Alan Ritchson, known for his roles in Reacher and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, thinks the world is ready for more faith-based content in films.
In a recent interview, Ritchson spoke about his upcoming Christian film Ordinary Angels, which stars Ritchson alongside Hillary Swank. The movie tells the story of a family facing medical problems and a single mom who asked a church for help.
Ritchson believes this is a story of how God uses broken people to fulfill His mission.
“God continually shows up in our world in a way that kind of boggles our mind,” Ritchson said. “Because we, for whatever reason, I think we continue to buy into the idea that … God chooses heroes to do His work. And it’s just never been the case. It’s the broken and dysfunctional that God proves His power and strength through. And this a story of that, too. It’s important that we remember that those who maybe struggle to follow the rules, who don’t look like the perfect Christians, who are the broken, are the people that whom God has a funny way of expressing Himself. And that story is very much told in Ordinary Angels.”
Ritchson believes that there is a growing market for these movies and that people are hungry for stories that promote positive messages, and the success of shows like The Chosen and Jesus Revolution lend to that idea. However, he admits that Hollywood executives are often more interested in the box office numbers than the message that the film conveys. But he still believes that these films are important and that people should support them.
“The fact that people are hearing the name of Christ in movie theaters is a powerful thing,” Ritchson said. “And if that’s where the pulpit is for people who wouldn’t normally step foot in a church, then that’s still a great way to have that conversation. It matters that these films get supported.”
