Dennis Quaid is proud of his role in I Can Only Imagine. The Christian movie is about MercyMe’s Bart Millard’s journey of redemption and faith with his abusive father, who was dying of cancer. In interviews, the longtime actor has been honest about his own Christianity. He also reveals the gift that Millard’s dying father gave his son.
I Can Only Imagine continues shocking Hollywood by being number 3 at the box office for its first two weekends in theaters. The film cost $7 million to produce, paltry by studio standards but has raked in over $38 million so far.
Quaid is used to playing good guys in movies, but this was a different role for him because he had to portray someone who was abusive towards his own son. To get into character, he had to do some research. Millard was on set, and Quaid spent a lot of time with him to ensure the portrayal was authentic.
Bart Millard spent time discussing the relationship with Quaid. “It wasn’t what (Bart) said,” the actor said. “I just got a feeling from him, just watching him and feeling him as he talked about his dad. That is where I got his character.”
Millard’s father Arthur turned to Jesus as he battled cancer. “Arthur had a spiritual awakening, which comes out of that and started to pray,” Quaid said. “You know in prayer, you cannot lie to yourself … because you don’t get to prayer until you’ve tried everything else.”
“What (Bart’s) father wanted was forgiveness really,” he explained. “And he was really trying to forgive himself. I’m sure God had forgiven him already, but he didn’t know it.”
“The gift that Arthur gave to Bart was that Bart did not have to carry that around for the rest of his life, which would be a heavy, heavy load. He broke that chain and freed Bart as well. Just a beautiful, beautiful story about making the impossible possible,” Quaid said.
That is a tremendous gift for each of them. Redemption can heal so many wounds and it is found in Jesus as Dennis Quaid details in the video below.
This movie helped Quaid strengthen his own faith. The actor picked up his guitar and performed a gospel song that he wrote, and dedicated to his mother. “On My Way To Heaven” was featured in the blockbuster movie. Click here to see that video.
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Source: Western Journal
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