammed everything, but even if you take that out, the movie was already dealing with its own delays. But then we finally got ready for it to come out and literally - that was February of last year - we had a little bit of a delay again and right after that, COVID hit. I was so glad the film didn’t go into theaters because it would have just died there, so thank God for his timing."
CFB: How do you learn to trust God's when there are setbacks like the delays?
T.C. Stallings: "I’ve seen Him in my life work time and time again through tough challenges, so I know He’s going to bring me out. My faith in what I read in Scripture and what He has done in my life over time fuels all of my ability to just hang in there and roll with it."
CFB: What's your mood like on the eve of a theatrical release of one of your movies?
T.C. Stallings: "This is game week for me, man. And I can’t wait for game day this Friday...I love getting a chance to see how people respond to your work. And as an actor, you just want your character to be believed and for people to say that it inspired them."
CFB: How does this part stack up against your previous work?
T.C. Stallings: "This is the most challenging role I’ve had in my life, because with most of the elements of it I was completely unfamiliar and had to do a lot of research to prepare so that people would believe it and get invested in it. It was loosely based on instances with his (screenwriter/E.P. Ty Mann’s) father. We worked close throughout...because a lot of what I do in the film is based on things that his father actually did, so getting direct feedback from him was awesome."
CFB: What do you hope audiences take away from the movie?
T.C. Stallings: "It’s meant to be entertaining, inspiring and to move you. And I pray that that happens. In conjunction with that, the message of the film is there is nothing too hard for Him (God), even PTSD...And I want people to see that there is nothing in your life - no sin, no struggle, no disease, no sickness, no anything - that you can’t bring to God and have Him give you an answer and have Him give you a road to travel to overcome it."
CFB: Any concerns about coronavirus-related restrictions impacting theater turnout?
T.C. Stallings: "I do wish we weren’t dealing with the pandemic so it would be a lot easier for more people to see it, but my prayer this week has simply been that everybody who is supposed to see it, sees it."
CFB: Final thoughts?
T.C. Stallings: "I’m just so excited because I think it’s a blessing to be able to do this...We thank Him that we’re able to do it. I don’t take any film for granted."
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Stallings added that he, his wife and their two children plan to go to a local movie theater near their home in Texas to watch My Brother's Keeper on opening night this Friday, March 19th. We strongly encourage you to see it as well, because a good first weekend can lead to more theaters showing the film in week two. Check this link to the movie's website to find a theater in your area.
And this picture is but one of many - and we do mean many - projects that Stallings currently has in the works. Christian Film Blog will bring you more of our interview with him next week, including news on an executive position he's taken with a new TV network, how God helped him through very difficult personal circumstances in 2020, and what he does to keep the right balance between his family life and all those professional commitments.
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