The John-Henry Westen Show - September 14, 2022


New family film 'Paul's Promise' illustrates the extraordinary power of prayer

Topics
Paul's Promise film praying mother in film church showings
Hosted by
John-Henry Westen
Mentioned
Paul Holderfield Ryan O'Quinn Linda Pearl Minnie Holderfield Jesus Christ Nico Lagan Barbara Brad
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Episode Stats


Length

17 minutes

Words per minute

177.29

Word count

3,126

Sentence count

203

Harmful content

Toxicity

5

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

Director Ryan O'Quinn talks about his new film, "Paul's Promise," based on the life of former Arkansas Firefighter Paul Holderfield Sr. and how his faith helped guide him through a life of crime and tragedy.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Toxicity classifications generated with s-nlp/roberta_toxicity_classifier .
Topics generated with Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct.
Hosts, guests, and mentioned names generated with spaCy (en_core_web_sm), reconciled against Wikidata.
00:00:00.000 You're exactly right. The power of a praying parent, in this case, a praying mom is just undeniable. That rock solid, in this case, matriarch of the family who really just knew that the Lord had something big for her son, you know, Jeremiah 29, 11. And she would quote that and she would say that to him, even in his stupor and in his, you know, alcoholism. And she would constantly remind him that the Lord had big plans for him.
00:00:25.420 You know, in today's day and age, it is very difficult to find films that you can show your kids. Everybody still watches movies. And to try and restrict your teens and your later teens and even your twenties from movies, it just doesn't work. So you got to find good ones. And that's a chore and a half. What about finding a good film that's entertaining, but then also promotes the faith, promotes praying where you can actually see in the actions of the characters,
00:00:55.400 real life portrayal of faith down on their knees, where they're actually praying. They're actually doing it amidst horrific struggles. There is such a film. It's called Paul's Promise, and it's coming out real soon. We're going to talk to one of the producers and stars on this episode of The John Henry Weston Show. Stay tuned.
00:01:25.400 Ryan O'Quinn, welcome to the program.
00:01:44.940 Thank you so much, John Henry. Glad to be here.
00:01:47.600 Very good. Well, I'm going to begin, as we always do, with the sign of the cross.
00:01:50.980 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
00:01:57.860 So, Ryan, first of all, thank you for making this film, for giving us something wholesome to show our kids again.
00:02:04.900 Well, that's a huge compliment. I appreciate that. And that's one of the goals at our company.
00:02:10.120 My production company is called Damascus Road Productions.
00:02:13.800 You and your audience can probably glean some inference there.
00:02:17.440 But one of the things we look at is exactly that.
00:02:19.940 As we look to green light pictures and take projects and products out into the marketplace,
00:02:24.120 we like to think through generational demographics and think, is this a project that I can sit with?
00:02:31.940 And this is a real-life example, by the way.
00:02:33.480 My 96-year-old grandmother on one side and my 10-year-old son on the other side and not have to scrub past something
00:02:40.580 or try to explain something afterwards or be embarrassed and sink down into that couch.
00:02:45.020 We've all been in that situation. And so, this is one of those films that we're so proud of that kind of ticks the box for all generations.
00:02:51.880 Okay. So, Paul's Promise is actually a real-life story. What's the story behind the story?
00:02:56.960 That's right. It's a real story.
00:02:58.520 And we often gravitate toward biopics as well for a number of reasons.
00:03:04.980 For one thing, you can argue with somebody's faith.
00:03:07.160 I mean, you and I are well aware that with the pros and cons of social media, you can yell at each other all day long.
00:03:13.500 But you can't argue with somebody's true story, and that oftentimes widens what we often think of as a shotgun scatter of a marketing demographic of who's actually going to see this movie.
00:03:23.820 We think the church audience will come.
00:03:26.180 They are adherents and will often show up for a film like this.
00:03:29.540 But when you add the element of a true story biopic on that, you widen the audience, a perseverance story, a true story, a real-life story.
00:03:36.760 And that was the case with Paul Holderfield, Sr. He was a real person in the late 1960s in the height of the civil rights movement in our country.
00:03:46.220 He was, by his own admission, a ne'er-do-well. It's kind of how he described himself.
00:03:51.700 He was a bigot, a racist, kind of not a great guy who lived in North Little Rock, Arkansas, and was surrounded by, again, his words, just a group of rednecks, and was a firefighter.
00:04:03.260 And despite his upbringing of having a black childhood best friend, he was the son of a sharecropper and grew up very poor in the rural areas of northern Arkansas. 0.95
00:04:15.740 And he had a black best friend, and then, as is perhaps we are wont to do, we kind of fall away from that sometimes and run in with the wrong crowd. 0.67
00:04:24.880 And he sort of abandoned his remembrance of his childhood best friend and, by his own admission, was just not a great guy, just a bigot.
00:04:33.320 And the Lord, among other things, a long story there, but particularly in thanks to his mother who prayed for him his entire life and asked him to really examine this faith, to really take a look at this Jesus thing.
00:04:47.240 And essentially, on what was her deathbed, hence the name of the movie, he made a promise to his mother that he would look into faith.
00:04:54.760 And when he did, it made all the difference.
00:04:56.360 And he did a complete 180 in his life and sought the Lord and ultimately started one of the first integrated churches in the American South and became the senior pastor of that church that still exists today.
00:05:08.020 One of the most beautiful portrayals in the film is the mum, whose faith is so strong.
00:05:15.120 I think it strikes a lot of us, like me.
00:05:18.640 I mean, I reverted to the faith after my dad did basically what the mum in the film did.
00:05:24.620 Prayed, prayed and prayed and prayed and suffered.
00:05:28.140 And I literally remember coming home from dance clubs at 2 and 3 in the morning, seeing my dad still kneeling on the ground.
00:05:36.780 And sometimes having fallen asleep on the bed, but still kneeling. 0.98
00:05:41.780 And of course, at the time, I thought to myself, what a silly old man. 0.89
00:05:44.980 But that so struck in the film, was so powerful with the mum in the film and all the kneeling. 0.95
00:05:52.460 It was beautiful, as powerful as anything.
00:05:55.440 Just beautiful.
00:05:57.180 Where did that come from for you guys?
00:05:59.280 You're exactly right.
00:06:00.160 The power of a praying parent, in this case, a praying mom, is just undeniable.
00:06:04.620 That rock solid, in this case, matriarch of the family who really just knew that the Lord had something big for her son, you know, Jeremiah 29, 11.
00:06:14.720 And she would quote that and she would say that to him, even in his stupor and in his, you know, alcoholism.
00:06:21.240 And she would constantly remind him that the Lord had big plans for him.
00:06:24.580 And so the movie is based on a book that Paul Holderfield, the senior, who I play in the movie, he co-authored a book called Brother Paul.
00:06:34.340 And it was really somewhat of an homage to his mother, who was exactly that person in his life.
00:06:40.080 And we depict that straight from the book and straight from his own story.
00:06:44.340 You know, even when she was on essentially her last leg, she struggled.
00:06:48.680 You see that in the film.
00:06:49.480 She struggles to get out of the bed and she kneels next to the bed.
00:06:52.180 And even, you know, in her last hours, she fervently and adamantly prayed for her son and just asked him to really examine the Lord and to take a look at his life and his choices.
00:07:02.680 And when he did, it would make all the difference.
00:07:05.620 And so Linda Pearl, who plays who plays my mother in the movie, is just extraordinary.
00:07:10.260 She's been nominated a number of times and won several film festival awards as best actress in the movie.
00:07:15.440 Well deserved. And she she pulled it off with aplomb.
00:07:18.080 She's just incredible in the film and depicts that praying mother, in my opinion, just perfectly.
00:07:23.080 It's hard to say anything about it. It's just so, so moving, so very real.
00:07:26.420 The want to do this is hard because it depicts, I think, what's so real.
00:07:33.120 The Lord sometimes, when he calls us to pray for particular things, and I think for every parent, the thing you pray for most is the holiness of your children, faithfulness of your children.
00:07:42.940 Because you want for them that relationship with Christ that you have.
00:07:46.160 You want it more for them because they're more deserving of it than you.
00:07:50.900 Sometimes that has a massive cost.
00:07:52.540 And in this film, that cost is portrayed so well as well.
00:07:58.860 There have been many instances in the lives of the saints where they basically tell our Lord, let me take some of your cross with you.
00:08:10.000 Like, you know, if you love me, take up your cross and follow me so that you might reach out to them, to my children.
00:08:15.540 The only thing I ask for you is for you to look after my children.
00:08:18.760 And here is that the mother came across so well on that regard.
00:08:25.340 And she was so sure of the fidelity of our Lord that she could see it, despite the fact that Paul couldn't and everyone else doubted it.
00:08:35.460 It was amazing.
00:08:35.860 Even his own wife, you know, that kind of pivotal moment in the film when Paul's own wife, Barbara, really didn't believe that Paul could change or would change.
00:08:46.760 And there's this touching moment in the movie when Linda, who plays the mother, just reaches up and touches her daughter-in-law and says, don't give up.
00:08:55.960 Don't give up hope.
00:08:56.900 There is change, and change is possible through the Lord.
00:08:59.200 But you're exactly right.
00:09:01.060 You know, all of us who are parents have that prayer without ceasing that, you know, we would train up our children in the ways of the Lord and they would not depart from it.
00:09:09.660 You know, that's one of our goals, this side of heaven, is to train them up in the faith.
00:09:14.980 And again, just having that person in your life.
00:09:17.380 My mother, by the way, was that person in my life.
00:09:20.500 She was just a prayer warrior in every sense of the word.
00:09:24.000 The project was first brought to me, and I don't feel like I'm revealing, you know, family secrets or anything.
00:09:30.540 But when I first read the story and the script and looked at the book, it was very much like my own father and his relationship with his mother.
00:09:40.380 She was a woman of faith.
00:09:41.840 And, you know, with my father, even into his 30s and 40s, she was praying for him and about him and was kind of the number one prayer request on her prayer list was about her son, which was my dad.
00:09:54.580 And so there were so many elements.
00:09:56.160 And again, you know, you and I have talked about it before, but there are no coincidences, you know, when the Lord's hand is in it.
00:10:02.760 And as I read that story, I really saw my own family and a little bit of my family tree and the history of my lineage portrayed in somebody else's story.
00:10:13.400 And so, full disclosure, I wasn't slated to play the role of Paul Holderfield.
00:10:18.460 And one of our executive producers, Nick Logan, reached out to my wife, of all things, who's also a producer on the movie.
00:10:23.740 And at risk of going to my agents or managers, you know, he didn't come to me first, but he actually went to my wife, who was a producer, and said, hey.
00:10:30.440 And by the way, unbeknownst to him, about any of this history in my own family, but he said to her, do you think Ryan would consider taking on the role of Paul Holderfield?
00:10:40.860 And she had been thinking of that and talked to me about it, and we didn't want to press the issue at all.
00:10:47.820 But it's, again, one of those moments where the Lord orchestrates and puppeteers things and times in our lives where it just worked out well.
00:10:55.500 And so, kind of, you know, behind the scenes reveal here, I brought some of that character of my own family into the role of Paul Holderfield.
00:11:06.320 And my mother, I was also present when my mom passed away in 1995.
00:11:10.540 Just, again, just a solid prayer warrior, woman of faith.
00:11:14.420 And I was by her side, and calling on all of those emotions in that moment when we filmed, you know, was just a blessing, I think.
00:11:22.940 Just a quick note before we return.
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00:11:37.340 And if you'd like to help us bring our truth-telling coverage to millions around the world, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation at give.lifesitenews.com.
00:11:47.440 And now, back to the video.
00:11:48.860 It certainly was, as powerful as can be, the depiction of the father's role in being such a negative influence on the son, and that sort of asking for forgiveness that the mom does.
00:12:06.240 Because, whoa, did that ever reach powerful heights?
00:12:10.460 Because there's so much in parenting that you don't know it's not her fault, but she wants to apologize anyway.
00:12:18.460 I was blown away.
00:12:20.100 It was, it's so, it's deep for a film.
00:12:23.380 Yes, you're dealing with reality, but just beautiful.
00:12:26.400 Well, thank you for that, and I have to, you know, credit the writers as well for that, even though that was part of the true story, and there was certainly a reconciliation moment, and Minnie Holderfield in real life felt that she owed that to her son because she stayed with an abusive husband, you know, for part of their childhood.
00:12:44.660 And she felt responsible for that, and offered, asked for forgiveness of that.
00:12:51.740 And so the writers, I think, beautifully weaved that into the storyline.
00:12:56.240 And we had good conversation, great conversations about it here.
00:12:59.080 What does that look like?
00:13:00.180 And we called in, you know, some outside help and had other, there's a pastor that's on my staff as well.
00:13:06.240 And we called in some folks and really examined, you know, theological elements of this and, again, brought it into real life.
00:13:13.360 How have we been affected in this way, and what does this look like?
00:13:17.260 And while we don't want to, obviously, in any way condone staying with someone who's abusive, in this particular instance, in real life, the mother chose that route and then apologized to the son for it, and his life was shaped by it.
00:13:32.680 And there was just some really interesting kind of nuanced moments that are true to real life that many, many people have to go through.
00:13:39.060 And so we kind of walk through that gently, but through the lens of a Christian worldview.
00:13:44.080 And what is hope on the other side of that?
00:13:46.280 Ryan, where can people see the film?
00:13:48.080 When can people see the film?
00:13:50.100 And how should they learn more about it?
00:13:52.660 You can go to paulspromisemovie.com and find out a ton of information there.
00:13:56.720 There's a theaters tab, and it will tell you where the film is playing near you.
00:13:59.480 But we open nationwide, around the country, in theaters on October 21st.
00:14:05.060 Okay, and one of the things that we want to get to as well is, can church groups get hold of this and do showings themselves?
00:14:13.600 Because that's been, sometimes, I know for our nation up here in Canada, such films often just don't make it.
00:14:21.220 There tends to be some kind of, I would say, prejudice, but who knows, against such things.
00:14:26.420 Is it possible for church groups to do showings like was done with The Passion of the Christ?
00:14:31.080 Absolutely, yeah.
00:14:31.940 In fact, that same website, paulspromisemovie.com, there's a couple of options there.
00:14:35.880 One is just a general contact tab where you can pop in a quick email to the distributors.
00:14:42.160 But also there's a demand tab as well that will end up in the same mailbox.
00:14:45.940 But you can click on the demand tab saying, hey, I would love to see this in my area.
00:14:49.260 There's also a group tickets tab.
00:14:50.620 So if it doesn't make it to Canada, and at the moment there's only a domestic release so far, there will be a worldwide release a little bit afterwards.
00:14:59.640 But we definitely are interested in licensing it to churches and for large group settings.
00:15:05.060 And so all of that can be done through the Paul's Promise Movie website.
00:15:07.860 We're happy to do that.
00:15:08.780 Let me mention also, John Henry, that there is also an accompanying devotional.
00:15:13.860 If you go to the YouVersion Bible app, the Bible app that many of us use on our devices, there is a devotional, a Paul's Promise devotional that corresponds and sort of parallels the theme of the movie.
00:15:27.380 And it's a free devotional, daily devotional app that goes alongside the movie.
00:15:32.740 So feel free to check that out.
00:15:34.280 Awesome, Brad.
00:15:34.680 Any closing words?
00:15:35.900 Thank you.
00:15:36.440 I just want to say thank you to you and to your audience for having us on the program.
00:15:40.720 I'm a big fan and I'm just still honored to be here.
00:15:44.160 And we're excited about this film.
00:15:45.600 We think that it will change hearts, not by anything that we did, certainly nothing that I did, but the power of the Lord and his infinite wisdom is right there on the screen.
00:15:56.860 So our prayer from inception all the way through distribution is that lives will be changed.
00:16:01.820 And at the very least, we want people, when the lights come on and they're sweeping up the popcorn, people to, at the very least, know that there is something bigger than they are.
00:16:11.460 And most importantly, that hope is found in Jesus Christ.
00:16:14.360 And that's our goal.
00:16:15.260 Amen to that.
00:16:16.360 And a great, wholesome film from which you will leave, not only just satisfied that you saw something great, really inspired.
00:16:24.240 Inspired, inspired, especially as a parent and hopefully as a son, too, to do the right thing.
00:16:29.800 Just amazing.
00:16:30.780 Great work, Ryan, to you and all your team.
00:16:33.560 God bless you.
00:16:34.300 Thank you so much.
00:16:35.300 And God bless all of you.
00:16:37.080 And we'll see you next time.
00:16:37.920 Hi, everyone.
00:16:40.700 This is John Henry Weston.
00:16:41.820 We hope you enjoyed this video.
00:16:43.820 And to see more like this, be sure to hit the subscribe button below to get all the latest content from LifeSite News.
00:16:50.500 So check out our links in the description to read more, sign up for our newsletter, and connect with us on social media so that you can stay up to date with all of the latest life, family, and culture news.
00:17:01.660 Thanks for watching.
00:17:03.280 And may God bless you.
00:17:07.920 Thank you.