'Am I Racist?' director Justin Folk targets DEI dreck with humor



Director Justin Folk understands why people might liken his film “Am I Racist?” to the 2006 comedy “Borat.”

"Borat" found Sacha Baron Cohen going under cover as a boorish Kazakhstani. “Am I Racist?” follows Matt Walsh of “What Is a Woman?” fame posing as a DEI “expert.” Both deploy improv shtick in the “Candid Camera” mold. Each is uniquely hilarious.

The director insists his team didn’t take the DEI proponents out of context.

Folk sees a critical difference between the two.

“Sacha Baron Cohen set out to make fun of regular, everyday Americans. Yes, it can feel a bit mean at times, but at the same time it’s very funny,” Folk tells Align. “What Matt does is different. He’s not making fun of people. He’s making fun of bad ideas. ... These are not personal attacks. He’s after the ideas they’re propagating to the public.”

“Am I Racist?” is the first Daily Wire production debuting in theaters. The docu-comedy finds Walsh interviewing “White Fragility” author Robin DiAngelo and other DEI luminaries. He’s nominally in disguise, courtesy of a man bun and a herringbone jacket.

The point is to target the woke mindset, under attack across the culture in recent months, with humor.

“People are opened up to ideas when they laugh,” Folk says. “People are so tense over the issue of race. It’s important to find some commonality and lighten the mood.”

Walsh seems like a curious person to do just that. He’s a stoic presence whose strong Catholic faith infuses his podcast musings. On-screen, his unflappable demeanor is the perfect fit for a project like “Am I Racist?”

“[Matt Walsh] does deadpan better than anybody else I’ve ever seen. That allows him to introduce insanity into a situation without it being picked up on, without giving the tell,” he says. "He’s able to go all in into a moment without forecasting that it’s a joke.”

Folk and Walsh originally teamed up for 2022’s “What Is a Woman?” That documentary infected the mainstream and put the title on the lips of many Americans. The film’s brief appearance on X generated nearly 200 million views, according to one report.

Folk dismissed the idea of a sequel but wanted to keep his partnership with Walsh going. The duo settled on race, another “untouchable” subject.

Audiences may wonder how Folk’s crew captured the sequences from the film. Yes, it’s a brand of awkward comedy that dates back decades, but they ingratiated themselves with groups that wouldn’t normally rub elbows with Walsh.

Folk describes the process.

“Everything we do with these people is exactly what we told them we would do,” he says. “We’re making a movie about anti-racism. ... We’re coming to them as experts. Can you enlighten us? They agreed to do that in front of the cameras.”

The director insists his team didn’t take the DEI proponents out of context. Nor would his subjects backpedal on what’s said on-screen, he suspects.

“I do believe the things that these people say in the film they would 100% stand behind, even today,” he says. Several people featured in the film, including DiAngelo, have since gone dark on X.

Talk about "White Fragility"!

The rare documentary can have an outsized impact on the culture. Al Gore’s 2006 film “An Inconvenient Truth” changed the way many Americans view climate change, no matter where you stand on the issue.

Folk hopes “Am I Racist?” has a similarly outsized impact on the culture.

“DEI is full of toxic ideas. It’s divisive. Personally, I think it should be illegal,” he says, citing the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibiting race-based preferences. “The timing is right for a film like this.”

“What Is a Woman?” rocked the culture while mostly living behind a paywall. “Am I Racist?” debuts in theaters nationwide September 13, 2024.

That matters, says Folk, who believes the multiplex is key to getting the message beyond the online conservative bubble — “so we’re not just talking to ourselves."

Wednesday Western: The top Western social media accounts



Social media has played an interesting role in the revival of Western cinema. I’ve compiled a list of social media accounts dedicated to Westerns.

This article doesn’t include blogs, podcasts, websites, or magazines. I’m currently working on an article for each, so definitely let me know any of these that I need to know about in the comments section, or send me an email.

The following list is by no means comprehensive. And at first glance, it may seem like a random assortment. The accounts vary in audience size, output, and content organization. They employ different media and delivery methods. Some are public; some require you to answer a questionnaire. Each of them is unique.

What unites them is a frontier spirit, a liveliness.

Official John Wayne - Instagram

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of The Duke.

The official John Wayne Instagram page is probably my favorite Western social media account. The X account is also solid. But the Instagram account is far better.

It delivers the perfect number and flow of posts. And the descriptions, titles, and photos are all flawlessly assembled. I’d be shocked if it weren’t run by social media or marketing/PR professionals.

This is the proper handling of the John Wayne legacy. The people in charge of maintaining it make sure that the Duke’s legacy is truly an experience. All of it is interconnected through John Wayne Enterprises: the John Wayne Museum, the John Wayne Cancer Foundation, the John Wayne Grit Series, among others.

You can buy John Wayne cookbooks and a collection of cocktail recipes, coffee, ornamental cups and top-class clothing — all of which will appear in this series in exciting ways.

All of these converge at the Instagram account.

It’s comforting to see a passionate group of people devoted to the upkeep of the Duke’s invaluable legacy.

If all that weren’t good enough, they just launched a collaboration with Broken Bow Country, a friend of the Wednesday Western series, as captured in this profile.

Broken Bow Country: Meet the 17-year-old behind a viral Western clothing brandwww.theblaze.com

In fact, during our interview, we connected on the Duke and our admiration for the official John Wayne account.

Scrolling through this account, it feels like you’re reading a biography of the Duke, told in vignettes and accompanied by pictures, music, and video.

Some of the posts are simply gorgeous. They provide a holistic view of the Duke, a man unlike any other. They offer great commentary on various Wayne films and media appearances. They help you understand who John Wayne was behind the legend, as in this post about his prolific love of chess.

Other times, it’s playful, as with the incredibly creative inclusion of holidays, like this recent celebration of National Sunglasses Day.

The posts hit every emotion as we navigate John Wayne’s love life and comforts and disappointments and truest victories.

And America, you become closer to this great country. Just check out this 4th of July post. And, man, how about this one? Who else deserves to be the biggest movie star of all time?

Just Westerns - YouTube

Just Westerns is an entrepreneurial feat animated by one man’s love for Westerns. He has mastered the possibilities that YouTube offers.

And that narrator’s voice: That’s Marc Reynard, the Englishman in charge of Just Westerns, the unofficial home of Westerns on YouTube.

This dude is undoubtedly one of us.

He examines the genre from creative and at times surprising angles, like this video about the fate of “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly 2.” You read that right: There was supposed to be a sequel.

His videos are smooth, well produced, well crafted, well written, sharp, fun, lovely, informative.

He also does something that I wish we had more of: He hypes upcoming and anticipated Westerns and compiles year-end lists and legitimizes the artistic merit of video games: “20 Best Western Video Games.” He also covers Wednesday Western favorite "Old Henry" (2021)

We need more of all of this. Best of all, you can feel his passion.

My only complaint is that the channel has only 30 videos. I went through them all at a steady clip.

But even this turns out to be further proof that you’re getting content that is authentically wholesome. Marc addresses it in his YouTube bio: “Please bear with me, I am a solo creator without the resources or manpower that larger channels typically have, so I am unfortunately unable to upload as regularly as I like, especially as I am committed to prioritizing quality over quantity.”

Take your time, brother. Personally, I think it's worth the wait.

r/Westerns - Reddit

Reddit can be a nasty place, especially if your politics are anything to the right of Bernie Sanders. And you can’t avoid the ideological slapfests, either. Leftist goons stir it up in every subreddit, constantly, and they’re almost always combative, even in the subreddits devoted to woodwork or kittens.

The Westerns subreddit is a clear exception. It’s a community. It feels like the town square of a dust-ridden Western town.

Check out this thread about “For a Few Dollars More.”

The mixed-media format of Reddit allows for a variety of sources: pictures, movies, trailers, interviews, text-only, even gifs. It might be the most versatile resource on this list.

It’s a great place for recommendations and commentary. Unlike much of the rest of Reddit, which is disproportionately loaded with young white liberal men, there’s an even spread of people of all ages.

These Redditors routinely swap personal stories about the various movies and actors. Some of their stories are poignant and evocative.

Back to the Old Western - Facebook

Facebook is a great place for Western fans. Instagram is too image-centered to accommodate text, and it doesn’t support links. Meanwhile, the microblogging experience of X is limited in its scope and impatient in its daunting pace — the temperament and vibe of Westerns don’t do well in such a frantic environment.

Facebook circumnavigates all of this, finally able to beat all the much lighter apps. For once, it finds an advantage to its cluttered user interface.

This bulk allows users to upload and share every type of content. No limitations. It’s the only platform capable of this, besides Reddit, but I’m not about to equate the megalith Facebook with the niche subreddit.

Besides, Facebook outperforms Reddit anyway. Its Pages function allows for an immersive blogging experience, run by moderators and admins who are passionate about their content and free to run their operation without much interference, right down to the parameters of the group’s privacy.

Back to the old western | Charles Bronson as Chino in classic western film 'The Valdez Horses' in 1973 | Facebookwww.facebook.com

Back to the Old Western is the perfect example of these principles. It is active, with a constant flow of posts, often aggregated from fan pages — the Duke and Sam Elliot, mostly.

The comments sections are fairly quiet, but most of the time people add substance or passion to the movie or actor being celebrated.

Chatter isn’t as important as it is on Reddit. The admins really know their stuff, offering a healthy range of mainstream Westerns, cult classics, and oddities, like this post celebrating Brigitte Bardot and Claudia Cardinale for their roles in “The Legend of Frenchie King” (1971), a wild little movie that will get its Wednesday Western spotlight in due time.

A Word on Westerns - YouTube

BLAZING SADDLES! The fart scene changed my life, says Burton Gilliam A WORD ON WESTERNSwww.youtube.com

I made a point to place Just Westerns higher up than A Word on Westerns, because Just Westerns is the passion project of an ordinary guy who loves Westerns, while A Word on Westerns is a proper television series. An exceedingly good one, with just as much passion and gusto.

It’s a fantastic channel. A Word on Westerns is sort of like a Western-only version of TMC, which is a thrilling reality. That’s the dream.

The channel features entire movies, each with a brief but thorough introduction by Rob Word, a double feature as part of the segment Word’s Wayback.

These are mostly 1930s and 1940s Westerns.

YouTube is an oddity on this list, because so many of the major Western channels exclusively post full movies. What a joy it is to find a rare Western on YouTube. But these channels lack the commentary and artistry that characterize the two YouTube channels I’ve included on this list.

A Word on Westerns blends the rustic ease of the Old West with the hypersonic immediacy of our infinite now. You can also access lectures, speeches, and clever projects like this "Gunsmoke" mash-up.

Smartest of all, it makes good use of the Shorts function on YouTube, will brief clips about various topics, from Robert Mitchum to stories of mutilation.

Western Podcast - X

The Western Podcast X page is small but mighty, with some impressive followers and praise from True West magazine.

Have you seen #HorizonAmericanSaga yet? If so, share your thoughts with us! We'll record a full podcast episode about the film in two weeks when Andrew is back from his vacation in Europe. In the meantime, here's Matt's highly positive take on Kevin Costner's latest Western epic. https://t.co/baVzZE4vPK
— @WesternPodcast (@WesternPodcast) June 28, 2024

It’s an offshoot of the marvelous podcast hosted by our friend Western apostle Andrew Patrick Nelson and the excellent Matthew Chernov, a screenwriter and a journalist with bylines in Variety, Entertainment Weekly, IMBd.com. Yahoo News, and about a hundred other outlets. His insight thrives with the joy of curiosity.

Andrew's Instagram account will keep you up to date with his media appearances and projects, with the occasional infusion of Hair Metal.

These boys are the real deal. Andrew just began his new job as chief curator of Western Spirit, Scottsdale's Museum of the West. Before that, he taught film history. As a professor at the University of Utah, Andrew guided his students through the badlands full of robbers and coyotes, only to unmask the villains hiding behind all their props and plywood scenery.

Why Millennials & Zoomers Should Watch Westerns | Andrew Patrick Nelson | Alignwww.youtube.com

Both of them are impressively smart with a tenderness for beauty, but not at the cost of a good story or a complicated hero.

They take their time with content, even tweets, but this adds to the reverence of their decision-making process. If you haven't taken the dive into their work already, do it.They have a gift for revealing the beautiful, intricate paradoxes of Western movies. They speak with screenwriters, historians, authors, journalists, musicians, directors, costume designers, and more.

They tell stories. They examine personal reactions to various films. They navigate themes of universality and timelessness within the motion of transcendence, while also exposing the flimsiness of any given cultural era.

Is Stagecoach the best movie ever made? Interview with Andrew Patrick Nelsonwww.youtube.com

They have a gift for discerning the role of Western movies in relation to our unexplained world, differentiating these fictions from their context and influence. But also, more impressively, they succeed in witnessing the presence of our entire universe in one tiny section of cinema history.

Both of them have helped yours truly at many points along our journey so far. They have guided me through the desert more than once.

Kevin Costner and Modern West - X

Kevin Costner & MW (@modernwest) on X

Kevin Costner & MW (@modernwest) on Xx.com

Kevin Costner is this era’s Clint Eastwood. He fights to keep the Western in public view, devoting himself to projects animated by passion, even if his wallet takes a hit. The victory is worth the risk.

He has ushered in a new era for the genre. His success with "Yellowstone" and its Western universe of shows has accelerated the Western’s resurgence. But it’s more than that. We're also witnessing a flourishing of the Western as an ethos, a style, a mode of thought, an approach to life.

So did you realize that Kevin Costner has a country band? Founded in 2007, Kevin Costner and Modern West deliver rowdy songs written for the culturally forgotten people of America. The band's history is tinged with tragedy.

The Kevin Costner and Modern West account is technically the band’s, but it posts tons of Costner content, all hand-picked and polished by a team of social media professionals.

Best Cowboy Movies Forever - Facebook

Best cowboy movies forever | Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, and Van Heflin in "Shane" (1953) | Facebookwww.facebook.com

There are several variations on the “Western” + “Forever” title, but I’m going with Best Cowboy Movies Forever. I enjoy the way the account profiles various actors, like this post about Lee Van Cleef.

It also includes Westerns from every different era. This is important. It’s good to hop around in this way. I’m partial to the 1939-1960 era of the genre, so I can plant myself in that time exclusively if I’m not careful.

The page rarely ventures into the current scene. But this isn’t a problem. It’s important to offer due reverence to the originators.

Old West - Actors, Films, and Legends - Facebook

www.facebook.com

Old West zooms in so that we get a portrait view of an incredible variety of Western actors, films, and legends, like this post devoted to Myron Halle or this homage to Elsa Martinelli. I value any source that prioritizes the lesser-known figures in the genre. Because, as we all know, the Western genre is overflowing with stories, entire generations of actors, producers, directors, screenwriters — you name it — whose fascinating tales deserve to be recounted.

As much as I love the giants of the genre, I derive incredible joy from learning about these forgotten figures.

Passion for Western Movies - Instagram

Passion for Western Movies makes great use of Instagram’s Reels format.

The account does a lot of this kind of multi-movie post, offering a list of movies connected by timeframe or theme.

Passion for Western Movies lives up to its name, able to glide around the history of the Western genre, seemingly without partiality. It also features lesser-known movies, like this post about "The Hunting Party," which features Gene Hackman.

Broken Bow Country - Instagram

I’m a bit biased on this one, because I think Colton is an absolute legend, but Broken Bow Country is perfect for this list.

The Western experience you get is fairly rough around the edges, in a distinctly modern way. But modernity never wins against Broken Bow Country.

It’s unique for many reasons but primarily because, in addition to its Western ethos, it is a clothing retailer and printmaker. No other creator on our list offers this level of art and style.

Then you’ve got the lore, the storytelling that comes with his posts, the war hymns of country-Western rebels and the toll their rebellion often took on their lives.

The past month has been wild for Colton. Early in July, he landed a collaboration with John Wayne Enterprises. The T-shirts are fantastic. In fact, I’m wearing one of them in the cover photo for Wednesday Western.

Then, a gunman on a sloped roof tried to murder former President Donald Trump, who was days away from officially accepting his party’s nomination.

In the panicky hours that followed, many people succumbed to their emotions, others to their resolve. I won’t pretend to have remained cool.

But Colton did. Following the Trump assassination attempt, he designed a T-shirt honoring one of the most American moments in human history, as Trump rose with his fist in the air. And he donated all of the money to a charity for Corey Comperatore, the man who died shielding his family from one of the gunman’s bullets.

This was a controversial move. He even faced the nasty comments about how the shooter shouldn’t have missed or that the deaths of the victims were “completely deserved.”

He lost a few thousand followers, but he describes it as “inconsequential when you think about the people that it's helping to support.”

In a press release, he said, “This has nothing to do with politics, I was incredibly moved by what happened and I wanted to use my platform to do something that extended beyond the controversy and the arguing.”

Lancer TV Blog - Facebook

Last and certainly not least, Lancer TV Blog on Facebook. It is run by a friend of mine, an avid supporter of Wednesday Western.

Unlike every other entry included on this list, Lancer TV Blog focuses entirely on one show, a show that hardly anyone knows. This reversal in focus is good for a movie lover’s mental sharpness.

I’m working on a deep dive into "Lancer," so I won’t say too much.

Beyond the merits of the show and its cast, "Lancer" is an underdog story still in the middle stages, badgered by uncertainty. Because the show hasn’t had a reboot, despite success throughout its two (long) seasons on CBS. So it’s not an issue of merit; the show deserves a second wind. It would very likely expand its audience.

But none of that matters for the art trapped in the murk of a waiting area, a zone of uncertainty. And the gifted athlete eventually starts to wobble. Filmstock degrades. All technology collapses. Call it the inevitable disintegration of a lively body, in this case a body of art.

Even the most perfect masterpieces eventually crumble. But what if that happens to be your masterpiece? What if it’s your tiny heaven, all tangled up in red tape? Life has enough of this disintegration as it is. Our entertainment needs to be clean, enjoyable, and easily accessible. Or so claims the majority.

Well, thank God for the passionate workers of cultural excavation. They dig and fight. They protect, sustain, and preserve. Without them, life would be less beautiful. Without them, our society would be weaker and tamer and less able to see a way out.

"Lancer" episodes run an hour. This extended run time fundamentally changes the character and depth of a TV show. It’s amazing what an episode can accomplish in one hour that it simply can’t in 30 minutes.

What you’ll find, as you scroll through the posts on the Lancer Facebook page, is purity. This fandom rewards people with a tiny kingdom, a crafted world they can always turn to. That experience should rile up every single person.

There’s a fidelity to their affection that is heartwarming. The Lancer TV Blog connects you to this incredibly pure relation. It’s just there, like sand across the winds of time.

George Santos Explains Why He ‘Loves Gen Z Progressives’

‘They’re the future'

Trump Says He Would Debate Meghan Markle: ‘Let’s Set It Up’

'I’d love to debate her. I would love it. I disagree so much'

RFK Jr. Discusses Vaccines, Gov’t Surveillance And His Pet Emu In New Interview

'We’ve seen the steady subversion of our democracy and the transformation of America into an imperial state abroad'
Glenn Beck on the Surprising History of 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' at the Super Bowl

Glenn Beck on the Surprising History of 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' at the Super Bowl

Kid Rock tells Tucker Carlson that he stands by his drunken, anti-Oprah rant: 'F*** Oprah!'



Kid Rock told Fox News' Tucker Carlson that he won't apologize for a drunken rant in which he blasted Oprah Winfrey and more.

The musician made headlines after blasting Winfrey and "View" co-host Joy Behar during a 2019 appearance at his Nashville, Tennessee, music club, during which he said "F*** Oprah Winfrey" and "F*** Joy Behar."

What are the details?

During a sit-down with the Fox anchor's "Carlson Originals," the rocker — real name Robert James Ritchie — said that he stands by his thoughts.

"A drunk man’s words are a sober man’s thoughts, I own what I said," he told Carlson. "I don’t apologize to anybody. I’m not an Oprah Winfrey fan. I got drunk and f***in’ next thing, I’m on stage [saying] f*** Oprah."

\u201cGet an exclusive look at famed rockstar @KidRock in this @TuckerCarlson Originals exclusive. \n\nWatch here on Fox Nation: https://t.co/kYzI2mPDrJ\u201d
— Fox Nation (@Fox Nation) 1654611345

'Uncancelable'

In March, Ritchie told Carlson that he believed himself to be "uncancelable" and that he was allowed to speak his mind in the manner he saw fit because he wasn't tied up with any "corporate interests."

"I’m not in bed with any big corporate things," he said at the time. "At the end of the day, there’s nobody I’m beholden to — no record companies, no corporate interests, no nothing. You can’t cancel me. I love it when they try."

Praise for Trump

He also praised former President Donald Turmp and compared his speeches to that of President Joe Biden.

"If you watch a Joe Biden interview and you watch a Trump interview, you’re just like … ‘There's no comparison.’ And Trump, yeah, he speaks off the cuff, I understand what it’s like," he explained. "Sometimes you get it wrong … you know this that and the other. But I would way rather hear somebody come from here [touches chest] and get it wrong once in a while than see this contrived … pretty much every politician until he came along at some level everything was scripted.”

Teen becomes National Chess Master following 4 intensive brain surgeries



A 17-year-old boy has been declared national chess master after undergoing four major brain surgeries, Fox News has reported.

What are the details?

Griffin McConnell was named national chess master in March.

Just one year before his meritorious win, Griffin underwent his latest brain surgery.

The teen began suffering from seizures when he was four years old -- around the same time he learned how to play the strategy board game.

His father, Kevin McConnell, told Fox News that during one of the surgeries, doctors effectively disconnected the left side of his son's brain.

"He had to learn how to talk from scratch," Kevin told the outlet. "He had to learn how to walk, how to write. … He went from right-handed to left-handed."

Following his earlier surgeries, Griffin was wheelchair-bound and had to undergo a variety of occupational, physical, and speech therapy.

"It was a long, long recovery," he explained.

Griffin said that throughout his surgical ordeal, chess remained a part of him.

When he was just 13, Griffin said that he began experiencing even more dangerous episodes preceding his seizures.

According to the report, it was just three years later that Griffin had to undergo a hemispherectomy to remove a portion of the teen's brain to help control the seizures.

"We let that decision be Griffin's entirely because he was 16 at the time and knew what all this meant, having gone through it seven or eight years ago," Kevin said. "And he elected to move forward with it."

Following the surgery, Griffin became paralyzed on his right side.

"[B]ut he could still move his left side," Kevin added. "We were playing games of chess a week, 10 days after his brain surgery."

Griffin began playing chess in tournaments across the country to further his craft.

"I got increasingly better [at chess]," Griffin said of his latest surgery, which took place in 2021. "I don’t know what happened … but something clicked."

"Griffin started playing chess right away, and he still hovered in that expert rating level," Kevin recalled. "But starting in October of last year, that’s where he went on this insane run where every tournament he went to, he had positive results."

By March, Griffin's determination and love of the game paid off -- and he was crowned national chess master.

"Griffin went from expert to national master in like four and a half months," Kevin said. "For him to go from expert to master in four and a half months is, for anybody, unheard of. It’s certainly unheard of for somebody with a massive brain injury and four brain surgeries."

Griffin said that he won't stop there -- and would love to become an international master.

"I want to see how far I can really go," Griffin McConnell said.

Griffin, according to report, has not suffered one seizure since March 2021.

A-list actor Mark Wahlberg stars in first Christian-based film, says there's nothing more important than faith: 'God's not going to give up on you'



Actor Mark Wahlberg opened up ahead of his first faith-based film, "Father Stu," and said that there's nothing more important than faith.

"Father Stu" is slated for a release on April 15 — Good Friday.

Wahlberg also serves as producer on the film and co-stars with Mel Gibson.

What are the details?

Academy Award-nominated Wahlberg recently told Pure Flix Insider that his latest project — a film based on the true story of a boxer-turned-priest and his journey from self-destruction to redemption — is his first foray into faith-based entertainment and his latest adventure in deepening his faith.

“People need to have faith and hope. Young men need to know what it’s like to be a real man. And you could list a million reasons — just turn on the news, anywhere you look there are reasons for encouraging people to have faith and to have hope,” Wahlberg said during the interview.

Walhberg said that he identifies with Father Stu's character in that he is insistent on turning around his life on a daily basis.

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life. I have been focused since I was 16, 17 years old to turning my life around and that is a daily task,” Wahlberg admitted. "God has continued to bless me and put me in this situation not to continue to grow and work on Mark Wahlberg the person, but to do His work and finally, giving me the skills and tools to go out and articulate the message He wants me to articulate."

He added, "It’s never too late. As long as you’re breathing you have an opportunity to redeem yourself."

FATHER STU - Official Trailer (HD)www.youtube.com

What else?

Wahlberg also recently told Fox News' Raymond Arroyo that the film was a "journey towards faith."

"These movies are not easy to get made," Wahlberg told Arroyo, adding that the forthcoming film is "probably the most unpredictable movie ever."

"What did you see of yourself when you first read this script and first came across the story?" Arroyo asked the longtime actor.

Wahlberg responded, "So many things. Obviously, my past, but also my present. And my looking for my purpose ... God has continued to bless me and put me in this situation, not to continue to grow and work on Mark Wahlberg, the person, but to do His work and give me ... the skills and the tools to go out there and articulate the message that he wants me to."

"[Father Stu] was a guy who was really lost, trying to find his way ... eventually makes his way to the priesthood and loses mobility over his body, complete control over all of his muscles in time," he explained. "And that ends up being the vehicle of his redemption in some ways."

"[Both my and Stu's stories are] hard-won redemptive stories," he continued. "I just knew that I needed to make this movie ... this was my calling."

Wahlberg said that it's important now more than ever for people to have faith and hope.

"It's certainly a turning point for me in my life," he said. "I need to stop focusing so much on Mark and start doing much more work for God and for people and for people that are less fortunate."

The actor added that the film's message is that God will never stop his relentless pursuit of man's heart.

"God's not going to give up on you," he insisted. "Don't you dare go giving up on yourself."

The World Over February 10, 2022 | FATHER STU: Mark Wahlberg with Raymond Arroyowww.youtube.com

Actor — a former atheist — details moment he fell in love with Jesus, shares his journey to faith while working in Hollywood: 'I knew that if there was a heaven, I wouldn't be going there'



Former "Growing Pains" actor Kirk Cameron says that he was moved to ask Jesus into his life at the tender young age of 17 — when his child acting career was at its pinnacle.

What are the details?

Cameron, who starred on the hit 1980s sitcom, said that he began acting at 14 years old — and it didn't take long for Hollywood to get its narcissistic hooks into him.

Luckily for the longtime entertainer, he was moved to ask Jesus Christ into his life and lived the rest of his life thereafter as a changed man.

During a recent appearance on the PragerU "Stories of Us" series, the actor said that a note written by his daughter prompted him to consider his former Hollywood superstardom.

The note said, "It's the same boiling water that softens potatoes that hardens eggs. It just depends on what you're made of."

“So the same difficult challenges and influences of Hollywood that turn some people sour and make them narcissistic and bitter and joyless and afraid to not fit in is the same pressure that actually softened my heart and caused me to embrace gratitude and be thankful for the life that I have and want to use a platform and this Hollywood industry to advance the good,” he explained. “I really think it’s what you’re made of. And if you don’t know what you’re made of, don’t look to your environment or your industry or other people to give you an identity. There was somebody who made you — ask Him. And you can be sure that the ending of the story is gonna be fantastic.”

Cameron said that by just 17 years old, he was living the life that most child actors dream of: riding around in high-priced sports cars with fellow '80s staples like Michael J. Fox and receiving more attention than any young, impressionable teen could ever want — but he was worried that it wasn't enough to sustain him for all eternity.

Cameron said that the moment shines clearly in his mind's eye.

After dropping off a female thespian at her acting class, Cameron said that he began to wonder if there was more to life than simply living most every teenager's dream.

“I knew that if there was a heaven, I wouldn’t be going there,” he admitted, adding that he was convicted of living his life with an attitude of arrogance rather than the heart of a servant and a spirit of faithfulness.

He said that he realized right then and there that he would need to ask Jesus into his heart for forgiveness and to turn over a new leaf.

“God, if you’re there, would you please show me?" he recalled praying.

"Would you forgive me for the wrong things I’ve done and make me the person that You want me to be?”

Cameron, now 51 years old, is living life with faith at the forefront — with his wife, a fellow Christian, a woman he met on the set of his beloved '80s show.

While certainly the most important, coming to Christ wasn’t the only way Cameron changed, thanks at least in part to Hollywood. He was also introduced to his wife on the set of “Growing Pains.”

“I found a girl,” Cameron said. “She’s beautiful on the inside; she’s beautiful on the outside. I married her and we’ve been married for 30 years. You have no idea how much more valuable that is. I’ve got six grown children who love God and still ask me my opinions about things, who still love to come home and be with me and my wife, and I’m on PragerU’s ‘Stories of Us.’ I mean, the story doesn’t really end much better than this.”

Stories of Us: Kirk Cameron www.youtube.com

(H/T: Faithwire)