This picture was taken a few days before our book signing event. If I ever had doubts about this book series being made into a film series, this picture instantly squashed them. I was so taken back by this. God indeed is smiling down on our projects. Which means, they have to be done His way. He knows what is best and He knows who is best. But best, does not necessarily mean well known or seasoned. It doesn’t mean someone with 5 Academy Awards. It doesn’t mean someone with 10 years of acting school. It simply means the best person for the role or for the crew. I may have my own opinions. But the Director and Producers will have theirs as well. I know this story of Summer Ray Sherwood better than anyone. I should. I wrote it. Not only that, I took the years necessary to create and to develop each individual character, right down to their eye color.
If someone wants a part with little acting experience, or who is an actor or actress but not a well known one, my advice is this…get radical. “Radical” is defined as – advocating extreme measures; very different from the usual or traditional. When someone is this over the top and out of the ordinary in trying to get noticed for a role or a position, they cannot help but get attention. They cannot help but to get noticed. I read that Sally Field went after Steven Spielberg for the role of Mary Todd that he hadn’t thought to cast her in. But she went after it and she got it. Even I, the writer, am not guaranteed the role I want to have. I have to work for it. I have to go after it. I have to want it so bad that I literally will do anything (legal & moral) to get it.
I am reminded of the woman in the Bible who suffered with an issue of blood. She suffered 12 long and lonely years and was not allowed to be seen in public, due to the customs of that time. Yet…she heard that Jesus was in town. Even saying that it boosted my own confidence. Jesus is in town. What would I have done? If I wanted to get healed badly enough, I would have done a radical thing to, in order to get healed. She knew she wasn’t allowed in public with such a condition. So she snuck in from behind Him and touched the hem of His garment and was instantly healed. She knew she had to get to Him and it was her faith that “made her whole.” She risked everything and yes even jail. Because technically, she did break the law of the land at that time. But they couldn’t jail her because after she got her miracle, she was no longer sick! WooHoo…Go God!
Is is sort of the same thing with this. I know those who say they want to be a part of this, but do they really? Do they really want the role that bad they would do just about anything to get ready for it? The laws were different in the time when Jesus walked the earth. The law nowadays doesn’t stop us from walking around town when we are sick. But there are moral laws like trying to win an executive over by….well you know! Which no one on my team would condone. So please understand, that is not the type of radical I am referring to. We need to be “Wow’ed” over by your enthusiasm and your passion for this project. But we also need to be certain that we can depend on you. It is not easy to have to re-do this or that because of your failure to be committed. I know it happens in every project. But it shouldn’t happen. I will make you mad at me. I will do things you do not like. But, you will have to trust that I will do what is best for the project, according to what I believe God’s best is. I not only answer to the Producers, the Director and the Board, I also more importantly, answer to God. Which in all reality, is much higher standard.
If you really want it, go after it!
Juliana
THE MEMOIRS OF SUMMER RAY 