Actor Dennis Quaid plays a lead role in the new hit movie “I Can Only Imagine” as the father of MercyMe lead singer Bart Millard, whose song by that name is the focus.
But there wasn’t any acting involved when Quaid, on the movie set, completed a song he had begun to write to his mother 25 years ago.
The new music video:
[jwplayer ieZAdGQk-pszPfxYQ]
He sings, “I’m on my way to heaven, so I can’t be stayin’ long.”
The song goes on: “My life may not be roses, but still I’m going to be all right. Long as I got my savior by my side.”
He’s clear about the importance of his faith.
“For me, it’s Jesus. The red words of Jesus. How simple it is.”
He explains he was a seeker in his 20s, traveling around the globe looking for the answer to “Who is God.”
When he returned home, he wanted to write a song for his mother, something old-fashioned to suit her tastes. But he never could come up with a bridge, a section that ties a song together.
Quaid, reported Faithwire, said he “grew up in the Baptist church, went to Sunday school and then got baptized when I was 9.”
Later, when he traveled the world in pursuit of God, he “read the Bible cover to cover.”
While working on the movie, inspiration hit and he finally finished the song and gave it to his mother on her 91st birthday.
The interview:
[jwplayer d9HabGF2-pszPfxYQ]
WND has reported on the stunning success of the movie, which beat out a trio of heavy hitters on its first weekewnd.
“I Can Only Imagine,” earning $17 million in its first weekend, was No. 1 with a $10,400 per-screen average across 1,600 screens.
That was double the average against its competition, “Black Panther,” “Tomb Raider” and “A Wrinkle in Time.”
The Christian family guide to movies, Movieguide, said few thought the movie – starring J. Michael Finley as Bart Millard – would do so well.
Major entertainment publications initially forecast an opening of $2 million to $4 million for the faith-based drama, which had a budget of only $7 million.
“I Can Only Imagine” recounts the untold story behind the song, beginning with Millard’s unhappy childhood, growing up with an abusive father and a mother who left both of them when he was an adolescent.
Movieguide noted the “church-going audience” has surprised Hollywood before with independent hits such as “God’s Not Dead.”
“However, while there’s been a rise in quality faith-based movies, there has also been a rise in poorly conceived and terribly executed movies targeting the Christian moviegoers, from both inside of Hollywood and inside the church,” Movieguide said.
But “I Can Only Imagine” avoided the pitfalls, because “it was a great story well told” and it “courted church-going individuals with a compelling and genuine marketing campaign.”
See the trailer for “I Can Only Imagine”:
[jwplayer 9eiTBkZI]
