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Speaker 1: Wind Down with Janet Kramer and I'm Heeart Radio Podcast. Okay, well,

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Speaker 1: I am just so excited about our very very very

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Speaker 1: special guest that we have in studio with us today,

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Speaker 1: the lovely, the one and only Karen Kingsbury.

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Speaker 2: Yay, so glad to be here.

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Speaker 1: It was going to be so fun, Karen. I mean,

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Speaker 1: where do we even begin?

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Speaker 3: Anytime I can breathe your air in person is a privilege.

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Speaker 2: You're too kind, That's sweet, but.

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Speaker 1: Your brain and heart unmatched. When did I just I

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Speaker 1: gotn't know a little bit of the before? When did you?

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Speaker 1: When was your first book? When did you start writing?

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Speaker 2: Well? I got my degree in journalism, and so I

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Speaker 2: was working for the Los Angeles Times, and that was

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Speaker 2: as a sports writer. I started off as a sports writer. Yes,

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Speaker 2: it's that crazy.

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Speaker 1: I did not know that.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and I didn't really play sports like I ran

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Speaker 2: track to be near the cute guys. Yeah, it's not

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Speaker 2: a bad method, that's where they are. Yeah. But it

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Speaker 2: was it was after that that I got a job

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Speaker 2: doing sports writing. To start with in LA I fed

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Speaker 2: the LA Times and then it moved on to a

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Speaker 2: front page kind of a Sunday feature story, and that

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Speaker 2: led to four true crime books, which I had never read.

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Speaker 2: But we were praying for a way that I could

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Speaker 2: be home with our first child, that was Kelsey, and

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Speaker 2: twelve hour days were just not going to cut it.

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Speaker 2: And that's what I was working at the paper. So yeah,

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Speaker 2: so she and I got to stay home from the moment.

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Speaker 2: I mean, it was three days before my maternity leave

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Speaker 2: was up, and that's when I got word that I

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Speaker 2: had sold this outline that I had given to this agent.

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Speaker 2: It was all it was an answer to prayer. But

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Speaker 2: I had no idea we would be I would be

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Speaker 2: writing true crime. So I did that four books. Then

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Speaker 2: I wrote Where Yesterday Lives and that was my first novel,

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Speaker 2: and id't I lost my agent. He was like, what

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Speaker 2: is this? You were going to do true crime? You

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Speaker 2: were going to be a still lost your agent? Yeah,

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Speaker 2: he left. He was like, you know, he said, I

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Speaker 2: true crime is like your future, Like you want to

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Speaker 2: write crime. I'm like, I have two babies. I'm like,

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Speaker 2: this is not what I want to write it. It

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Speaker 2: was too dark for my heart, and my soul guaranteed

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Speaker 2: sad ending. You know, it was like a really tragic situation.

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Speaker 2: So I just was really thankful to write something different

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Speaker 2: that was on my heart, and you know, where Yesterday

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Speaker 2: Lives was sort of autobiographical. There was a little bit

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Speaker 2: of me and my background in it, but the actual

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Speaker 2: story was all fictitious, you know, in terms of how

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Speaker 2: it plays out. But it's about a girl who kind

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Speaker 2: of comes back to her hometown for her father's funeral,

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Speaker 2: and it's about the reconciliation of the siblings and how

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Speaker 2: they really had fallen apart and the funeral. Things are tough,

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Speaker 2: but then they get better and I loved it. So

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Speaker 2: it took a year to sell that book. And during

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Speaker 2: that time I thought maybe I'm going to go back

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Speaker 2: to like waiting tables because there was just no money,

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Speaker 2: a lot more money and true crime and so but yeah,

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Speaker 2: by book six I wrote started about the Baxters, and

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Speaker 2: it was like it was raining from heaven.

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Speaker 1: It's just such a testament, though, to the fact that

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Speaker 1: you left something that just didn't feel right for your soul,

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Speaker 1: even though that's where the money was, and that's where

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Speaker 1: your agent was, and that's where your you know, where

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Speaker 1: your career path looked like it was going, and you said, no,

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Speaker 1: this doesn't suit me. That's really tough, because I mean

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Speaker 1: I look at roles again, like when I was pinned

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Speaker 1: for Hunting Wives and shows like that, where it's like

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Speaker 1: does that really suit me? No? No, but it's like

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Speaker 1: is that where the money is and where the work

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Speaker 1: and where the all the you know, notoriety and exposure is. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: And so then it's it's that poll to go one

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Speaker 1: way or the other. And you did it, you know.

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Speaker 2: Well, especially when you have one of the most successful

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Speaker 2: New York literary agencies saying I don't know, Karen, you

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Speaker 2: were going to be a star.

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Speaker 1: You know, he really didn't, do we know him still? Yeah,

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Speaker 1: he sent him the number one selling books that you've done.

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Speaker 2: Well, I think, you know. And he had a very

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Speaker 2: narrow lane for me. He wanted me to fit into that,

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Speaker 2: just like you said, and I was finding myself like

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Speaker 2: between you know, I had young kids, Like when I

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Speaker 2: walked away from that, they were four and one. So

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Speaker 2: we were, you know, like singing little songs to Jesus

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Speaker 2: and we were going to the park and then I'd

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Speaker 2: go back to my laptop during naptime and be like

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Speaker 2: he took out his knife and he walked on it.

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Speaker 2: I was like it wasn't for me so anyway, And

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Speaker 2: you know it's funny because six books they really didn't sell. Well.

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Speaker 2: He was right for six books.

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Speaker 1: Were did you have an agent at that time?

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Speaker 2: I got a new agent, okay, and he was good

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Speaker 2: with what I would call inspirational fiction. Okay. And I

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Speaker 2: really didn't know that Christian fiction was a thing because

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Speaker 2: I was like, I want to write like number one

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Speaker 2: your time's best selling fiction. I didn't want to write

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Speaker 2: anything that was watered down. And I came to find

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Speaker 2: out that actually, rather than being watered down, that the

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Speaker 2: kind of fiction I write is more developed. It's got

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Speaker 2: the physical, intellectual, and the emotional, but it's got the spiritual.

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Speaker 2: And whether you're running toward God or away from him,

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Speaker 2: I mean, it's still a part of your story. There's

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Speaker 2: a deeper piece to your soul, whoever, wherever you're at today,

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Speaker 2: Like that's the truth. And so I get to write

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Speaker 2: about the vast, contrasting elements of the spiritual and that's

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Speaker 2: been just bills my soul.

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Speaker 3: And you have such an emotional investment in your characters.

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Speaker 3: One of the things I got the pleasure of, well,

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Speaker 3: actually I got a very impromptu reading of a book

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Speaker 3: by Mss Karen at my kids school. I didn't realize

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Speaker 3: that her grand babies go to where my kids go.

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Speaker 3: And so when Jana got the movie, I was like,

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Speaker 3: I know this name. This is crazy. And I was

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Speaker 3: actually able to meet your husband on set. That was

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Speaker 3: the first set I'd ever been to. Oh really, yeah,

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Speaker 3: I've never been to one of Jana's movies before. And

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Speaker 3: I looked at her and I was like, is it

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Speaker 3: always like this?

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Speaker 1: Like this is?

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Speaker 2: So?

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Speaker 1: It felt sacred.

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Speaker 3: And anointed and slow and intentional, and I'm thinking, man,

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Speaker 3: if this is like what you know the movie businesses,

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Speaker 3: I've been missing out. You know.

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Speaker 1: I should have tried to do this early. Everybody just

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Speaker 1: start with no. I slowly learned. But when I was

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Speaker 1: talking to.

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Speaker 3: Your husband's Karen effect, yeah, I don't. That is something

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Speaker 3: I learned that this is the way, you know, for

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Speaker 3: you saying true to yourself and for the ripple effect

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Speaker 3: of what that is, that's how it comes to be

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Speaker 3: on set. But he did mention that you would sometimes

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Speaker 3: and if you're embarrassed by this, we can certainly cut it.

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Speaker 3: But he said you would sometimes come out of your

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Speaker 3: out of your office and you'd be crying and he'd go,

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Speaker 3: are you okay, and you'd be like, no, you know,

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Speaker 3: like Annabel died or something, somebody that you spent all

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Speaker 3: this time invested in as a character and you had to,

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Speaker 3: you know, a character had to die, and how deeply

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Speaker 3: it hurts your heart.

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Speaker 2: It does, and it's still that. It's like, even when

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Speaker 2: I was writing The Christmas Ring, I found myself just crying.

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Speaker 2: You know, it's a sign that if it doesn't move me,

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Speaker 2: it's not going to move you. And to me, you know,

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Speaker 2: we want to ride the ride of the tens and

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Speaker 2: the ones, like, we don't want to be hanging out

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Speaker 2: in the fives. Like and she went to the mark

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Speaker 2: get she got home muge, I let her know. I mean,

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Speaker 2: it's like, let's make people feel something when they're reading.

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Speaker 2: And that's kind of the goal. It's always been the

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Speaker 2: goal for these books. So yeah, I was like, that's

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Speaker 2: definitely true. And I'll walk out in the room and

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Speaker 2: I'll be crying and I'll say, you know, what happened

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Speaker 2: And I'll say, oh, you know, like you know, Annabel

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Speaker 2: died and I'm just crying and he's you know, then

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Speaker 2: the first time that happened, he was hilarious. He was

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Speaker 2: like kind of like how that his hands like raised himself.

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Speaker 2: Who is Annabelle? Do we know her from church or

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Speaker 2: from school? That's what he said, and I said, no, none,

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Speaker 2: He's one of my characters. And he just like rolled

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Speaker 2: his eyes all the way to the ceiling. He's like,

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Speaker 2: how am I supposed to feel sorry for you? I mean,

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Speaker 2: you killed her, you created her, and you could just

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Speaker 2: backspace de leeve bring her back.

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Speaker 3: We are just one highlight away from her just being

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Speaker 3: living again.

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Speaker 1: What does she want to do? She could go to

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Speaker 1: the store, she get on, let her gurgeres.

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Speaker 2: That's right. So but I told her, I mean it

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Speaker 2: felt so like I said, I could never I'm watching

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Speaker 2: it play out in my head.

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Speaker 1: Such a talent.

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Speaker 3: I think that you don't even realize how much of

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Speaker 3: a crazy unique talent that is.

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Speaker 2: Thanks it really is. I mean, God has just given me.

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Speaker 2: Plus I can do it fast because I raised six kids.

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Speaker 2: And if they look back, they don't think, oh, your mom,

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Speaker 2: she was always locked in a room writing, But they actually,

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Speaker 2: you know, know that I made time for them and

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Speaker 2: I could write a book in average two weeks and.

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Speaker 3: Two weeks this is you have no idea. This is

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Speaker 3: an annointment on your life. For you to be able

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Speaker 3: to do that.

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Speaker 2: It is crazy, my suggess out of you. It just

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Speaker 2: flows out of me. Like somebody cud cuddle up with

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Speaker 2: like a book and they just like love it. They

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Speaker 2: get a blanket. I cuddle up with my laptop and

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Speaker 2: see a book come to life, and I kind of

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Speaker 2: get to be the very first reader to that end.

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Speaker 2: I get to really just I'm seeing it play out

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Speaker 2: like a movie. And this is why I had to

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Speaker 2: go into film, because I could. I could see it

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Speaker 2: the way no one else could see it. And my

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Speaker 2: head and as I'm writing, I mean, I'm laughing, you know,

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Speaker 2: I'm laughing when it's funny. I'm like laughing hard, and

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Speaker 2: I'm crying when it's sad. And when the kids were little,

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Speaker 2: I would be like, if you see mommy crying, I'm

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Speaker 2: completely fine, just working my book. That was, you know,

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Speaker 2: was and is still you know, the most like rewarding

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Speaker 2: thing to not to really be able to step away

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Speaker 2: and say that wasn't me, that just wasn't me. I mean,

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Speaker 2: I have to give God all the credit because I could.

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Speaker 2: I couldn't will it.

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Speaker 1: The Baxters became your big Karen Kingsbury moment, right. Yes,

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Speaker 1: So obviously that's a story that you know, you hold

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Speaker 1: very close to you because that is what started, you know,

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Speaker 1: everything with you know, your your name and your books

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Speaker 1: following and then shows. But is there is that your

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Speaker 1: favorite or is there another book that has Like some

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Speaker 1: of my favorite album cuts are the ones that weren't

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Speaker 1: radio hits.

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Speaker 2: That's so chas with me. I think I've written I

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Speaker 2: have like a hundred books published or something, but I

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Speaker 2: have like sixty something novels. And you know, at the

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Speaker 2: time I'm writing them, it's like the child. It's on

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Speaker 2: the stage or on the field up to bat You're

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Speaker 2: cheering the loudest for that one, and that one is

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Speaker 2: so special to you. But as I look back, I

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Speaker 2: mean One Tuesday Morning, which was about two guys that

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Speaker 2: looked a lot alike, a firefighter and a businessman who

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Speaker 2: were both in one of the twin Towers on nine

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Speaker 2: to eleven. I love that book, you know, That's the

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Speaker 2: one I mean. I usually it ends up being standalones.

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Speaker 2: I love Ashley Baxter, I love I love the Baxters

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Speaker 2: like they're like family for sure to me. And when

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Speaker 2: I go to Bloomington, Indiana. I can see them, Like

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Speaker 2: I walk up like thinking it's going to be Ashley

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Speaker 2: and she turns around. It's not like that's how real

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Speaker 2: it is. But I wrote twenty some books on that family,

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Speaker 2: and it's almost like they were family. But these other

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Speaker 2: stories are so like I got to go to belize,

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Speaker 2: you know, in a distant shore, and I got to

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Speaker 2: imagine what it would be like to set twelve girls

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Speaker 2: free from trafficking. Like that's amazing journey to take. And

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Speaker 2: all the research as a former reporter that was really

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Speaker 2: special too, to be able to make sure it's accurate,

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Speaker 2: you know, find somebody who works in that industry and

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Speaker 2: have them read it, make sure I'm not using the

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Speaker 2: wrong verbiage or the wrong you know, activities that play

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Speaker 2: out around that rescue. So I love that. I mean

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Speaker 2: there's a handful of them for sure, one Tuesday morning,

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Speaker 2: because it's really about this girl who just does not

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Speaker 2: believe in God. She does not believe because too many

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Speaker 2: hard things have happened, and in her mind, her husband's

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Speaker 2: a firefighter and she feels like, as long as there

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Speaker 2: are firefighter funerals, how could there be a god?

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Speaker 1: We spoke briefly about your journey to coming to Jesus.

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Speaker 1: Can you just share some of that here when that

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Speaker 1: started for you and how old you were, and then

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Speaker 1: you intertwining that into your to your work.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it was really I wasn't on a journey to

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Speaker 2: find Jesus. I was actually just on a journey to

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Speaker 2: be a successful writer. That was really my goal. I

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Speaker 2: met Donald at the health club. We were working out

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Speaker 2: and he we met eyes a few times, like our

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Speaker 2: eyes with me, and then he just came up to

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Speaker 2: me and just struck up a conversation and we ended

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Speaker 2: up knowing some people in common, but we ended up

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Speaker 2: talking like three hours a day. We were both kind

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Speaker 2: of done our workout and closed the place down, sat

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Speaker 2: outside talking And you know, back then, you couldn't just

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Speaker 2: slide into someone's DMS, you know, I mean back then

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Speaker 2: you had to be brave enough. The guy really needed

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Speaker 2: to be brave enough to ask for your number and

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Speaker 2: that I want to take you out, like on a date.

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Speaker 2: So he did that, and he said, but I wondered

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Speaker 2: if it would be okay could I bring my Bible

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Speaker 2: on the date. And to this day, like we just

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Speaker 2: both laughed, like how did you have the even the

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Speaker 2: nerve in la like I had never opened a Bible

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Speaker 2: or you know, we were we went we had a

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Speaker 2: denominational faith, but it was much more of a tradition

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Speaker 2: than anything. We went to church, but only in a case.

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Speaker 2: And so you know, he had the courage basically, you know,

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Speaker 2: to say and I just thought it was the weirdest

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Speaker 2: thing I had ever heard, like who And I mean

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Speaker 2: it took me a few seconds because he was super handsome,

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Speaker 2: and I thought, I guess there could be worse things

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Speaker 2: he would want to bring to a date. I don't

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Speaker 2: know sure. I thought, oh, okay, you bring the Bible

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Speaker 2: if you want to. I was like this, what is this?

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Speaker 2: I didn't he was showing up on a bike. I

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Speaker 2: I shouldn't know what this meant. So it comes to

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Speaker 2: pick me up and he wants to read Philippians four,

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Speaker 2: chapter four, and it's all about peace. It's beautiful. But

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Speaker 2: i'd never heard of a Philippian, no appiens. I didn't

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Speaker 2: know what this was. No idea.

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Speaker 3: Tell me what your thought is when he's reading this

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Speaker 3: to you? What is how quick can we get out

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Speaker 3: of this to our date?

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Speaker 2: That's where my thought was. So we you know we

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Speaker 2: I mean literally, I think he took a pause and

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Speaker 2: I'm not listening to anything he's saying. He's like reading it.

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Speaker 2: But the thing is, he was on a quest. He

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Speaker 2: wasn't in he didn't go to church, He wouldn't have

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Speaker 2: considered himself like having a relationship with Jesus. He was

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Speaker 2: like coming from a family that had a lot of

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Speaker 2: brokenness and a lot of divorce, a lot of hurt,

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Speaker 2: a lot of alcoholism, and he just knew there had

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Speaker 2: to be something more, and so he was he bought

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Speaker 2: a Bible on his own and he's just reading the

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Speaker 2: New Testament, trying to figure it out. So he was

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Speaker 2: he wanted to read it because he's fascinated by it

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Speaker 2: and finding peace in it, not because he was trying

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Speaker 2: to change me, which I think was a key. It

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Speaker 2: wasn't like he was right away, oh you're a project,

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Speaker 2: not at all. So this began. So it began this

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Speaker 2: sort of like as soon as you took a breath,

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Speaker 2: I was like, there we get check the box. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: So we ended up taking the date and then for

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Speaker 2: three months it was like that, like he was just

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Speaker 2: will not believe what I read in Romans and I'm like,

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Speaker 2: I really won't. I think I will, I do te,

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Speaker 2: please make it quick. And it got to be just

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Speaker 2: and it's like, oh, I was just it was just

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Speaker 2: too much. So three months around that time and I

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Speaker 2: really was okay to be down with it. I wasn't

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Speaker 2: going to change for him and he didn't want me

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Speaker 2: to change for him. It was literally he was excited.

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Speaker 2: I'd be like, if your most excited thing the other

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Speaker 2: person doesn't like, that's not going to go anywhere. You know,

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Speaker 2: it's not going to be a thing. So anyway, that day,

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Speaker 2: I and in front of a sunny day in southern

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Speaker 2: California tennis courts. We just played tennis and he has

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Speaker 2: something he has to show me, Thessalonian. So I'm like, okay,

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Speaker 2: I was just over it. So I took the Bible

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Speaker 2: from his hands. I looked at the verse that he

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Speaker 2: was trying to show me. I know, poor Donald.

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Speaker 1: I love him so much, head Donald dat ever, I

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Speaker 1: just adore him. You guys don't even realize how hard

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Speaker 1: he worked in crafty and like just the smile and

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Speaker 1: the energy he showed up every single day, sorry.

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Speaker 2: Day And he said to say, Hi, I love Donald.

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Speaker 3: I mean he's telling me these stories over snack mix.

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Speaker 1: Well, he's like, did you have did you get a

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Speaker 1: cold water? I'm like, I feel so well cared for.

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Speaker 2: He is such a servant, like that is his love

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Speaker 2: language so much, it's mind blowing. He's at the far

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Speaker 2: extreme of this, just how can I serve? How can

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Speaker 2: I help? How can I make a difference? So, you know,

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Speaker 2: with that sweet personality that he has, and he's so strong,

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Speaker 2: and he was right on the verge of being a

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Speaker 2: former NFL player, he was one cut away from making

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Speaker 2: it on the Falcons team when I met him. Anyway,

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Speaker 2: so he's shown me this verse, all excited and you know,

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Speaker 2: full of joy. And I took his Bible and kind

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Speaker 2: of looked at the verse and I threw his Bible

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Speaker 2: down on the ground. Did you know this?

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Speaker 3: No?

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Speaker 1: I caring naughty girl so bad?

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Speaker 2: I mean, this just shows you. I was like, so

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Speaker 2: I threw it on the ground, and I.

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Speaker 1: Wasn't like, why did you throw it? Was it?

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Speaker 2: Like? I was just so over it?

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Speaker 1: But did you just and at that point, you're just

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Speaker 1: did you not believe the word? Or was it any

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Speaker 1: more of a don't shove this on me? Or what

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Speaker 1: was the actual anger of why you put it.

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Speaker 2: I think he was in the actual words themselves. It

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Speaker 2: wasn't him. I had already by that point I would

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Speaker 2: have given myself some labels. I would have said, you know,

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Speaker 2: I was Southern California girl, driving a red Folkswagon convertible,

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Speaker 2: writing stories for the La Times, you know, hanging out

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Speaker 2: with pro players, like I had my own sort of

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Speaker 2: definition of what was good and for me, I would

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Speaker 2: often say, well, I believe and I've learned since then,

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Speaker 2: if you start your sentence with I believe, it's probably wrong,

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Speaker 2: like it's probably if it's fine. If I say I

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Speaker 2: believe fall is the most beautiful season. But if I say, well,

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Speaker 2: I believe we should be able to do this for

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Speaker 2: God in God's world as to it's right or what's

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Speaker 2: true or what I've learned, that that's a good sign

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Speaker 2: that you're still learning. There's still a lot to go.

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Speaker 2: So I believed in a lot of things that when

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Speaker 2: this particular verse on that day, it felt like it

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Speaker 2: was just almost right to my heart, like it was

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Speaker 2: very convicting of the way I thought it was good

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Speaker 2: to live versus the way God was calling me to live.

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Speaker 2: And I didn't like that. I was like, everything I

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Speaker 2: knew and I believed in God, but I was like,

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Speaker 2: it's nice to put make your own God. It's kind

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Speaker 2: of nice to have him fit into your own box

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Speaker 2: of what is okay.

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Speaker 1: Way more convenient.

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Speaker 2: It's way more convenient. And so this was making me

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Speaker 2: feel like I was wrong, to be wrong, and that

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Speaker 2: was I think the instant. I don't have a temper

390
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Speaker 2: like it was the weirdest moment. So the Bible lands

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Speaker 2: on the ground, and as it would, as God would

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Speaker 2: have it, it broke in half. The whole binding. What yes,

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Speaker 2: the Bible, and this is his special Bible that's like

394
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Speaker 2: highlighted underlined like it was. He has little little notes

395
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Speaker 2: in this. It was very precious and broke right the

396
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Speaker 2: whole binding split right in half. And I was horrified,

397
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Speaker 2: obviously and myself. He picked up the pieces and he

398
00:18:29,080 --> 00:18:30,720
Speaker 2: wasn't going to fight, just gave me kind of a

399
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Speaker 2: sad look and got in his car and left were

400
00:18:32,520 --> 00:18:34,679
Speaker 2: we had met the tennis courts that day, so I

401
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Speaker 2: would say with my car and I thought, first I thought,

402
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Speaker 2: the earth is going to open and I will be

403
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Speaker 2: the first person straight to hell. So that's not going

404
00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:44,359
Speaker 2: to work. You know that you can't break the Bible

405
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Speaker 2: to try to prove your beliefs are better than the

406
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Speaker 2: Bible somehow, you know, just wasn't going to happen. So

407
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Speaker 2: then I thought, okay, I'm My next thought was I'm

408
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Speaker 2: going to prove him wrong, like I just don't know

409
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Speaker 2: the Bible. And if I only knew the Bible, then

410
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Speaker 2: I would be able to show him. Well, but what

411
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Speaker 2: about this verse? About this? I didn't know anything about it.

412
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Speaker 2: So I decided to go to this little Bible bookstore

413
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Speaker 2: I had passed by all my life in the San

414
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Speaker 2: Fernando Valley, you know, as a valley girl there in

415
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Speaker 2: LA and I'd never been inside. I had always thought

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Speaker 2: that this particular store was very strange, like what's a

417
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Speaker 2: Bible bookstore? I didn't really know a value book and Bible.

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Speaker 2: And I went there, went in, found a person working

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Speaker 2: at the front store, and I said, I need a Bible.

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Speaker 2: It needs to be in English, I need to understand it,

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Speaker 2: and I need some way to look up words. So

422
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Speaker 2: that's a concordance, and I didn't know that at a time.

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Speaker 2: And there's no apps. So I got these two heavy books,

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Speaker 2: marked them out to the car, and I don't get

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Speaker 2: out of the parking lot, like I'm just going to

426
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Speaker 2: look a few things up to start with, and they're

427
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Speaker 2: not there. What I believed, you know, under my well,

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Speaker 2: I believe, I believe just because I felt like it

429
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Speaker 2: was right, just wasn't there. And I heard the most gentle,

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Speaker 2: loving voice from the Lord. I just it was the

431
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Speaker 2: first time I'd ever heard like. It wasn't audible, it

432
00:19:55,760 --> 00:19:59,200
Speaker 2: was in my heart, but I heard the Lord say, well, Karen,

433
00:19:59,680 --> 00:20:02,560
Speaker 2: you know I love you, and you have a choice.

434
00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:05,439
Speaker 2: You can fall away with your man made beliefs, or

435
00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:07,359
Speaker 2: you can grab onto my word and never let go.

436
00:20:08,400 --> 00:20:10,440
Speaker 2: How was that moment? It was just like and I

437
00:20:10,520 --> 00:20:12,960
Speaker 2: knew and I just grabbed. I'm like, I'm not falling.

438
00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:15,960
Speaker 2: And I also noticed as I was reading the words

439
00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:18,359
Speaker 2: that day and the Bible, they spoke to me. It

440
00:20:18,400 --> 00:20:20,280
Speaker 2: wasn't someone trying to show me something. It was just

441
00:20:20,320 --> 00:20:22,359
Speaker 2: me reading. I'm like, this isn't hard to read it

442
00:20:22,440 --> 00:20:24,480
Speaker 2: all this is you know, It's like it's like a

443
00:20:24,560 --> 00:20:26,800
Speaker 2: letter right to me. And how could it have been

444
00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:30,280
Speaker 2: written thousands of years ago and still apply so much

445
00:20:30,359 --> 00:20:33,040
Speaker 2: to who we are today as people? So I was

446
00:20:33,119 --> 00:20:36,120
Speaker 2: just like it was like a scales off the eyes

447
00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:38,840
Speaker 2: kind of moment. It was a dramatic change and shift,

448
00:20:38,880 --> 00:20:40,080
Speaker 2: and he forgave me.

449
00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:44,200
Speaker 1: And did you rebind his bible with yours?

450
00:20:44,280 --> 00:20:46,320
Speaker 2: I would have kept it. I really don't even know

451
00:20:46,320 --> 00:20:50,280
Speaker 2: what happened to those, you know, those two pieces. Maybe

452
00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:52,080
Speaker 2: we do have a minute box somewhere, but I bought

453
00:20:52,119 --> 00:20:52,800
Speaker 2: him a bible.

454
00:20:53,119 --> 00:20:55,520
Speaker 1: Have you written this story? I haven't written it into

455
00:20:55,560 --> 00:20:58,639
Speaker 1: anything just because i'd say times, But I think this

456
00:20:58,800 --> 00:21:02,280
Speaker 1: story is so true to you. And I'm not saying

457
00:21:02,320 --> 00:21:04,080
Speaker 1: you were like this lost girl, but if you, if

458
00:21:04,119 --> 00:21:07,639
Speaker 1: you you were lost in your ways right, this is

459
00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:11,520
Speaker 1: a beautiful coming to life story. I'm surprised you haven't

460
00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:12,880
Speaker 1: written the story of you.

461
00:21:13,920 --> 00:21:15,639
Speaker 2: There's a little bit of that in that first novel,

462
00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:18,160
Speaker 2: because I thought, well, I can't do myself, so I'll

463
00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:20,120
Speaker 2: use my own a little bit of it. But there

464
00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:23,440
Speaker 2: wasn't enough for me to say it.

465
00:21:23,400 --> 00:21:30,919
Speaker 1: Was God is moving, are moving, there's falling into a.

466
00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:32,439
Speaker 2: Here we go.

467
00:21:33,480 --> 00:21:35,400
Speaker 3: I think you should write it and call it Unbound,

468
00:21:35,520 --> 00:21:37,800
Speaker 3: and I think it should be about your deep love

469
00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:40,480
Speaker 3: for the sweet man who just hosts and loves you.

470
00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:43,760
Speaker 3: My favorite thing about meeting him with you is I

471
00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:44,920
Speaker 3: feel like he has to die though.

472
00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:48,199
Speaker 1: In the end. Oh why, I'm sorry. There has to

473
00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:51,280
Speaker 1: be some like it's almost like a walk to remember vibe,

474
00:21:51,359 --> 00:21:54,240
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. But like this is why

475
00:21:54,440 --> 00:21:57,880
Speaker 1: finished books. Fun fact, But I do love.

476
00:21:58,160 --> 00:22:02,040
Speaker 3: What I admired about you both was this deep admiration

477
00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:05,080
Speaker 3: that you have for each other. That was, you know,

478
00:22:05,119 --> 00:22:08,640
Speaker 3: in marriage. We talked a lot about marriage here and

479
00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:13,480
Speaker 3: just how deeply proud he is of you and the

480
00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:15,760
Speaker 3: way he lights up when he talks about you, and

481
00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:19,520
Speaker 3: you know, he was connecting with me, he was connecting

482
00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:21,720
Speaker 3: pieces of my life with your life, and it just

483
00:22:21,880 --> 00:22:24,720
Speaker 3: was like, well, you know, Karen lived there and Karen

484
00:22:24,760 --> 00:22:27,200
Speaker 3: did that too. It just he beams when he talks

485
00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:29,760
Speaker 3: about you. So I'm sure glad he loves this Bible

486
00:22:29,760 --> 00:22:31,639
Speaker 3: breaker because you're special amazing.

487
00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:32,840
Speaker 2: If he ever forgave me.

488
00:22:32,960 --> 00:22:35,320
Speaker 1: Is like, well if he didn't, then what Bible is

489
00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:35,720
Speaker 1: he reading?

490
00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:37,280
Speaker 2: That's true? That's so true.

491
00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:40,280
Speaker 1: I mean that was the most in action.

492
00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:43,639
Speaker 2: Yeah, he completely ends and feet Yeah exactly. You know,

493
00:22:43,680 --> 00:22:46,639
Speaker 2: he he'll tell me because I do public speaking or whatnot,

494
00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:49,240
Speaker 2: you know, and you know, might be in front of

495
00:22:49,280 --> 00:22:52,639
Speaker 2: my favorite would be like Liberty University. There's thirteen, fourteen,

496
00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:55,600
Speaker 2: fifteen thousand students and that's a big stage to speak on.

497
00:22:56,040 --> 00:22:58,280
Speaker 2: And he's like he has to find a way to

498
00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:01,960
Speaker 2: come and he'll say, I'll say, my favorite thing to do,

499
00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:05,320
Speaker 2: Karen is watch you on stage. Oh it's the sweetest thing.

500
00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:08,919
Speaker 2: And then likewise for him, he's a basketball coach and

501
00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:10,640
Speaker 2: he just got he had taken a few years off,

502
00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:13,399
Speaker 2: but he just got a job at Franklin Christians. Will

503
00:23:13,440 --> 00:23:17,360
Speaker 2: be there doing coaching and again and I am his scorekeeper.

504
00:23:18,040 --> 00:23:20,639
Speaker 2: So I always sit there and just be coach Russell's wife,

505
00:23:20,720 --> 00:23:23,960
Speaker 2: you know, which you know, that's just a good dream.

506
00:23:24,040 --> 00:23:26,200
Speaker 2: And so yeah, that's my married name.

507
00:23:26,240 --> 00:23:29,919
Speaker 1: Is your dream as well? Yeah, Trussell's wife. How do

508
00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:33,199
Speaker 1: you how do you weave in your Christianity? Because I

509
00:23:33,280 --> 00:23:36,520
Speaker 1: watched you do it when you wrote the script with

510
00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:41,119
Speaker 1: with Tyler. But it's interesting though too during this and

511
00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:44,560
Speaker 1: you know a little fun fact, there was some taken

512
00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:49,080
Speaker 1: out too, because you don't want to shove it down

513
00:23:49,080 --> 00:23:50,960
Speaker 1: people's throat, but you want it still a piece of

514
00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:53,840
Speaker 1: the story. So kind of walk us through how you

515
00:23:53,920 --> 00:23:56,679
Speaker 1: balance that act and then why some of the things

516
00:23:56,920 --> 00:23:59,280
Speaker 1: because there was a you know, some moments where we

517
00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:03,120
Speaker 1: were gonna read some scripture in the movie and then

518
00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:05,360
Speaker 1: or there's just certain pieces, really, well, let's take this out.

519
00:24:05,359 --> 00:24:07,879
Speaker 1: This feels a little bit too much. What called you

520
00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:10,240
Speaker 1: to do that? And then how do you weave it through?

521
00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:14,280
Speaker 2: Like to me, I see the story as one organic story,

522
00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:17,800
Speaker 2: and I think if I step out anytime I step up,

523
00:24:17,840 --> 00:24:19,600
Speaker 2: if I were to be tempted even to step away

524
00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:21,679
Speaker 2: from that and try to teach somebody something with the

525
00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:24,240
Speaker 2: movie or the book, that's wrong. That's not going to work.

526
00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:29,000
Speaker 2: People are very aware of what is organically realized. It's

527
00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:31,520
Speaker 2: okay if I'm watching your story play out. But the

528
00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:35,040
Speaker 2: minute your story starts to feel like, actually, actually I'm

529
00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:38,400
Speaker 2: teaching you something, that's when you've gone too far, and

530
00:24:38,440 --> 00:24:41,080
Speaker 2: it's you know, this is not a preachy kind of

531
00:24:41,160 --> 00:24:44,520
Speaker 2: and not my books aren't that way, and certainly The

532
00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:48,639
Speaker 2: Christmas Ring is not that way. But it's beautiful to

533
00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:52,800
Speaker 2: watch someone else who has a faith struggle and then

534
00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:56,400
Speaker 2: find hope and redemption or even if they lose everything

535
00:24:57,000 --> 00:24:59,240
Speaker 2: still to be able to find the ability to breathe

536
00:24:59,320 --> 00:25:02,080
Speaker 2: and to walk forward word. And if I'm watching that,

537
00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:04,280
Speaker 2: then what happens is the message of that comes in

538
00:25:04,320 --> 00:25:06,280
Speaker 2: through the back door of the heart. And like I

539
00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:08,800
Speaker 2: always would say that when Jesus wanted to tell you

540
00:25:08,840 --> 00:25:10,520
Speaker 2: something straight he would he'd say, you know, I am

541
00:25:10,520 --> 00:25:11,920
Speaker 2: the way of the truth. Them a life, and there

542
00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:14,320
Speaker 2: is no one that comes to the Father except through me,

543
00:25:14,480 --> 00:25:17,240
Speaker 2: just straightforward. When he wanted to make a point, he

544
00:25:17,320 --> 00:25:20,040
Speaker 2: might turn over a table, but when he wanted to

545
00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:23,160
Speaker 2: touch your heart, he told a story. So it shouldn't

546
00:25:23,200 --> 00:25:25,399
Speaker 2: feel you should never feel like a character in that,

547
00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:29,000
Speaker 2: like like, oh, they're talking to me, they're they're they're

548
00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:32,119
Speaker 2: speaking to me. The overall feeling will land on someone

549
00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:34,359
Speaker 2: like that, and that is not. The goal is to

550
00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:37,920
Speaker 2: tell you a truthful even though it's fiction, a truthful

551
00:25:38,040 --> 00:25:41,199
Speaker 2: story of somebody else going through a problem and finding

552
00:25:41,240 --> 00:25:44,240
Speaker 2: hope in their genuine faith. But genuine faith does not

553
00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:45,840
Speaker 2: mean that every time I pop in the room, I'm

554
00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:49,119
Speaker 2: reading scripture, or every time I lost your Donald, unless

555
00:25:49,160 --> 00:25:50,040
Speaker 2: you're Donald and he.

556
00:25:54,880 --> 00:25:55,520
Speaker 1: Serving love.

557
00:25:55,960 --> 00:25:58,720
Speaker 2: That's right, that's so funny, that's exactly I think he

558
00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:01,240
Speaker 2: has actually made some ten jokes about it. The next

559
00:26:01,280 --> 00:26:04,080
Speaker 2: time we played Tennessee, Brookes ankle, so that was just

560
00:26:04,119 --> 00:26:05,680
Speaker 2: like a he was like, now you need to find

561
00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:09,640
Speaker 2: some scripture for me. But but yeah, you know, it's

562
00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:13,359
Speaker 2: not authentic to other people if you if it's too much. Sure,

563
00:26:14,359 --> 00:26:16,919
Speaker 2: you know, anything faith related is going to be like

564
00:26:17,040 --> 00:26:20,600
Speaker 2: cayenne pepper and a recipe, like a very tiny pinch.

565
00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:24,639
Speaker 2: It feels people will completely You'll draw them in and

566
00:26:24,640 --> 00:26:28,000
Speaker 2: they'll say either wow, I want that. I love how

567
00:26:28,040 --> 00:26:30,920
Speaker 2: that helped that person, or they'll say that's me. I'm

568
00:26:30,960 --> 00:26:33,440
Speaker 2: like that too, and they'll they'll own the whole movie,

569
00:26:33,440 --> 00:26:36,240
Speaker 2: will feel like it's in their worldview or the world

570
00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:39,320
Speaker 2: that they want. But if you are trying to force things,

571
00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:41,399
Speaker 2: it's just the whole thing. You lose the whole thing.

572
00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:45,560
Speaker 1: Well, let's talk about the Christmas Ring because this was

573
00:26:45,880 --> 00:26:48,480
Speaker 1: flipped and how things normally happen. Usually you have the

574
00:26:48,520 --> 00:26:50,880
Speaker 1: book and then the movie or the TV show happens.

575
00:26:51,200 --> 00:26:53,280
Speaker 1: But tell us how Christmas Ring. And I wasn't even

576
00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:59,240
Speaker 1: supposed to play the leading.

577
00:26:57,000 --> 00:27:01,240
Speaker 2: They're faking freaking news, but they got me so well.

578
00:27:02,119 --> 00:27:03,520
Speaker 2: And this is you know, I prayed on the way here.

579
00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:05,479
Speaker 2: I really did about like how do I talk about this?

580
00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:07,760
Speaker 2: And because I want to be sure like the other

581
00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:09,960
Speaker 2: kinds of movies that are Christmas movies. I just want

582
00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:11,680
Speaker 2: to go on record there there. They're a lot of fun,

583
00:27:11,720 --> 00:27:14,640
Speaker 2: and they're you know, they have their own value within.

584
00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:15,840
Speaker 1: They've all done them and we all love them.

585
00:27:15,920 --> 00:27:16,600
Speaker 2: Yes, exactly.

586
00:27:16,600 --> 00:27:16,800
Speaker 1: There.

587
00:27:16,840 --> 00:27:19,040
Speaker 2: I mean, it's like you're looking forward to it every

588
00:27:19,080 --> 00:27:21,400
Speaker 2: year to see, you know, what's what these different platforms

589
00:27:21,440 --> 00:27:22,879
Speaker 2: are going to come out with. And they're great and

590
00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:25,760
Speaker 2: they're wonderful fun. But I wanted to do a movie

591
00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:28,760
Speaker 2: that was an elevated experience, like something you would want

592
00:27:28,760 --> 00:27:33,720
Speaker 2: to watch again and again and again. And the initially

593
00:27:33,920 --> 00:27:35,960
Speaker 2: I had we were I was partnering with a platform,

594
00:27:36,040 --> 00:27:39,239
Speaker 2: I'll just say, and they have certain actors that are

595
00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:43,200
Speaker 2: in there on by contracts, in their staple of talent,

596
00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:48,520
Speaker 2: and so this particular you know actress I absolutely love

597
00:27:48,640 --> 00:27:51,399
Speaker 2: and I'm friends it's great. Yeah, she's great, She's fantastic.

598
00:27:51,760 --> 00:27:54,639
Speaker 2: But once things didn't work out at the upper level

599
00:27:55,640 --> 00:27:58,159
Speaker 2: in terms of it being initially it was going to

600
00:27:58,160 --> 00:28:01,400
Speaker 2: be an easy quick you know, we would just write

601
00:28:01,400 --> 00:28:03,760
Speaker 2: the script and maybe Tyler would direct it, but it

602
00:28:03,760 --> 00:28:06,640
Speaker 2: would be not any of my time and not any

603
00:28:06,640 --> 00:28:09,879
Speaker 2: of my resources. But they really couldn't pull it together

604
00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:11,520
Speaker 2: financially in a way to be able to make it

605
00:28:11,520 --> 00:28:14,680
Speaker 2: look like it should, and so we in a very

606
00:28:14,680 --> 00:28:17,040
Speaker 2: friendly way, and we're still very friendly. We just you know,

607
00:28:17,480 --> 00:28:20,119
Speaker 2: eventually someday it may come to their platform years from now,

608
00:28:20,480 --> 00:28:22,560
Speaker 2: but it won't be there to start. And I wanted

609
00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:24,800
Speaker 2: to make myself, so we said we make use with

610
00:28:24,800 --> 00:28:28,679
Speaker 2: our own resources and we would film it here. And

611
00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:30,159
Speaker 2: so then I didn't get to have her, even if

612
00:28:30,200 --> 00:28:32,200
Speaker 2: I wanted her. I mean, that was just not I

613
00:28:32,240 --> 00:28:33,639
Speaker 2: couldn't have her. So now it was like, well, this

614
00:28:33,680 --> 00:28:35,879
Speaker 2: is the whole clean slate. So my first you were

615
00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:38,400
Speaker 2: my first choice of them. I just don't have to say.

616
00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:43,360
Speaker 1: You don't have to say. Usually I'm like the second

617
00:28:43,400 --> 00:28:44,320
Speaker 1: or third. No, it's not.

618
00:28:44,440 --> 00:28:46,920
Speaker 2: You actually weren't. No. I mean, I don't know how

619
00:28:46,960 --> 00:28:49,719
Speaker 2: that could be, because you're so talented, Jana, so talented.

620
00:28:49,880 --> 00:28:53,160
Speaker 2: I mean, it's amazing, like she it's like the river

621
00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:55,040
Speaker 2: runs so deep, and I know that's true in your

622
00:28:55,080 --> 00:28:57,880
Speaker 2: life and you can't fake that. I really don't think

623
00:28:57,880 --> 00:29:00,720
Speaker 2: no matter of talent of an actor, if they don't

624
00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:03,560
Speaker 2: have the deep well within them, they can't bring into

625
00:29:03,600 --> 00:29:06,760
Speaker 2: the screen. And you're just I mean, I don't know

626
00:29:07,360 --> 00:29:10,440
Speaker 2: the story of the Christmas Ring brought that we have

627
00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:14,040
Speaker 2: a military widow as the lead character. So there's no

628
00:29:14,120 --> 00:29:16,600
Speaker 2: way that can be somebody who doesn't at least show

629
00:29:16,640 --> 00:29:19,280
Speaker 2: that they've been there a little bit in their heart.

630
00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:21,880
Speaker 2: So yeah, you were just I mean, we were thrilled

631
00:29:21,960 --> 00:29:23,840
Speaker 2: we got you were our first get knew that was

632
00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:26,520
Speaker 2: number one. We had an actor and that when it

633
00:29:26,520 --> 00:29:28,960
Speaker 2: was a public announcement, we actually had Christopher Polah who

634
00:29:29,040 --> 00:29:32,160
Speaker 2: was the He's a Hallmark actor who was going to

635
00:29:32,160 --> 00:29:34,520
Speaker 2: be the lead. But that was with the other actress

636
00:29:34,680 --> 00:29:36,400
Speaker 2: that was with the other or other lead that we

637
00:29:36,440 --> 00:29:39,800
Speaker 2: did we lost, and so it was just kind of

638
00:29:39,800 --> 00:29:41,400
Speaker 2: one of those things where I thought, I'm not sure

639
00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:44,560
Speaker 2: that's going to work age wise, like pairing wise. I

640
00:29:44,600 --> 00:29:46,760
Speaker 2: wasn't sure how that would be. But I we'd kind

641
00:29:46,760 --> 00:29:48,960
Speaker 2: of already offered him, So what do you do? But

642
00:29:49,120 --> 00:29:53,520
Speaker 2: literally two days after we started pre production, he quit

643
00:29:53,720 --> 00:29:55,560
Speaker 2: and he called us and he said, so has the

644
00:29:55,560 --> 00:29:58,719
Speaker 2: agent called, I'm so sorry, like his you know, homework

645
00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:01,080
Speaker 2: doesn't want him to do it unerstandably because he had

646
00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:04,400
Speaker 2: by then he gathered up another Christmas movie with them,

647
00:30:04,880 --> 00:30:06,440
Speaker 2: So how do you and you know, his thought was,

648
00:30:06,440 --> 00:30:08,520
Speaker 2: I'll just talk about both and their thought was like,

649
00:30:08,880 --> 00:30:12,040
Speaker 2: uh no, that's not going to happen. So he had

650
00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:14,800
Speaker 2: to quit. So I totally understand it's his life, you know,

651
00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:18,080
Speaker 2: as bread and butter, but he's going to be working

652
00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:20,120
Speaker 2: for them, and so now I have a clean slate

653
00:30:20,200 --> 00:30:22,960
Speaker 2: on the guys. And I'm like, who would really be

654
00:30:23,040 --> 00:30:23,480
Speaker 2: good with you?

655
00:30:23,520 --> 00:30:25,160
Speaker 1: And she's texting me and I'm like, Karen, we are

656
00:30:25,160 --> 00:30:26,040
Speaker 1: filming in a week.

657
00:30:26,080 --> 00:30:26,560
Speaker 2: Girlfriend.

658
00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:28,040
Speaker 1: I was like, what is happening?

659
00:30:28,960 --> 00:30:34,959
Speaker 2: This is crazy and the ship is already Oh I know,

660
00:30:35,080 --> 00:30:36,680
Speaker 2: I'm sure you were like. Plus, you know, I'm a

661
00:30:36,720 --> 00:30:39,400
Speaker 2: new filmmaker, like I really am, and I mean, I'll

662
00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:41,160
Speaker 2: be the first to admit, like I'm always trying to

663
00:30:41,160 --> 00:30:43,360
Speaker 2: get better with them, but it starts second movie, so

664
00:30:43,520 --> 00:30:46,400
Speaker 2: you had to Obviously thankfully you love the script, but

665
00:30:46,560 --> 00:30:50,520
Speaker 2: like you're putting your trust, you're putting your reputation, you know,

666
00:30:50,720 --> 00:30:53,760
Speaker 2: into that we're going to make you look beautiful, that

667
00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:55,840
Speaker 2: we're going to bring out the best in you, or

668
00:30:55,880 --> 00:30:57,840
Speaker 2: that we're even going to show up, you know when

669
00:30:57,960 --> 00:31:00,200
Speaker 2: we say here's day one. So I'm sure that was

670
00:31:00,360 --> 00:31:02,920
Speaker 2: my least favorite call to make. Tyler was like, you're

671
00:31:02,960 --> 00:31:06,600
Speaker 2: gonna call it ya. Let her know that we don't

672
00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:09,280
Speaker 2: have a male lead, I said, I I have deal.

673
00:31:09,320 --> 00:31:11,479
Speaker 2: We were I think in the Bahamas on some vacation

674
00:31:11,640 --> 00:31:12,320
Speaker 2: during that week.

675
00:31:12,600 --> 00:31:16,120
Speaker 1: But I loved who you. I loved your vision. I

676
00:31:16,160 --> 00:31:19,760
Speaker 1: already knew the vision and it was I yes, so

677
00:31:19,800 --> 00:31:22,080
Speaker 1: sad to see Christopher go, but at the same time,

678
00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:23,840
Speaker 1: I'm like, Okay, fine, clear slate, let's do this.

679
00:31:24,600 --> 00:31:24,719
Speaker 2: Uh.

680
00:31:25,040 --> 00:31:27,240
Speaker 1: And I was so happy with who you said you

681
00:31:27,280 --> 00:31:30,000
Speaker 1: were going to go out to, and so yeah, I

682
00:31:30,120 --> 00:31:31,000
Speaker 1: felt very blessed.

683
00:31:31,080 --> 00:31:33,760
Speaker 2: Yeah. So Benjamin, I mean I had never obviously never

684
00:31:33,800 --> 00:31:36,760
Speaker 2: worked with him. He's mostly known for being on Virgin River,

685
00:31:37,240 --> 00:31:40,880
Speaker 2: but he has as so he's so affable. On top

686
00:31:40,960 --> 00:31:44,440
Speaker 2: being very handsome, he's very likable. Yeah, and I didn't

687
00:31:44,440 --> 00:31:46,720
Speaker 2: see the seasons where he was like people that he

688
00:31:46,800 --> 00:31:48,000
Speaker 2: was like a bad boy or something.

689
00:31:48,040 --> 00:31:51,040
Speaker 1: I guess I never watched Virgin River, so nothing going

690
00:31:51,080 --> 00:31:53,560
Speaker 1: in at all. I just knew he was like, yeah,

691
00:31:53,600 --> 00:31:56,400
Speaker 1: this bad boy from Virgin River. And then I met him,

692
00:31:56,400 --> 00:31:58,240
Speaker 1: and I mean I just I loved him. I don't know.

693
00:31:58,280 --> 00:32:01,920
Speaker 1: So it's like we had this great chemist and he

694
00:32:02,080 --> 00:32:05,480
Speaker 1: was incredible, like it was amazing his family, and then

695
00:32:05,520 --> 00:32:09,600
Speaker 1: on screen he made me better, Like he's just he

696
00:32:10,120 --> 00:32:13,800
Speaker 1: elevated the material and therefore I had to also meet

697
00:32:13,840 --> 00:32:14,240
Speaker 1: him there.

698
00:32:14,600 --> 00:32:16,200
Speaker 2: Yeah, but you did the same for him. I mean,

699
00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:19,280
Speaker 2: there's no question that your depth brought out like he is.

700
00:32:19,280 --> 00:32:21,240
Speaker 2: That I think that part of the reason it worked

701
00:32:21,280 --> 00:32:22,960
Speaker 2: so well and people, I think, I really believe this.

702
00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:25,480
Speaker 2: At ten years from now, twenty years from now, people

703
00:32:25,480 --> 00:32:27,160
Speaker 2: are going to try to figure out what the formula

704
00:32:27,240 --> 00:32:29,480
Speaker 2: was to find chemistry like you and Ben have on screen.

705
00:32:29,520 --> 00:32:33,320
Speaker 2: It's I mean it's breathtaking chemistry. But it's not just

706
00:32:33,440 --> 00:32:36,200
Speaker 2: like you know, sexual tension chemistry at all.

707
00:32:36,440 --> 00:32:38,880
Speaker 1: No, it wasn't like that at all. There was just like, yeah,

708
00:32:38,960 --> 00:32:41,400
Speaker 1: we had That's where I'm like, there's a soulful thing

709
00:32:41,480 --> 00:32:43,560
Speaker 1: that it was like we knew each other in a

710
00:32:43,560 --> 00:32:46,840
Speaker 1: past life or something or because it was just yeah,

711
00:32:47,080 --> 00:32:49,920
Speaker 1: not it's not to say see your feeling yeah, like,

712
00:32:50,560 --> 00:32:53,120
Speaker 1: but yeah, it was. That was the I've never felt

713
00:32:53,120 --> 00:32:55,600
Speaker 1: that with a co star before, having that just like

714
00:32:55,640 --> 00:32:58,560
Speaker 1: that friendship connection chemistry with someone.

715
00:32:58,800 --> 00:33:00,960
Speaker 2: Yeah, to me, it was I think partly because you

716
00:33:01,040 --> 00:33:03,640
Speaker 2: both are deep. Yeah, just some people are and some aren't.

717
00:33:03,680 --> 00:33:05,760
Speaker 2: And some people can just step onto the set and

718
00:33:05,800 --> 00:33:07,520
Speaker 2: it's a job and they turn on the emotion that's

719
00:33:07,600 --> 00:33:09,720
Speaker 2: required and they do a great job and that's fine,

720
00:33:09,760 --> 00:33:11,200
Speaker 2: then they can just check out, go home. But you

721
00:33:11,280 --> 00:33:14,000
Speaker 2: run very, very deep, and it's partly your life experience,

722
00:33:14,360 --> 00:33:16,760
Speaker 2: partly you have a poetic heart. I mean you just

723
00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:19,440
Speaker 2: have a beautiful soul, beautiful heart. It's so true. And

724
00:33:19,480 --> 00:33:22,640
Speaker 2: I felt I walked away feeling like a like a

725
00:33:22,680 --> 00:33:25,640
Speaker 2: family friend that get close to you because of that

726
00:33:25,720 --> 00:33:28,400
Speaker 2: depth and you allow people in, which is also a

727
00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:31,480
Speaker 2: huge gift that you have that you allow the So

728
00:33:31,520 --> 00:33:34,360
Speaker 2: when people watch this movie, they're going to see into

729
00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:36,360
Speaker 2: your soul, like into your heart, and that's a lot

730
00:33:36,360 --> 00:33:38,240
Speaker 2: of actors also will put that well up and be

731
00:33:38,360 --> 00:33:41,680
Speaker 2: someone else. But you bring enough of Jianna Kramer to

732
00:33:41,800 --> 00:33:44,560
Speaker 2: that role and to this role in particular, and Ben

733
00:33:45,440 --> 00:33:47,959
Speaker 2: Ben nurtured that. And that was the thing is that

734
00:33:48,080 --> 00:33:50,040
Speaker 2: he's deep. I mean he's also a poet and named

735
00:33:50,080 --> 00:33:52,880
Speaker 2: his kids after you know, literature, like that's he's you

736
00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:54,800
Speaker 2: know when you're wanting your kids name Hemingway. I mean

737
00:33:55,080 --> 00:33:58,160
Speaker 2: like there's some depth there and he loves poetry. So

738
00:33:58,280 --> 00:34:00,400
Speaker 2: I thought, oh, my goods, who knew this about this guy?

739
00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:03,520
Speaker 2: You never know you're hiring someone to be in a movie,

740
00:34:03,520 --> 00:34:05,160
Speaker 2: it's like, not until you really get on set that

741
00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:08,440
Speaker 2: you're like, hope they get along, hope they enjoying this

742
00:34:08,560 --> 00:34:10,920
Speaker 2: experience because they need to pretend like they're madly and

743
00:34:10,960 --> 00:34:13,960
Speaker 2: love in a beautiful, hard way. And that's what I

744
00:34:13,960 --> 00:34:17,160
Speaker 2: think too. Is different here is that you know the

745
00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:19,279
Speaker 2: kiss at the beautiful kisses at the end that time

746
00:34:19,360 --> 00:34:22,279
Speaker 2: was so beautiful, but you know it was more than

747
00:34:22,320 --> 00:34:26,480
Speaker 2: that beautifully deep loved it. It was just I'm gonna

748
00:34:26,760 --> 00:34:28,400
Speaker 2: just cannot wait for people to see it.

749
00:34:41,280 --> 00:34:43,440
Speaker 1: So you wrote the script and then you wrote the book. Well,

750
00:34:43,480 --> 00:34:45,840
Speaker 1: I needed this, I need this to be a book.

751
00:34:45,880 --> 00:34:48,200
Speaker 2: That's it because and it won't matter which way people

752
00:34:48,440 --> 00:34:50,480
Speaker 2: like you could definitely watch the movie first and then

753
00:34:50,520 --> 00:34:52,520
Speaker 2: get the book or get the beauty. It doesn't matter

754
00:34:52,560 --> 00:34:55,239
Speaker 2: because they were so similar. But what you can do

755
00:34:55,280 --> 00:34:56,880
Speaker 2: in a book that you can't do in a film

756
00:34:56,960 --> 00:35:00,279
Speaker 2: is give more detail. So there's a really beautif offul

757
00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:02,239
Speaker 2: scene toward the end of the movie, and I don't

758
00:35:02,239 --> 00:35:04,200
Speaker 2: want to give away too much of it, but it's

759
00:35:04,200 --> 00:35:08,319
Speaker 2: a decision that Vanessa Mayfield has to make about let

760
00:35:08,600 --> 00:35:10,600
Speaker 2: this is something aligne that you know your character says,

761
00:35:10,600 --> 00:35:13,799
Speaker 2: and that you say so beautifully is the kind of

762
00:35:13,800 --> 00:35:16,000
Speaker 2: the key is to know when to hold onto the

763
00:35:16,040 --> 00:35:19,560
Speaker 2: past and when to let it go. And obviously it

764
00:35:19,560 --> 00:35:21,239
Speaker 2: will always shape us and be a part of us,

765
00:35:21,280 --> 00:35:24,680
Speaker 2: but you sometimes cannot move forward until you are willing

766
00:35:24,719 --> 00:35:27,239
Speaker 2: to let that piece go somewhat and you have to

767
00:35:27,239 --> 00:35:29,520
Speaker 2: reach this place where you have to let something go.

768
00:35:30,160 --> 00:35:33,000
Speaker 2: And the beauty of that moment, the beauty of that

769
00:35:33,520 --> 00:35:38,399
Speaker 2: the depth of what you're experiencing. You gave us five

770
00:35:38,440 --> 00:35:41,359
Speaker 2: thousand words in that moment, and that's, I mean, way

771
00:35:41,360 --> 00:35:43,799
Speaker 2: more than I could have ever asked. But I love

772
00:35:43,840 --> 00:35:46,359
Speaker 2: that I can take the book and let people read

773
00:35:46,360 --> 00:35:49,680
Speaker 2: those five thousand words, let them actually relive what it

774
00:35:49,760 --> 00:35:51,520
Speaker 2: was like when you got the knock on the door,

775
00:35:51,880 --> 00:35:53,640
Speaker 2: what it was like to marry him in the first place,

776
00:35:53,680 --> 00:35:56,160
Speaker 2: what it was like to raise you know, Sadie with him.

777
00:35:56,200 --> 00:35:59,760
Speaker 2: Like that same piece, that same moment in the book

778
00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:02,799
Speaker 2: gives us way more detail that we just cannot get

779
00:36:02,920 --> 00:36:03,440
Speaker 2: in a movie.

780
00:36:03,480 --> 00:36:06,239
Speaker 1: So when the book is available now and the movie

781
00:36:06,239 --> 00:36:08,480
Speaker 1: comes out November sixth in theaters, but you can actually

782
00:36:08,480 --> 00:36:09,960
Speaker 1: buy the book now, so if you want to read it,

783
00:36:09,960 --> 00:36:12,840
Speaker 1: if you're a read before the movie, are you a

784
00:36:12,920 --> 00:36:14,200
Speaker 1: read before the movie kind of goal.

785
00:36:14,360 --> 00:36:17,960
Speaker 3: Typically this time, I'm going opposite because you're my first opposite.

786
00:36:18,040 --> 00:36:19,719
Speaker 2: Yeah, and because I think people are they going to

787
00:36:19,719 --> 00:36:21,320
Speaker 2: be obsessed with this movie. They're going to want to

788
00:36:21,320 --> 00:36:22,640
Speaker 2: see it again and again. We just showed it to

789
00:36:22,680 --> 00:36:25,040
Speaker 2: five hundred women on this last weekend. They got a

790
00:36:25,040 --> 00:36:28,120
Speaker 2: preview of it more than a three minute standing ovation

791
00:36:28,640 --> 00:36:31,200
Speaker 2: at the end. This incredible. And then they would come

792
00:36:31,239 --> 00:36:32,560
Speaker 2: up to me and they'd say, you have no idea

793
00:36:32,600 --> 00:36:34,200
Speaker 2: how many times I'm going to see this in the theater,

794
00:36:34,320 --> 00:36:36,200
Speaker 2: Like I'm going to take my husband and I'm going

795
00:36:36,200 --> 00:36:38,920
Speaker 2: to take my girlfriends. I'm more. It's just they loved

796
00:36:38,920 --> 00:36:41,319
Speaker 2: it so much. So if they love it that much

797
00:36:41,440 --> 00:36:43,120
Speaker 2: and they want more, they're going to get the book.

798
00:36:43,239 --> 00:36:44,479
Speaker 2: That's where they're going to get more.

799
00:36:45,280 --> 00:36:47,959
Speaker 1: My first time going to a premiere. Are you able

800
00:36:47,960 --> 00:36:49,399
Speaker 1: to come? Because I know you have a baseball game?

801
00:36:49,800 --> 00:36:53,200
Speaker 1: They moved our last baseball game later. I get it.

802
00:36:53,200 --> 00:36:54,920
Speaker 1: I had to miss your thing because my kid had

803
00:36:54,960 --> 00:36:56,319
Speaker 1: a softball game, you know what I mean.

804
00:36:57,080 --> 00:36:59,120
Speaker 3: But I'm also the kids were able to be extras

805
00:36:59,120 --> 00:37:02,080
Speaker 3: in your film, and that has just shaped their brains.

806
00:37:02,960 --> 00:37:05,960
Speaker 3: So between the two of you, you have gifted my kids.

807
00:37:06,120 --> 00:37:10,080
Speaker 3: This really like a level a lid off kind of

808
00:37:10,160 --> 00:37:12,920
Speaker 3: mentality that is really I mean, I can't imagine who

809
00:37:12,960 --> 00:37:14,680
Speaker 3: I could have been if I got that at seven

810
00:37:14,840 --> 00:37:18,080
Speaker 3: and nine years old. And so they you know, you know,

811
00:37:18,120 --> 00:37:19,719
Speaker 3: it's the big premiere night, and I'm like, I know,

812
00:37:19,800 --> 00:37:21,239
Speaker 3: but you're also versus the.

813
00:37:21,160 --> 00:37:23,440
Speaker 1: Trash pandas that you know, field four and so.

814
00:37:23,880 --> 00:37:26,319
Speaker 3: But they've moved the last baseball game of the season too,

815
00:37:26,320 --> 00:37:28,000
Speaker 3: two days later, because God always makes a.

816
00:37:27,920 --> 00:37:28,400
Speaker 1: Way for us.

817
00:37:28,480 --> 00:37:30,160
Speaker 3: I said it even on the show. I was like,

818
00:37:30,640 --> 00:37:32,880
Speaker 3: got them move the pieces. Nothing's ever the same, you know,

819
00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:34,680
Speaker 3: and so we get to come and they get to

820
00:37:34,760 --> 00:37:37,440
Speaker 3: be It's fun. They've I've got a lot of dms

821
00:37:37,440 --> 00:37:39,640
Speaker 3: saying like did I just buy love in this movie?

822
00:37:39,640 --> 00:37:44,160
Speaker 1: I'm like, you did? This is awesome. What is your

823
00:37:45,080 --> 00:37:47,359
Speaker 1: favorite part about Because you were on set every single day.

824
00:37:47,480 --> 00:37:49,319
Speaker 1: I mean you were walking around, you know, making sure

825
00:37:49,320 --> 00:37:53,360
Speaker 1: everyone is fed and just happy and good hydrated, and

826
00:37:53,360 --> 00:37:55,759
Speaker 1: then you're watching the scenes and you're you know, because

827
00:37:55,760 --> 00:37:58,840
Speaker 1: you're obviously a producer as well on it. So what

828
00:37:59,040 --> 00:38:02,400
Speaker 1: did you experience on that you didn't think that you

829
00:38:02,400 --> 00:38:04,840
Speaker 1: were going to experience? Like, what is something that was

830
00:38:04,920 --> 00:38:07,160
Speaker 1: just like I didn't know I would feel this or.

831
00:38:07,560 --> 00:38:09,839
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know sometimes when you're watching a movie. First

832
00:38:09,880 --> 00:38:12,680
Speaker 2: of all, when you're watching a movie, you're it's edited,

833
00:38:12,880 --> 00:38:15,080
Speaker 2: it's colored, it has the score, it has all the

834
00:38:15,080 --> 00:38:17,200
Speaker 2: things that needs to draw your emotion. And we have

835
00:38:17,239 --> 00:38:19,319
Speaker 2: all that in the Christmas Ring. I think what I

836
00:38:19,440 --> 00:38:22,359
Speaker 2: wasn't expecting this is this movie has a fair share

837
00:38:22,400 --> 00:38:24,640
Speaker 2: of humor too. It has some you know, it's fun.

838
00:38:24,680 --> 00:38:28,400
Speaker 2: It's a scenes with Kelsey and the guy. Yeah, hilarious.

839
00:38:28,440 --> 00:38:30,440
Speaker 2: There's so fun. And you know, our little grhand boys.

840
00:38:30,440 --> 00:38:32,239
Speaker 2: I didn't think kids would end up like in this movie.

841
00:38:33,080 --> 00:38:35,760
Speaker 2: It's a date night. It's a matter. But the grandkids

842
00:38:35,800 --> 00:38:38,880
Speaker 2: are nine, seven and five loved it, like they were like,

843
00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:41,239
Speaker 2: Gary was so funny. He was so funny. You had

844
00:38:41,239 --> 00:38:44,200
Speaker 2: the funny hats. We just enjoyed it. So but what

845
00:38:44,280 --> 00:38:46,120
Speaker 2: you don't expect and this is again only my second

846
00:38:46,120 --> 00:38:48,799
Speaker 2: movie where I'm on set every minute and where I

847
00:38:48,840 --> 00:38:50,799
Speaker 2: get to have a you know, I'm the one saying

848
00:38:50,880 --> 00:38:54,080
Speaker 2: yes that art piece, yes, that costume, No, not that

849
00:38:54,239 --> 00:38:56,520
Speaker 2: art piece. You know, so this is the second time

850
00:38:56,600 --> 00:38:57,520
Speaker 2: for that, and she.

851
00:38:57,600 --> 00:38:59,799
Speaker 1: Just like cover your boobs up more grammer that yes,

852
00:39:00,280 --> 00:39:06,279
Speaker 1: not that shirt the Holy Imagination, you know what I mean,

853
00:39:07,320 --> 00:39:12,120
Speaker 1: Less Garden or Karen Gingsburg Fair. I was like, it's.

854
00:39:16,800 --> 00:39:19,120
Speaker 2: But there are I want there to be certain like

855
00:39:19,320 --> 00:39:22,400
Speaker 2: fingerprints of my movie that people know, Hey, if the

856
00:39:22,440 --> 00:39:24,080
Speaker 2: kids walk into the room, there's never going to be

857
00:39:24,080 --> 00:39:26,719
Speaker 2: a moment. But you just know you're But I love

858
00:39:26,800 --> 00:39:28,319
Speaker 2: that you got that though. I know that you were

859
00:39:28,320 --> 00:39:31,240
Speaker 2: like there's a little bit of a pattern with these outfits,

860
00:39:32,480 --> 00:39:33,319
Speaker 2: but they're not like.

861
00:39:33,640 --> 00:39:36,960
Speaker 1: Boring, grageous. I love you and I get it.

862
00:39:37,680 --> 00:39:41,000
Speaker 2: Yeah, but I wasn't expecting the emotions from me because

863
00:39:41,080 --> 00:39:42,880
Speaker 2: like I wrote the movie. We wrote Tyler and I

864
00:39:42,880 --> 00:39:45,440
Speaker 2: wrote the script and then I said, I can't do this.

865
00:39:45,480 --> 00:39:47,120
Speaker 2: I got it rife got out of book. I can't

866
00:39:47,120 --> 00:39:49,560
Speaker 2: just have the movie, so quickly wrote a book. God.

867
00:39:49,640 --> 00:39:51,239
Speaker 2: I mean, so I was working two sides of things.

868
00:39:51,320 --> 00:39:53,640
Speaker 2: I was going fast. And by the time we got

869
00:39:53,680 --> 00:39:56,359
Speaker 2: to being on set and watching your scenes, like you're

870
00:39:56,360 --> 00:39:59,600
Speaker 2: seeing when you're talking about your husband who passed away

871
00:40:00,520 --> 00:40:04,120
Speaker 2: working as an army medic overseas an ied and you're

872
00:40:04,160 --> 00:40:08,080
Speaker 2: telling that story. I mean, I'm in theory. I should

873
00:40:08,080 --> 00:40:11,520
Speaker 2: be in a left brain place going is that air conditioning?

874
00:40:11,560 --> 00:40:13,440
Speaker 2: Going to be able to be you know, taken out

875
00:40:13,440 --> 00:40:17,000
Speaker 2: are we But I literally was so drawn into the

876
00:40:17,040 --> 00:40:20,160
Speaker 2: scene and that happened several times that I'm crying, like

877
00:40:20,200 --> 00:40:23,239
Speaker 2: I'm back there just wiping tears like that happened in

878
00:40:23,400 --> 00:40:26,279
Speaker 2: just more than I ever expected. So I think it

879
00:40:26,320 --> 00:40:28,359
Speaker 2: was it was a little bit of of God like

880
00:40:28,480 --> 00:40:31,279
Speaker 2: letting me know this is going to be amazing, Like

881
00:40:31,600 --> 00:40:33,279
Speaker 2: and I kept when I'd pray about it, because we

882
00:40:33,320 --> 00:40:36,120
Speaker 2: prayed all the time, like go or make away, help

883
00:40:36,200 --> 00:40:38,839
Speaker 2: us because it's all been so quick and fifteen days

884
00:40:38,880 --> 00:40:42,280
Speaker 2: film a movie that will be timeless, is way too short.

885
00:40:42,719 --> 00:40:46,239
Speaker 2: But you know, we had the Jenny, You're so gracious,

886
00:40:46,280 --> 00:40:48,120
Speaker 2: like it's going to be you know, it feels like

887
00:40:48,120 --> 00:40:50,319
Speaker 2: one hundred and nine, and you're like, that's fine, bring me,

888
00:40:50,400 --> 00:40:52,160
Speaker 2: let me wear the coat. You're totally good.

889
00:40:52,200 --> 00:40:55,200
Speaker 1: But Donald had a sweet cooling car outside, so he

890
00:40:55,400 --> 00:40:58,080
Speaker 1: was just made sure we were nice and snuggled up.

891
00:40:58,120 --> 00:41:00,160
Speaker 1: But I think there was something else too that we

892
00:41:00,200 --> 00:41:03,080
Speaker 1: spoke about. There was a moment in this in the

893
00:41:03,120 --> 00:41:06,479
Speaker 1: movie with Kelsey where there was that father son, yes,

894
00:41:06,520 --> 00:41:09,759
Speaker 1: a parent relationship, and obviously having Kelsey was a huge gift.

895
00:41:09,800 --> 00:41:13,719
Speaker 1: I mean, he's incredible. He was amazing. But there's also

896
00:41:13,800 --> 00:41:16,800
Speaker 1: forgiveness in there too, and I think it's so beautiful

897
00:41:16,840 --> 00:41:20,719
Speaker 1: because we've talked about parents and the journeys and to hear,

898
00:41:21,400 --> 00:41:25,879
Speaker 1: you know you what Kelsey says in there. I even

899
00:41:25,880 --> 00:41:27,960
Speaker 1: when I watched it back with you in your screening room,

900
00:41:28,960 --> 00:41:31,040
Speaker 1: I felt it and was like, man, what a beautiful

901
00:41:31,200 --> 00:41:33,319
Speaker 1: thing that this parent has said to his son.

902
00:41:34,040 --> 00:41:36,880
Speaker 2: And I think that was probably the moment that I

903
00:41:37,239 --> 00:41:40,160
Speaker 2: expected it to be emotional the times when you made

904
00:41:40,160 --> 00:41:44,120
Speaker 2: me emotional and Ben your interactions, but with Kelsey, I

905
00:41:44,200 --> 00:41:47,160
Speaker 2: never realized. The people who are going to be touched,

906
00:41:47,160 --> 00:41:50,080
Speaker 2: they have a strange relationships with their adult kids, and

907
00:41:50,239 --> 00:41:52,120
Speaker 2: it's who knows whose fault it is. It's going to

908
00:41:52,120 --> 00:41:55,359
Speaker 2: be different for each situation. People are so hesitant to

909
00:41:55,360 --> 00:41:59,440
Speaker 2: just say they're sorry. And in this scene, because Kelsey

910
00:41:59,480 --> 00:42:02,280
Speaker 2: Grammar's care has been very hard headed for a good reason.

911
00:42:02,719 --> 00:42:05,080
Speaker 2: You know, he's found this treasure. He's an antiques dealer

912
00:42:05,600 --> 00:42:08,360
Speaker 2: and for the first time in his you know, decades

913
00:42:08,440 --> 00:42:11,359
Speaker 2: long career, he has found the diamond and the rough.

914
00:42:11,880 --> 00:42:14,319
Speaker 2: He has found a ring that even Vanessa Mayfield thinks

915
00:42:14,320 --> 00:42:17,200
Speaker 2: his costume, but it isn't it's actually worth twenty five

916
00:42:17,239 --> 00:42:19,960
Speaker 2: thousand dollars, and finally he's going to get to take

917
00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:22,399
Speaker 2: this trip to Italy that he's always wanted to take,

918
00:42:22,440 --> 00:42:25,160
Speaker 2: that his wife always wanted, and now she's passed away.

919
00:42:25,160 --> 00:42:27,319
Speaker 2: So there's an emotional reason why he doesn't want this

920
00:42:27,400 --> 00:42:31,480
Speaker 2: to be your ring of Vanessa's ring. But he has

921
00:42:31,560 --> 00:42:36,080
Speaker 2: a very strong, a very strong sort of negative attitude

922
00:42:36,360 --> 00:42:39,520
Speaker 2: for his son, saying like that's enough. He really yells

923
00:42:39,560 --> 00:42:42,959
Speaker 2: at him and it becomes like a really In fact,

924
00:42:43,120 --> 00:42:45,200
Speaker 2: some of the people who's like in the industry, who

925
00:42:45,200 --> 00:42:47,560
Speaker 2: are more on the platform side of Christmas movies said

926
00:42:47,760 --> 00:42:50,640
Speaker 2: he's too intense in that scene, but he's not, because

927
00:42:51,120 --> 00:42:55,440
Speaker 2: resolution and reconciliation is only going to be beautiful if

928
00:42:55,480 --> 00:42:58,360
Speaker 2: the conflict was strong and it was between them. So

929
00:42:58,680 --> 00:43:01,000
Speaker 2: then have this moment in the hall at this antique

930
00:43:01,040 --> 00:43:04,120
Speaker 2: shop where they work, and they had this beautiful moment

931
00:43:04,120 --> 00:43:07,600
Speaker 2: where he the Kelsey Gramma's character says I'm wrong and

932
00:43:07,640 --> 00:43:11,600
Speaker 2: I'm sorry, and the moment was electric and all of

933
00:43:11,640 --> 00:43:13,160
Speaker 2: us like, we need to get a box of tissues

934
00:43:13,280 --> 00:43:15,719
Speaker 2: in video village because it was like, I think we

935
00:43:15,719 --> 00:43:19,239
Speaker 2: were all thinking of families and friends, sisters, whatever, that

936
00:43:19,320 --> 00:43:22,440
Speaker 2: we know that have strange relationships with their kids, and

937
00:43:22,480 --> 00:43:25,880
Speaker 2: it could look this simple. I was wrong, I'm sorry,

938
00:43:26,600 --> 00:43:29,719
Speaker 2: and then just have the hug and come back back

939
00:43:29,760 --> 00:43:33,359
Speaker 2: to the beginning where you began. And I thought people

940
00:43:33,360 --> 00:43:35,680
Speaker 2: are going to be weeping in the theaters going I'm

941
00:43:35,760 --> 00:43:39,279
Speaker 2: making you know, even if it's not your fault, you know,

942
00:43:39,480 --> 00:43:41,359
Speaker 2: just reach out and just say for anything I've done,

943
00:43:41,400 --> 00:43:44,720
Speaker 2: I'm sorry. And it's just a obviously God wants us reconcile.

944
00:43:44,800 --> 00:43:47,200
Speaker 2: They doesn't want the separations, and they're saying no. And

945
00:43:47,239 --> 00:43:49,880
Speaker 2: you've talked about this like the whole like no contact

946
00:43:49,960 --> 00:43:53,799
Speaker 2: thing is smart when you're in an abusive relationship, and

947
00:43:53,840 --> 00:43:56,560
Speaker 2: it's also a way too frequently used just as a

948
00:43:56,560 --> 00:43:59,200
Speaker 2: way of saying you annoy me. I'm going no contact

949
00:44:00,200 --> 00:44:03,680
Speaker 2: adult kid. So you know, it's it's hopeful. And I

950
00:44:03,719 --> 00:44:06,959
Speaker 2: didn't see this. I didn't realize how impactful the father

951
00:44:07,120 --> 00:44:09,719
Speaker 2: son and even the mother daughter relationship with you and

952
00:44:09,800 --> 00:44:11,760
Speaker 2: Sadie was going to be to the story.

953
00:44:12,080 --> 00:44:16,600
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, I'm so excited for everyone to see

954
00:44:16,600 --> 00:44:20,160
Speaker 1: this movie. I really am. I have not I have

955
00:44:20,200 --> 00:44:21,360
Speaker 1: like counting down the days.

956
00:44:22,200 --> 00:44:25,000
Speaker 3: I think also because there hasn't been like a Notebook

957
00:44:25,120 --> 00:44:30,560
Speaker 3: feeling Christmas movie for me, ever, there's never been that.

958
00:44:30,640 --> 00:44:34,879
Speaker 3: You know, we have of course, we have the iconic holidays, yes,

959
00:44:35,239 --> 00:44:39,920
Speaker 3: and for Christmases yeah, but we haven't had the depth,

960
00:44:40,000 --> 00:44:43,440
Speaker 3: I think and something in my opinion that this presents

961
00:44:43,480 --> 00:44:45,439
Speaker 3: itself to be. And I haven't seen the movie in full,

962
00:44:45,480 --> 00:44:48,440
Speaker 3: but I have got to witness two people that I

963
00:44:48,520 --> 00:44:52,000
Speaker 3: really admire and written by someone I also admire, and

964
00:44:52,200 --> 00:44:55,400
Speaker 3: Ben's family was exceptional and to watch Jana do what

965
00:44:55,480 --> 00:44:58,160
Speaker 3: Jana does was crazy to me.

966
00:44:58,320 --> 00:45:00,840
Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean, Janna, you have the I'm candy and

967
00:45:00,880 --> 00:45:03,120
Speaker 2: I know you've been you know, so you've been an

968
00:45:03,160 --> 00:45:05,800
Speaker 2: actor for forever. I mean you're so talented and so gifted,

969
00:45:05,800 --> 00:45:08,840
Speaker 2: and it's skilled, but it isn't an act when you

970
00:45:08,960 --> 00:45:12,879
Speaker 2: had the looks you give, like when you're watching you know,

971
00:45:12,960 --> 00:45:15,160
Speaker 2: Ben read the story to the kids and he's actually,

972
00:45:15,200 --> 00:45:17,120
Speaker 2: this is what we talked about, like, don't let's have

973
00:45:17,200 --> 00:45:19,920
Speaker 2: him ad lib instead of and the last bit can

974
00:45:19,920 --> 00:45:22,640
Speaker 2: be scripture, but the beginning, you know what he's story

975
00:45:22,719 --> 00:45:25,319
Speaker 2: talking about. So he crushed it. Yeah, but your look

976
00:45:25,360 --> 00:45:27,399
Speaker 2: to him because we I mean, the way that's worked

977
00:45:27,440 --> 00:45:30,839
Speaker 2: into that piece, I mean, that's all your wants right,

978
00:45:30,920 --> 00:45:32,160
Speaker 2: just all we want is to be able to know

979
00:45:32,200 --> 00:45:33,600
Speaker 2: we can look at a guy with that kind of

980
00:45:33,960 --> 00:45:39,080
Speaker 2: admiration and respect and longing of you know that that

981
00:45:39,120 --> 00:45:43,839
Speaker 2: connection is other worldly. I mean it's deep. So yeah,

982
00:45:43,920 --> 00:45:45,600
Speaker 2: I mean when I look at my moments that really

983
00:45:45,600 --> 00:45:47,880
Speaker 2: bring tears to my us and really make me know

984
00:45:48,040 --> 00:45:50,560
Speaker 2: this is going to be such a huge hit movie.

985
00:45:51,160 --> 00:45:53,719
Speaker 2: I mean, you're right there, like it's these looks, these

986
00:45:54,040 --> 00:45:57,440
Speaker 2: you and Sadie in the kitchen when you're talking about

987
00:45:57,480 --> 00:45:59,600
Speaker 2: when you know, Ella comes in and she's saying, I

988
00:45:59,600 --> 00:46:01,600
Speaker 2: don't really want to be in the family practice, you know,

989
00:46:02,000 --> 00:46:05,400
Speaker 2: practicing law, and then you've already had this conversation with

990
00:46:05,440 --> 00:46:08,160
Speaker 2: Sadie about how when kids get to be that age,

991
00:46:08,160 --> 00:46:11,120
Speaker 2: their future has to be they have to lead the way,

992
00:46:11,200 --> 00:46:13,480
Speaker 2: and they've had all of these years to be shaped.

993
00:46:14,080 --> 00:46:16,319
Speaker 2: And even though you would expect that you would be

994
00:46:16,360 --> 00:46:19,279
Speaker 2: a teacher, your character she's going to want to be

995
00:46:19,320 --> 00:46:22,480
Speaker 2: a photographer. And when Ellis says that in the kitchen,

996
00:46:22,520 --> 00:46:24,520
Speaker 2: and then you and Sadie exchange a look. But it's

997
00:46:24,560 --> 00:46:27,640
Speaker 2: your look. It's so deep, it's ocean deep, and it's

998
00:46:27,640 --> 00:46:30,080
Speaker 2: just gold. So that's thanks. People are going to be thrilled.

999
00:46:30,440 --> 00:46:33,560
Speaker 1: Well, I'm excited hopefully to be in a next one

1000
00:46:33,600 --> 00:46:33,840
Speaker 1: with you.

1001
00:46:34,000 --> 00:46:35,080
Speaker 2: Yes, I want that.

1002
00:46:35,760 --> 00:46:39,440
Speaker 1: Everyone go watch The Christmas Ring in theaters November six. Also,

1003
00:46:39,680 --> 00:46:42,759
Speaker 1: the Christmas Ring Book is available now and yeah, we'll

1004
00:46:42,760 --> 00:46:45,840
Speaker 1: see you November six. We hope you love it. Thanks Karen,

1005
00:46:46,200 --> 00:46:47,000
Speaker 1: thanks so much