A special program scheduled to be broadcast during LDS general conference weekend will give viewers a look at Christian faith inside the entertainment industry.
“Believers in Hollywood," hosted by Deseret Book president and CEO Sheri Dew, features conversations with three successful entertainment figures who share one other fundamental thing in common — faith in Jesus Christ. They are Randall Wallace, Oscar-nominated screenwriter of “Braveheart” and “Pearl Harbor”; Micheal Flaherty, co-founder of Walden Media and producer of the Chronicles of Narnia films; and Laura Osnes, two-time Tony-nominated Broadway actress and singer.
Each expresses a deep love and conviction for his or her faith.
“What the show itself is about is standing up for what you believe and that to do otherwise is to completely lose your life,” Wallace said. “Like in ‘Braveheart’ when William Wallace makes the speech ‘They may take our lives, but they will never take our freedom,’ and later says, ‘Every man dies, but not every man really lives’ — those are my core beliefs, that life goes far beyond while we have breath in our bodies. To deny that is to deny living and is not to live fully in this life.”
Osnes referred to her interview with Dew as a “great discussion.”
“A lot of times, you don’t get to (discuss faith) in our industry,” Osnes said. “To be able to talk so openly about it was very freeing.”
According to Dew, the show has no hidden agenda.
“My goal was simply to provide a forum. … We really wanted to hear how they felt about things,” Dew said. "I hope they all felt they had the chance to express their convictions and their faith without any kind of restriction. That’s what we set out to do.”
The format of the show allows for Wallace, Flaherty and Osnes to all speak openly about how and why they maintain their Christian values in the entertainment industry.
“What (Christianity) has given me is a bedrock to stand on when everything else around me fell apart or felt as if it was falling apart,” Wallace said. "People will ask me how I hold on to my faith. I always tell them, I don’t hold on. … I let go because God has it all.”
Osnes said her faith has been a guiding principle in her work. In some cases, she has turned down performance opportunities because the values espoused didn’t align with her own.
As a 29-year-old performer who has twice been nominated for a Tony Award, once each for her roles as the title characters in "Cinderella" and "Bonnie and Clyde," Osnes hasn't been hindered by her decisions.
“I feel that God has blessed my career so much because I’ve tried to honor him with it,” she said.
In speaking with these three guests, Dew said she left every time thinking, “I want to be a better person. I can be a better person.”
Dew hopes that when listening to the faith and stories of these entertainment figures, viewers will come away with a greater appreciation for those who may believe a little differently than they do.
“(We) want to show that there’s a lot we can learn from each other,” Dew said. "There’s way more we have in common as believers than in distinctions that are different. We have a lot in common.
"(Flaherty, Wallace and Osnes) come from different backgrounds and different beginnings, but they can kind of get to the same place — and that is that faith can make a huge difference in your life. And in each of the cases of these three guests and of myself, faith in Jesus Christ can change and transform your life. … I think that each profess that — Micheal, Randall and Laura — in their own distinctive ways.”
“Believers in Hollywood” will air Oct. 3 at 8 p.m. Mountain time on BYUtv, and again on Oct. 4 at noon and 5 p.m.
Email: lpeterson@deseretnews.com