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Print I first learned about Act One, a non-profit, non-denominational program designed to train Christian artists-apostles for Hollywood, several years ago in different Christian magazines. The articles usually consisted of a reporter sitting in on one of their month-long screenwriter training programs, getting a few quotes, and summing up the experience for students and readers. Then two years ago I surfed into Barbara Nicolosi’s Church of the Masses blog and never left. Nicolosi, a former nun now living in Hollywood, is the Executive Director of Act One. Besides insisting on the highest standards for art, she’s passionate about her Christianity, and the melding of the former with the latter. The blog made for great reading and remains lively, though Nicolosi doesn’t post as much now that she’s writing screenplays. The Passion of the Christ suddenly made Christian movies cool and marketable in 2004. With the press fully alerted to the “Christians in Hollywood” phenomenon, Act One seemed to be everywhere in 2005, from TV shows to Details magazine to The Atlantic. Most treatments were respectful, lively, and, most importantly, treated Act One as a legitimate development program, acknowledging that Christians had every right to participate in Hollywood’s Dream Factory. (And why shouldn’t they?) Thus, Act One picked a perfect time to release Behind the Screen: Hollywood Insiders on Faith, Film, and Culture. Co-edited by Nicolosi and Spencer Lewerenz, the book features essays by (among others) Ralph Winter (X-men, Fantastic Four), Barbara Hall (Joan of Arcadia, Judging Amy), and Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose), all sharing industry background, thoughts on the craft of storytelling, and insight into the seemingly eternal—but largely unnecessary—friction between Christians and Hollywood. (You can read ninetyandnine.com’s review here.) Lewerenz is an Associate Director (Writing Program) at Act One, who has worked in numerous capacities for The Washington Times, was Editor of webzine Brainwash and Culture Editor of The World & I magazine, while also writing articles for First Things, Crisis Magazine, Doublethink, and many others. He was gracious enough to take some time to answer our questions on the new book, the verities within beauty, and how to respond to movies that promote non-biblical values. This interview took place on January 18-19, 2006. ---------
90&9:
Why is this book necessary? And is it more necessary to alert Christians to join
the cause or to alert non-believers that Christians exist in Hollywood? This book is necessary because our lack of understanding in this area has gotten us in quite a mess. We find ourselves with little-to-no influence on the media that permeates every aspect of our lives. Everyone in the family now has a computer, a TV, a cell phone, an iPod . . . The media has become ubiquitous and unavoidable. And we Christians find our way of seeing the world, our ideas and morals, massively underrepresented. Often, the ideas and morals presented there are antithetical, even antagonistic, to our own. Look at Brokeback Mountain. If this were a movie about a man and a woman, it would still be an inversion of our values. This is a movie that says “Isn’t it tragic when people get in the way of what we want?” It’s an ode to self-love, a perversion of the sacrifice and self-giving that defines real love. I hesitate to point this out, because we gripe about what’s on TV and at the movies all the time, and it just becomes more fuel for the culture war. But it’s valuable to realize just how helpless we are. There will be many more movies like this made because that’s what many people here believe life is like. They’re not intentionally trying to antagonize us. They are being true to their own convictions. But this way of seeing the world, so opposite to our own, will continue to permeate every facet of our lives through the media. And the sad thing is that we have helped to create this reality, and we will continue to do so unless we educate ourselves about Hollywood and change our approach accordingly. That’s why Behind the Screen exists, to help Christians take a more effective course of action and better live our faith in the process. As far as alerting non-Christians to the fact that there are Christians here in Hollywood—I’m not sure that was our intent. I don’t think any of us want to be a novelty or the flavor of the week. We’d like this to be seen as right and natural that we should be here alongside the Scientologists, the Kabbalists, and whatever else you have. We’re not trying to take over Hollywood. We’re not trying to coerce people into believing what we believe. And I want to emphasize that we’re not here to use TV and film as a new pulpit. No one working in this industry—Christians or non—would be here if they didn’t love TV and film on its own terms. They didn’t get into this business to preach, they got into it to create characters and write jokes and bring art and poetry into people’s lives. So, no, I don’t think any of us want to be seen as “Christians.” We want to be seen as friends and coworkers and artists and, hopefully, people who bring love and a spirit of servanthood to everything we do.
90&9: What is the greatest
challenge that you/Christians face daily in Hollywood?
90&9: Many essays in this
book stress the need for mature Christians in Hollywood. How would you define
mature for someone who’s interested in coming to minister in Hollywood? I would encourage anyone who feels like they may be called to Hollywood to consider that as a real possibility and pray about it further. Discernment is crucial. It can be easy to mistake our will for God’s will. I don’t think anyone is called to win an Oscar! But I know people who have come here to be actors or writers, ended up in a completely different side of the industry, and then found that they’re having the most amazing impact just by living their faith while working in accounting or distribution. You never know what God has planned. David McFadzean, who was Executive Producer of the show Home Improvement, is fond of saying that the industry would change overnight if every production assistant in town were a Christian. Production assistant is probably the lowest job there is in Hollywood. They’re the people who take the brunt of the industry’s cruelty. They do the most menial, thankless tasks, and then get blamed, often unjustly, for everything that goes wrong. What an example it would be if the people in these positions were to return love for cruelty, service for blame. Too often we only look at the positions of power and influence as the way to have an impact. But I think David is right—it’s quite the opposite.
90&9: Is there an
underground railroad to help sneak Christians into Hollywood? There’s a ministry in Hollywood called Act One that trains Christians to work in the mainstream industry as writers and executives. All of the contributors to Behind the Screen also teach at Act One, and Barbara Nicolosi and I are on staff there. It’s the place to learn the ropes if you want to work in the industry.
90&9: Several essayists
mention that beauty in the arts is a direct indicator of God. To your mind, why
is this true? Thomas Aquinas said that beauty was the concurrence of clarity and due proportion. When an artist creates, he strives to compose his elements in a way proper to what he is creating. So art doesn’t have to be pretty or uplifting; it must be proportional. That’s why we can recognize that a film like The Godfather, which is full of sin and brutality, is beautiful. We feel the struggle within Michael Corleone between sin and virtue, and when he chooses the path of sin, we feel the tragedy of that decision. And we should. That’s the proper reaction to what Michael does, and the movie was composed in such a way that it communicates that to the viewer. The more an artist strikes that perfect balance, achieves that “splendor of form” as Aquinas would call it, the more transcendent the work. Its perfection refers us to the divine perfection, the Glory of God.
90&9:
Can you name a few movies—old and new—that fit that definition of beauty for
you? As far as contemporary film goes, everything Pixar does is pretty amazing, though probably not on that same level. There are very few people working in Hollywood today who are both great entertainers and great artists, as you had back in Hollywood’s golden age. There are certainly no Capras or Billy Wilders. It’s up to this next generation of filmmakers to bring that kind of artistry back to Hollywood.
90&9: What’s the best way
Christians not in Hollywood can support the Christians who are there, trying to
make a difference? The only way we’re going to turn things around is if we become more engaged. And, trust me, there’s plenty of good stuff out there. You just need to find it. Take Lost, for instance. Almost every week, this show surprises me with its inventiveness and its humanity. It is a real force for good in the world right now. I’ve seen episodes of the various Law & Order series that have been borderline profound. House, Without a Trace, and CSI: Miami are all worth your time. The Simpsons has been on-and-off brilliant for years. I also want to emphasize that it’s okay not to like 100 percent of a movie or show. One of the contributors to the book, Jonathan Bock, has what he calls “The 90 Percent Rule.” As long as a movie has 90 percent of what you’d want, he says, support it. No film is going to be 100 percent perfect. There will be off episodes of a TV show. Maybe a film momentarily seems to espouse something we don’t agree with. Fine. Give it time, see it through, and take a step back and look at the big picture. And once you do that, if its 90 percent worthwhile, let people know.
90&9:
Though released one week
apart in December,
The Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe is still doing great business, while the
over-hyped King Kong is doing a steady fade. How do you interpret this? Narnia’s success should prove to Hollywood that The Passion wasn’t a fluke. There is such a thing as a “Christian market,” and there’s a lot of money in it. The studios won’t be able to resist trying again.
90&9:
How should Christians
respond to a movie such as Brokeback Mountain, a movie that clearly
doesn’t share biblical values. Sometimes, of course, these things become so pervasive that we can’t ignore them. We have a responsibility to talk to our children or congregation or whatever to make it clear to them where we stand. But I really don’t see Brokeback Mountain getting that big. I don’t foresee thirteen-year old boys trying to sneak into this one.
ninetyandnine.com © 2006 Kent d Curry ----------- Kent d Curry is an executive editor of ninetyandnine.com. |
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