1 00:00:02,840 --> 00:00:03,760 Speaker 1: Life audio. 2 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:07,600 Speaker 2: Hey, Renee, thanks for joining me. I good a beer, 3 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:12,840 Speaker 2: Renee at Tiveria. I'm child for pronouncing that showrunner and 4 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:15,640 Speaker 2: a writer for the new fought series, The Faithful Women 5 00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:19,400 Speaker 2: of the Bible premieres Sundays, March twenty second and runs 6 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:22,400 Speaker 2: through Easter. Renee, I've read that this was sort of 7 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:24,759 Speaker 2: a passion project for you. 8 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 3: Why, well, you know about I don't know, seven eight 9 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:33,479 Speaker 3: years ago, I just decided that what I wanted to 10 00:00:33,479 --> 00:00:36,280 Speaker 3: do next. You know, I've been blessed with a career, 11 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:39,600 Speaker 3: you know, getting paid to tell stories, you know, which 12 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:43,800 Speaker 3: is something I never take for granted. But some years ago, 13 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:46,839 Speaker 3: when my kids were a certain age, I guess, you know, 14 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:49,159 Speaker 3: I decided that I wanted my next project to be 15 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:53,880 Speaker 3: something God hontering, you know, and something I could something 16 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 3: I could share with my church community. I've I done 17 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:58,960 Speaker 3: stuff that I probably couldn't do, I couldn't share. I've 18 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:02,080 Speaker 3: even had, you know, So so yeah. 19 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:02,800 Speaker 1: It was. 20 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:05,440 Speaker 3: It absolutely is a passion project. I have to pitch 21 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:07,680 Speaker 3: myself every now and then that it's premiering in a 22 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 3: couple of days. 23 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:11,479 Speaker 2: This focus is specifically on the prominent women of Genesis. 24 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:17,120 Speaker 2: Some years may be unfamiliar with the stories of Sarah Hagar, Rebecca, Leah, Rachel. 25 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:20,240 Speaker 2: What what surprised you or maybe inspired you most as 26 00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:23,160 Speaker 2: you were visited those accounts. And I guess I'm asking 27 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:26,240 Speaker 2: this because sometimes when we read scripture, we see things 28 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:27,920 Speaker 2: in there that we didn't see previously. You know, these 29 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:29,880 Speaker 2: are familiar stories, but sometimes. 30 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 1: Our eyes are just opened all of a sudden. 31 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:33,839 Speaker 2: What what kind of inspired you and surprised you about 32 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:34,959 Speaker 2: some of those characters. 33 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:38,759 Speaker 3: Well, you know my partner on this project, Krol Mendelssohn, 34 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 3: you know who's a wonderful writer and a powerhouse producer. 35 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:46,440 Speaker 3: You know who ran THETI franchise for many years as 36 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 3: head writer and executive producer. You know, it was it 37 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:51,320 Speaker 3: was her inspiration to tell these stories from the you know, 38 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:54,880 Speaker 3: the women of the Bible. And as you just said it, 39 00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:57,360 Speaker 3: you know, it opened up. It was such such a lens, 40 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 3: It opened up such a different lens industry cripture. I'll 41 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:04,800 Speaker 3: give you a quick example. I remember my first draft 42 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:08,360 Speaker 3: and I gave Carol the script and you know I 43 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:11,680 Speaker 3: had it Abraham, Abraham's encounter with God, you know the 44 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:13,799 Speaker 3: call of Abraham and then he's out there and God's 45 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:18,480 Speaker 3: talking to him, and I thought, I did a terrific job. 46 00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:20,600 Speaker 3: And she said, you know, it's nice. It's not that 47 00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:22,919 Speaker 3: it doesn't work, but what would it be what would 48 00:02:22,919 --> 00:02:26,160 Speaker 3: have been like from Sarah's point of view? And we 49 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:27,960 Speaker 3: were kicking it around, and you know, we've you know, 50 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:31,079 Speaker 3: and we realized, well, she woke up one night and 51 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:33,919 Speaker 3: he wasn't in bed next to her, you know, and 52 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:36,000 Speaker 3: she went out to find him and finds him out 53 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:39,360 Speaker 3: in a field in a state she's never seen him in, 54 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:41,799 Speaker 3: you know. And that's the scene that's in the picture 55 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:44,359 Speaker 3: now because it's a complete you know, we didn't want 56 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:51,639 Speaker 3: the audience to experience something that Sarah didn't experience, you 57 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 3: know what I mean. So it became from her point 58 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:57,360 Speaker 3: of view, it's like, Okay, this man that she loves, 59 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:02,160 Speaker 3: says he spoke to God, doesn't didn't see him, doesn't 60 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:05,640 Speaker 3: know his name, but each old he commanded didn't believe, 61 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:08,200 Speaker 3: you know. So it becomes it's just a different perspective, 62 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:10,639 Speaker 3: you know, And and and that, and you know, that's 63 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:13,840 Speaker 3: just one example. And that opened, as you say, opened 64 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:15,880 Speaker 3: my eyes to looking at scripture in a different way. 65 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:20,440 Speaker 2: Most modern Bible movies and TV series used creative license. 66 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 2: This does to how do you how do you know 67 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:26,800 Speaker 2: the line between creative license and the fidelity to scripture of. 68 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 1: What's the what's the process there? 69 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:31,320 Speaker 3: And how do you know the process? Uh, the process 70 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:34,120 Speaker 3: for me was always you know, if if we weren't 71 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:38,720 Speaker 3: going to tell every beat of the story of Genesis 72 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 3: of the Matriarchs, let's say, you know, there were things 73 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:45,240 Speaker 3: we didn't we chose not to focus on. But if 74 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 3: we did, if we did do a scene, called it 75 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:51,880 Speaker 3: a scene from Genesis, then we felt incumbent to it 76 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:55,280 Speaker 3: as as Genesis describes it, including dialogue, as you know, 77 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:59,560 Speaker 3: as much as possible. And then there's you know, the silences. 78 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:02,760 Speaker 3: You know, scripture can be Its silences are powerful, you know, 79 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:07,520 Speaker 3: and and and and bridging those silences and connecting you know, 80 00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:10,480 Speaker 3: what's the emotional story here? How do we get from 81 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:11,040 Speaker 3: here to there? 82 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:11,600 Speaker 1: That? 83 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:13,720 Speaker 3: You know, that's where the reading between the lines, that's 84 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:16,560 Speaker 3: where the creative that's where we took creative license only 85 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:19,600 Speaker 3: in you know, scenes that are not in scripture, but 86 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 3: that couldn't help us understand you know, who these people are. 87 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 2: I think I've heard you guys explain it that if 88 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:28,800 Speaker 2: it's a scripture. That's what we stick to. But you know, 89 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:32,640 Speaker 2: in terms of what we call the space between the texts, yeah, 90 00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:34,840 Speaker 2: the verses, that's kind of where you have a little 91 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:37,239 Speaker 2: little license to kind of imagine there. 92 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:40,480 Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, you know, the the the rabbis you know, 93 00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:42,960 Speaker 3: who have studied these texts, you know, for thousands of 94 00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:46,120 Speaker 3: years called it mid rash, you know, and and it's 95 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:51,680 Speaker 3: an effort to never, never contradict scripture, but seek to 96 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:55,360 Speaker 3: perhaps amplify and speculate. And there's you know, they would 97 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:58,960 Speaker 3: they would have commentaries on commentaries on commentaries, and you 98 00:04:58,960 --> 00:05:01,000 Speaker 3: know our are one of our advisors. We had two 99 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:04,560 Speaker 3: advisors on the show. One was a Christian theologianal one 100 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:09,120 Speaker 3: was a Jewish rabbi, scholar, preaches at a university. She's 101 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:10,880 Speaker 3: the one who's helpous. So you do know what you're 102 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:13,280 Speaker 3: doing here. You know, this is a long tradition. It's 103 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:15,520 Speaker 3: called midrash, you know, which was passib Yeah, and. 104 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:18,240 Speaker 2: You had experts at religious experts and theologians kind of 105 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:20,960 Speaker 2: guiding you there and kind of giving you some some boundaries, 106 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:22,720 Speaker 2: I guess, and give me some feedback and gains that's 107 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:23,359 Speaker 2: the word I'm looking for. 108 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:23,680 Speaker 4: There. 109 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:27,240 Speaker 2: You previously said that the success of The Chosen kind 110 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:29,839 Speaker 2: of opened the door for not only you guys, but 111 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:33,760 Speaker 2: everything that we're seeing right now from your perspective, how 112 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:37,080 Speaker 2: much did the series The Chosen change the way studios 113 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:41,960 Speaker 2: view Bible based projects. What did The Chosen do to 114 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:44,080 Speaker 2: help you and others in I. 115 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:47,359 Speaker 3: Mean, it is an extraordinary story that you know, because 116 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:50,719 Speaker 3: it started up, as you know, outside of the studio system, 117 00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:56,840 Speaker 3: with this untried business model, this this crowdfunding play it forward, 118 00:05:56,920 --> 00:06:00,479 Speaker 3: pay it forward, and you know, it's it's success. And 119 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:02,720 Speaker 3: I think I think the follow up success of House 120 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:05,200 Speaker 3: of David is is important, you know. I mean, if 121 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:08,520 Speaker 3: you look at history, you know, when the Passion of 122 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:12,520 Speaker 3: the Christ became such a phenomenon, studios said, oh, well, 123 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 3: you know, maybe there's an audience here, but one one 124 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:18,839 Speaker 3: or two misspires let's call them, or things that didn't 125 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:23,440 Speaker 3: you know, uh, perform on that level, and they the 126 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:26,200 Speaker 3: bubbles sort of burst, you know. But I think it's 127 00:06:26,200 --> 00:06:28,839 Speaker 3: a confluence of the of the success of The Chosen 128 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:32,120 Speaker 3: and and and and as of David, and also the 129 00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:36,360 Speaker 3: maturation of the streaming business model. And you know that, 130 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:39,000 Speaker 3: you know, even we ended up on Fox, you know, 131 00:06:39,040 --> 00:06:45,160 Speaker 3: a broadcast model. But I think it these two events 132 00:06:45,200 --> 00:06:49,240 Speaker 3: somehow there's a ven diagram that intersects, and that's the 133 00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:51,640 Speaker 3: sweet spot. And it's remarkable. I mean, there was a 134 00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:53,599 Speaker 3: time when I was coming up in this business, you know, 135 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:56,279 Speaker 3: when it was doctors, lawyers, and cops, and that that 136 00:06:56,400 --> 00:06:58,440 Speaker 3: was all it was on TV, you know, the occasional 137 00:06:58,839 --> 00:07:02,080 Speaker 3: you know, odds saying like, you know, my first job 138 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:05,279 Speaker 3: on Star Trek, you know, but mostly doctors, lawyers and cups. 139 00:07:05,279 --> 00:07:07,880 Speaker 3: And streaming sort of broke that open and suddenly you 140 00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:09,480 Speaker 3: could start telling different types of stories. 141 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:19,880 Speaker 1: It's okay. 142 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:21,800 Speaker 2: So I was gonna I've been trying to figure out 143 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:23,440 Speaker 2: why there's so much faith content now there. And there 144 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:26,200 Speaker 2: was a decade or two ago, and as you kind 145 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:28,679 Speaker 2: of implied a minute ago, two decades ago. 146 00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:30,640 Speaker 1: We did have something like this. It didn't it didn't 147 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:31,200 Speaker 1: last very long. 148 00:07:31,360 --> 00:07:32,920 Speaker 2: Right after the Passion of the Christ, there was this 149 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:36,600 Speaker 2: faith moment and there was a couple of I guess 150 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:39,280 Speaker 2: movies that didn't I guess didn't make the money that 151 00:07:39,280 --> 00:07:41,600 Speaker 2: they wanted it to make because the audience didn't embrace it. 152 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:44,520 Speaker 2: But do you think streaming is what has really helped 153 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 2: kind of I guess lead to more faith content or 154 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:51,800 Speaker 2: is it something else? Well, it's you know, I do 155 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:55,480 Speaker 2: think in the sense that the other great thing is 156 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:58,920 Speaker 2: is sort of long form Bible story telling. You know 157 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:00,880 Speaker 2: we're used to or there you know, there were there 158 00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:04,200 Speaker 2: used to be a tradition of Bible epics, you know, 159 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 2: in the in the in the forties and fifties and sixties, 160 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:10,160 Speaker 2: even you know, big budget you know, and cramming a 161 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:14,040 Speaker 2: lot of story in a doo two hours. I think 162 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:18,520 Speaker 2: what the Chosen showed us is that letting scripture breathe, 163 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:22,920 Speaker 2: you know, in the storytelling breathe, not rushing through it, 164 00:08:22,960 --> 00:08:26,720 Speaker 2: you know, getting to the highlights. You know, audiences are 165 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:29,679 Speaker 2: are you know, and the focus I think the focus 166 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:33,160 Speaker 2: on you know that the people you know, Jesus encountered 167 00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:36,520 Speaker 2: the Chosen, the people that that Yeah, it just met 168 00:08:36,559 --> 00:08:38,160 Speaker 2: the moment, you know. I guess there's you know, there's 169 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:42,960 Speaker 2: certainly a hunger out there for this and yeah, yeah, 170 00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:45,080 Speaker 2: I think it's the simple things to severaling is coming together, 171 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:47,400 Speaker 2: like you said, the hunger there. As we close here, 172 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:49,080 Speaker 2: tell me about your own faith journey. Did you how 173 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:50,800 Speaker 2: did you come to faith? Did you grow up in 174 00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:52,360 Speaker 2: the church, you. 175 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:56,520 Speaker 3: Know, I grew up in the church, but I I 176 00:08:56,520 --> 00:08:59,800 Speaker 3: I strayed for many years and you know, pursued my 177 00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:03,079 Speaker 3: care and how to you know, had a very secular 178 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:04,400 Speaker 3: worldview for. 179 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:04,959 Speaker 1: A long time. 180 00:09:05,559 --> 00:09:08,600 Speaker 3: Yeah, I lost my mom twenty years ago, you know, 181 00:09:08,880 --> 00:09:13,480 Speaker 3: quite young, she was quite young, and I found myself 182 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:17,240 Speaker 3: drawn back to church. Then I felt like she was 183 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:20,440 Speaker 3: city with me. You know, it was it was very comforting. 184 00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:24,160 Speaker 3: And then having kids, and you know, I mean about 185 00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:25,840 Speaker 3: about when my. 186 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:26,440 Speaker 1: Kids were born. 187 00:09:26,520 --> 00:09:28,880 Speaker 3: My you know, my wife and I were baptized in 188 00:09:28,920 --> 00:09:31,600 Speaker 3: the Pacific Ocean and you know, in the off off 189 00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:34,520 Speaker 3: the coast of Malibu, and you know, we we go 190 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:37,600 Speaker 3: to a little church and you know, in our town. 191 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:41,360 Speaker 3: And uh, I'm going to have a little premiere tomorrow 192 00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:45,480 Speaker 3: night for my for my church family. And it's just 193 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:48,120 Speaker 3: such a blessing too, you know, to be able to 194 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:53,559 Speaker 3: just dive into scripture and hopefully it'll be something that 195 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:57,240 Speaker 3: people respond to and and maybe give them a fresh perspective. 196 00:09:57,280 --> 00:10:00,000 Speaker 3: There'll be those who these are old stories, but maybe 197 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:02,120 Speaker 3: they'll get a new perspective. And there'll be those who 198 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:06,040 Speaker 3: beetterre new and are unfamiliar. 199 00:10:06,080 --> 00:10:07,240 Speaker 1: And you know, my. 200 00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:09,480 Speaker 3: Hope, my prayers and God will do a work in 201 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:10,680 Speaker 3: people's charts. 202 00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:15,440 Speaker 2: If you like today's episode, please subscribe and leave a 203 00:10:15,480 --> 00:10:16,720 Speaker 2: five star review. 204 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:19,520 Speaker 4: That's how we help more people just like you find 205 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:22,040 Speaker 4: the show. A big thanks to the team at life 206 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:25,319 Speaker 4: Audio for their partnership with us on the podcast. If 207 00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:27,880 Speaker 4: you go to lifeaudio dot com, you will find dozens 208 00:10:27,960 --> 00:10:30,520 Speaker 4: of other faith centered podcasts in their network. 209 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:31,760 Speaker 1: See you next time.