Latest / The Wholehearted Enneagram Podcast / I STILL BELIEVE | a conversation with actor and producer Kevin Downes

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I STILL BELIEVE | a conversation with actor and producer Kevin Downes · The Wholehearted Enneagram Podcast

• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Amy Wicks, and I love to talk about the gospel message your heart was created to hear.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: All things Enneagram and helping you be confident that you are the best mom for your kids.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: I'm a mountain mama who somehow ended up on a cul-de-sac in the Midwest.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: I was alone and without family or community.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: But the Lord, he didn't let me stay there.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: He helped me turn my broken-hearted moment into a wholehearted decision to get intentional with my faith, my marriage, and my kids.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: I share broken-hearted perspective with story, but with wholehearted purpose and plans so you can live a life full of confidence and abundance.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: Think of this podcast as your on-the-go mom pal, mixed with a little bit of Enneagram coaching.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: So get to that pile of laundry or hit the treadmill or load up the kids in the car for that grocery run.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: And be ready to be encouraged and challenged while you listen.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: This is the Simply Wholehearted Podcast.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: Hey friends, I'm so glad you're here today.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm thrilled that you've tuned into this special bonus episode with actor and film producer Kevin Downs.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: Kevin Downs has been in the film industry for 26 years and held many well-known roles, including characters in the movie Courageous and Mom's Night Out.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: He's also produced 2018's breakout hit and number one, a box office grossing independent film of the year, I Can Only Imagine, which stars Dennis Quaid and was a fantastic movie if you haven't seen it.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, I cried through a lot of it, but it's so worth seeing.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: And this week, his newest work, I Still Believe, it debuts in theaters everywhere.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: This new film is based on the real life story of Jeremy Camp, who happens to be a chart-topping singer.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: And if you don't know his story, well, I won't spoil it, but I thought I would share a few lyrics from his song, I Still Believe, which will help you understand the powerful message of this new movie.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: I still believe in your faithfulness.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: I still believe in your truth.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: I still believe in your holy word.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: And even when I don't see it, I still believe.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: And now we're gonna dive right into this conversation with Kevin Downs.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I would like to start off by saying that Mom's Night Out, it's probably one of my top five favorite movies.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: So I was pretty excited to get the gals from Epic to send me this email saying that Kevin Downs wanted to have a conversation.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, uh yes, of course.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, that's awesome.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_01: That's cool.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: Admittedly, I watch it several times a year, and my kids just laugh at me laughing because somehow the jokes are still they're still really funny to me every time I see it.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_01: So anyway, just had a well, my kids do the same.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_01: They still laugh at me watching the movie.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: So that's great.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: That's great that you could watch it.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I'm I'm excited about this movie because I still believe it's based off of a broken-hearted moment, right?
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I believe that those brokenhearted moments they help us to make that decision to live wholeheartedly.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes we choose to not, sometimes we choose to spiral downward, but this is a story of living and choosing um wholeheartedness even after a broken-hearted moment.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: So for you, what what drew you to this story, to Jeremy and Melissa's story, that you thought, oh, this this is a story that everybody needs to see?
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know, I first heard the story um at one of his concerts.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_01: My wife and I went to one of his concerts about eight years ago, and and as often Jeremy will do, he shares his story from the stage, and she kind of nudged me and was like, you know, tears in her eyes, and like that would make a great movie one day.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_01: And so um uh while we were um making I Can Only Imagine um in post-production, I just couldn't get Jeremy's story out of my heart, and I brought it to John and Andy Irwin, um, who directed Imagine as well as this one, and and they just fell in love with the story, and and we all just believed it was really timely, uh kind of for for when what's going on in our country today, and and and just for people to want to hear the story of unconditional love and see a biblical picture of what God's love looks like.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_01: And um, I just think Jeremy's story is just so inspiring.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, everybody wants to go to the movies, not just to be entertained, but also to just be uplifted and to have this sort of hopeful rush and spirit and encouragement.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_01: Life is so hard.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: You know, there's a lot of challenges that we face, whether it's sickness or illness or job related or whatever.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, you want to you want to be entertained and encouraged and and loved um in your life.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_01: And I think this movie gives a really good example of that.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, it's so good.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's really beautiful, and we'll be linking to all the trailers and it comes out.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: We're gonna air this podcast the day before it's released in theaters, and I'm excited for my friends to see it.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: I'm excited to go see it with my friends.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: For you, obviously, you've been in the movie industry for a while.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: Give us a little bit of your story.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: What what was your journey into this and and what does it look like and continue continue to be for you as you move forward?
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, I I um I came to LA about 26 years ago, um, grew up in Central California and wanted to act and be an actor, and um uh got plugged into a church down in Los Angeles and uh met some friends that wanted to do the same thing.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_01: And and about a year after I got here, auditioned for um a movie uh that I didn't know was a Christian movie, um, but got the lead role and ended up being this little Christian movie for a uh ministry called Youth for Christ.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: And and I got to see what I got to see what God would do with these movies to inspire kids and and really move them emotionally.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: And I at that moment I thought, okay, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_01: And and God just found a path and a way for me to do it.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_01: It hasn't been easy, certainly.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: Uh 26 years I've done 20-something movies.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_01: Uh uh, you know, everyone had to figure out how to raise money and and and the marketing and whatnot, and it's it's a grind, it's tough.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, there's nothing easy about it.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_01: Nobody's ever given me anything.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's one of those things you just gotta go through it because you I believe wholeheartedly that this is what God has wanted me to do, to share messages of hope and inspiration and and uh showcase kind of the power of the gospel and how it can impact people's lives.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: That's amazing.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: Has that then been your filter of how you've chosen what roles to play or movies to get involved with?
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: Is it the message behind it?
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: Or, you know, how is that kind of as you've I mean, because that's got to be pretty hard in trying to further your career in a place like Hollywood?
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, that's totally the the point.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I've had people ask me, especially early on, like, hey, would you ever do a movie in a different genre?
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_01: But my answer is always why.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_01: I don't I don't have really a passion to do that.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, I want to do what God puts on my heart, and that's it's 26 years into it.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_01: I I feel like I made the right choice.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_01: And um, you know, every movie I treat as if maybe it's my last, you never know uh what tomorrow might bring.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so I'm really thankful.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_01: I feel really blessed uh to be able to do what I do and and and kind of bring these movies to life and and let people see these stories that are just so inspirational and extraordinary.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: I uh I had the Kendrick brothers on last summer uh for their movie Overcomer.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: And one of the things that I asked them, because I have three aspiring filmmakers, they and their cousins get together, especially in the summertime, and they write their own scripts and make their movies.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: So I know a lot of my friends have kids who are interested in this, and it's it's part of creativity.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I always I would say let them get bored because that's how creativity is birthed.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: So, uh, for what kind of advice would you give them as they just you know look to see what does the Lord have for them?
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: Is there is their field something like Hollywood and and could they have an impact in in the kingdom through filmmaking?
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I think we can have an impact for the kingdom no matter what we choose to do, and no matter what kind of if you if it's in Hollywood, no matter what kind of movies that we make, it's just how we live our daily life.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_01: And so you know, if these are the types of films you want to make, uh, you know, for me, I didn't know how to make movies.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it started in prayer and just really praying fervently for a long period that God would uh open doors and allow me to uh learn what it is uh to be able to do this.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um and so that was really critical and really submit to him.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_01: And I tell you what, it's you have to have a lot of patience because um this doesn't come fast.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and even still to this day, you gotta have patience.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm a very impatient person.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_01: So probably most of us are.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, exactly.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_01: And I get asked that a lot, like, hey, you know, how can I be in a movie tomorrow?
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um I don't think I can help you, you know, right now, but um, you know, I consider it a blessing.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's it's a lot of fun.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_01: I I know this making movies is not pretty, it's not easy, it's a grind, it's you know, you're you're rolling in the dirt and trying to figure it out.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but what is pretty is is to be able to see lives impacted by the stories that you tell.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_01: And um, and I can't think of uh something that's more um gratifying or more rewarding than that, especially when you're talking about um things that could change people's lives for eternity.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_01: And um I think it's cool.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's really, really neat and it's inspirational and I love telling these true stories recently.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: This is our third true story um to bring to the screen, and you know, there's such a power in somebody's true story and being being able to relate to a circumcircumstance or or maybe it's somebody that you've heard of, and I think it's really great and it's really a gift.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it is.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: Well, for this movie in particular, I still believe what was one of your favorite scenes or parts of the movie that you just kind of stays with you that you're excited about people getting to view for themselves.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, for me, you know, KJ Appa, who plays Jeremy Camp in this film, uh, he sings, he plays the guitar.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um, there's a moment He does all the things, right?
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, he does all the things, and there's so there's a moment in the film, and it was it was the moment that caused him to almost not do the movie because he wasn't sure he could do it.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_00: Oh wow.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but uh, you know, where he is by Melissa's bedside and it's it's the music is not produced, it's literally just him and a guitar and his voice, and he's singing um a walk by faith to her, and and it's just so beautiful, and it's like I don't get tired of this moment because it's so precious and it's so special, and and you can really see him pour his heart and and the love that he has for this person in this moment into that into that moment, and you really just are inspired by it.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's amazing.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: I'm guessing you work with the Irwin brothers on a regular basis with a lot of their films.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: Do you guys partner together in everything?
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: How because how does that nature of relationship work of producer and filmmaker and writer and kind of all those different elements?
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: Because those of us not in Hollywood, I mean, we just enjoy the movies.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: We never consider to think about the different roles and how that how that works.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, John and Andy Irwin, their passion is to direct movies, and then John also writes the movies that they direct together.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I've been fortunate to be able to bring them their last couple of stories with I Still Believe and I Can Only Imagine and uh being uh stories that they're really passionate about.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so um, you know, to be able to have the commonality in filmmakers uh to be able to resonate with the stories that you're passionate about, I think is truly a gift.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_01: And so um, you know, we'll see what God's got in store for the future.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not really sure at this point.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: It's usually after a movie gets out, you want to take a break and just just relax for a bit and take a catch a breath.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_01: So uh kind of see what God has next.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_01: And I I often don't know.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um we're working on some stuff, but uh you never know what God's got in store.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I know for the Kendrick brothers, they always said, well, the list is like this long, and you know, you just you gotta take every step by faith and to see which one pans out and and be able to celebrate the one that you just did.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: So I know for me, my personality sometimes I'm I tend to always be on to the next thing and I forget to celebrate.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I this year for me, I'm actually exploring what does that look like?
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_00: What does it look like to celebrate the ordinary?
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: What does it also look like to pause and have wholehearted celebration?
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: Because I think it's actually a spiritual discipline.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: So for you, as you go along in this process, because there's as an author, there's a step, right?
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: You get your literary agent, you finally get them to agree on your proposal and you get that done, and then it has to go to a you know publisher, and then it has to go to a board, and there's all these different processes.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: And it would be easy to always just keep thinking about the next thing and not pause and celebrate.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: So for you, what does it look like to pause and celebrate the different moments that are are really big moments and worthy of recognizing in this whole process of making a movie?
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_01: Uh it means I get to take a nap.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know what?
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_01: It's funny.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_01: When when I can only the weekend I can only imagine opened, um, I I remember we were on the road uh promoting the film in Dallas, Texas, and and you know, you get so far buried into the weeds that when you come up for air when it's finally over, you're not really sure what to do.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we knew that it opened big and it was kind of the talk of the country at that moment in time, but here we were kind of at lunch around a table and we didn't really know what to do.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, there's not some like grand party or moment or anything.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_01: You just are kind of tired and you're like, I need a nap.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_01: And you don't you don't know what's next or anything other than you're gonna go take a nap and wake up the next day and figure it out.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I wish I could say there was some grandiose um climactic thing, but there really isn't.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I don't know, a nap in my world sounds pretty amazing.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_00: So any excuse, that's good.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_00: Well, the night before the premiere, the day of premiere, do you guys do any sort of party or gathering of actors or you know, what does that look like to celebrate?
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_01: You know, uh leading up to the premiere of the movie, meaning the opening night of the movie, is actually just a lot of work.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, we're just doing promotions and all of that, and even when we do like the special screening that's like the premiere, yeah, um, there's a lot of media there and you're just kind of working the film.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_01: And so uh the the celebration really is when the movie actually comes out and you can see what happens, see how audiences react to it.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I'll oftentimes opening weekend kind of pop in on some screenings, uh, some theaters, and just kind of see audiences react.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_01: If it's full and I feel like that they're reacting well, I might go up front at the end of it and surprise people or whatnot.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_01: If not, I might go home and decide.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_00: That's great.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I think that um I think that this movie is absolutely worth celebrating, and I think it's uh an incredible accomplishment.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_00: And I know that you're in the final stages and it's a marathon, probably like most things, right?
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: And so you're at that those last few miles and you're like, oh my gosh, can I do it?
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_01: Like my wife says, my wife last night she goes, I can't wait for March 14th.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: I bet.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_00: I bet.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_01: So, and sometimes you get that.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_01: You're like, uh, you know, you you want it to the opening to get here so you can you can the baby can come out and then you can go on with the next part of life.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, yeah, but it's exciting.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_01: I I can't wait for people to see the film.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, you know, it's the the reaction so far has been very strong, and um, and usually that's a really good sign.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_01: So I think people are gonna be blessed by it, and and I encourage them to take the time and and take a neighbor family member to go see it while it's in theaters.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's amazing.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I will definitely be championing my audience to do that and just to to tag you guys on the socials when they go out and see that movie, take a picture of your family enjoying it together and um let everyone know what they thought and and how it impacted them.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_00: Because I think there's uh as goes with many of the movies that you help produce, is there many messages for us to walk away with no matter what season of life we're in or what we're facing currently, there's there's hope and there's encouragement to be gleaned and taken from the films.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: No doubt about it.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_01: I appreciate it.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I am so glad to have you as a guest on the Simply Wholehearted podcast.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_00: And we just wish you the best of success and for this movie and for the message ultimately that more people just come to know the goodness of the Lord and his nearness no matter what they face.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_01: That's a good note.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_01: A good message.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for having me.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_01: I appreciate it.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_00: I do hope that you're gonna support I Still Believe by seeing it in theaters this weekend and sharing the story with others.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you've enjoyed this episode, and I imagine you may know someone who would appreciate hearing this conversation.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_00: It'll take you less than a minute to share about I Still Believe.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_00: So if you look at your podcast app in the upper right hand corner, just hit the share button to text, email, or post this episode on social media.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I'll be back next Monday with another fantastic conversation to encourage you to make the most of your opportunity.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_00: So until then, let's invite others to join us as we pursue perspective, purpose, and plans for a simply wholehearted life.