This interview originally appeared on the website of Ratio Christi Campus Apologetics Alliance in September 2017. Excerpt re-printed with permission.
We’re excited about the upcoming faith-based movie Let There Be Light. It’s directed by actor Kevin Sorbo (Hercules, ‘God’s Not Dead’ and numerous other TV and movie projects), and stars Kevin and his wife Sam, their two boys Braeden and Shane, and features Dionne Warwick, Michael Franzese, Travis Tritt, Daniel Roebuck, Gary Grubbs, and Donielle Artese. Executive Producer Sean Hannity also plays himself in the movie.
Some readers may be familiar with Kevin but haven’t followed Sam’s career. You may be surprised to know that besides being an international model, at the time she met Kevin on the set of Hercules she had accumulated an impressive acting career of her own, including a Utah Film Festival “Best Supporting Actress” award.
Now the Sorbos have three children. They’ve become vocal about their Christian faith, the lack of high moral standards in Hollywood, and the American educational system.
[Ratio Christi] had an opportunity to talk with Sam about these topics and the movie, which is scheduled to open in theaters on October 27.
RC: What was the deciding factor for you in doing Christian movies rather than mainstream Hollywood films?
Sorbo: My husband is very much in the mainstream, but I stepped away from acting when he became very ill. (As described in his book True Strength, at the height of his career Kevin suffered an aneurysm that led to blood clots and at least one stroke. This affected his brain and eyesight, depleted his strength, and drastically changed his life). I had the opportunity to resume my career, but our youngest child made very vocal objections, so I stepped away again. Recently some movie parts have found me, but I wasn’t seeking them out. I never really stepped back into the audition circuit.
RC: So you resolved to do faith films because of where the entertainment industry has gone today?
Sorbo: It’s more about discernment. It’s just simply, wow – these are the projects that appeal to me and my husband now. And of course, this latest film, Let There Be Light, was a labor of love. As you grow in your Christian faith, you start to understand how incongruous it is with our culture today. Because it is in conflict, the conflict itself draws focus. That’s not a choice. We need Christian people to be pouring into the culture. Without moral values, our culture cannot stand.
RC: What inspired you, your co-writer Dan Gordon, and Kevin to select the plot that is used in the movie Let There Be Light?
Sorbo: About a year ago I had an idea for the movie, but a year before that, I had an idea for a faith-based television show. The TV show idea was seen through to a network sale, but the network then decided to go a different way. About eight months later, I had the movie idea. It’s a pretty big idea – the world’s greatest atheist has a huge accident and experiences something that doesn’t fit with his values. I called my friend, who is a very well-known screenwriter, and asked him to write it with me. At first he said no, but when I told him the idea he realized he was eager to work on a project that puts focus on the human condition.
We have strayed in our society from talking about things that really matter. This film talks about life and death – what does life mean? So he (screenwriter Dan Gordon) came in with me. Then my husband got a call from Sean Hannity out of the blue. He said to Kevin, “I want to do a faith- based movie – do you have anything?” Wow. The money never chases the movie – the movie always has to chase the money! So when the money came looking for us, I took it as a sign. This kind of thing never happens. We flew out to meet Sean, told him the idea, and he wrote a check on the spot.
RC: Without giving too much away, do you hope people watching the movie will turn around as radically as Kevin’s character “Sol” does?
Sorbo: I think someone really convicted in their atheism will not have that kind of a spiritual intervention. But there are many people sitting on the fence – so many people who don’t even think about why we are here. My hope is that Let there Be Light touches people enough to engage them on a spiritual level – to re-address their spiritual nature.
In any case, I think the movie will move people to reconsider the spiritual realm as real.
RC: Is what happens to “Sol” based on what happened with Kevin’s illness?
Sorbo: Well, the character has a near-death experience. Kevin never had a near-death experience – he nearly died. There’s a big difference. And he never struggled with his faith. (He wrestled with God.) The character in the movie has a crisis with his non-belief. He goes into what I call a “memory tunnel.” What he experiences here is nothing like what he thought a guy like him would experience. He thought it would be something very different – being a “party” guy – but he is intelligent enough to realize that what he sees isn’t a hallucination – doesn’t come from his own brain.
By the way, the near-death experience has nothing to do with “heavenly tourism,” which is a very controversial topic in some Christian circles. Near-death experiences can be very much like God-given dreams. Though we won’t all be confronted with nearly dying, we will confront the deaths of loved ones and, eventually, our own deaths. The film shows two different people who love each other and how they deal with loss and grief. One chooses faith and one chooses to go it alone.
Watch the Trailer for Let There Be Light here!.
Please go to this post at the Ratio Christi website to read the rest of the article about the Sorbos, why they’re homeschooling their children, links to Kevin’s book and Sam’s books, and see a slideshow with more photos!
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