Thursday, March 28, 2024

T.D. Jakes, Queen Latifah & Devon Franklin Talk ‘Miracles from Heaven’

miracles from heaven (devon jennifer td queen)
Devon Franklin, Jennifer Garner, T.D. Jakes & Queen Latifah

*Producers T.D. Jakes and Devon Franklin have teamed up again with Hollywood magnate Joe Roth for another faith based film entitled “Miracles from Heaven” starring Jennifer Garner, Kylie Rogers and Queen Latifah.

The film is based on a true story about a young girl who suffers a rare digestive disorder who is miraculously cured after a terrible accident while playing with her sisters.

Sony Pictures’ “Mircles from Heaven,” which was directed by Patricia Riggen, offered a compassionate perspective of a loving, church-going family who do everything in their power to help save one of their own. Christy Beam, the real life mother and author of the book “Miracles From Heaven,” from which the movie was based, struggled with faith and her spiritual beliefs while trying to save her daughter’s life.

READ RELATED STORY: T.D. Jakes’ ‘Miracles from Heaven’ Shows How Faith Works

EUR associate, Robin Ayers sat down with the producers and Queen Latifah for a one on one perspective of what it was like to shoot this film. “It’s all about life,” says Franklin. He mentions that life is about humorous moments right next to dramatic ones when he discusses the character Angela (played by Queen Latifah).

Queen Latifah states that Angela “sees that idea of strength and positivity and change in the world,” which she strongly portrays in her role as a lively stranger who comes into the lives of the Beam family.

Read more about what Latifah and the producers have to say pertaining to “Miracles From Heaven.”

miracles from heaven (jennifer garner kylie rogers & queen latifah)
Jennifer Garner, Queen Latifah and Kylie Rogers in a scene from ‘Miracles from Heaven’

EUR: What was the importance of the comedic beats, casting Queen Latifah in the film?

Devon Franklin: It’s all about life. Life is not just all hard-core and difficult. You also have dramatic moments right next to humor. She’s based upon a real character. The real Angela is larger than life. She’s a waitress from Boston, smokes and curses and all that. But she has a heart of gold and Queen Latifah does as well so it was important to bring her in because right when things were really difficult, you need a little bit of levity or it probably would’ve been unbearable.

EUR: As an audience, everyone is going to be able to identify with someone. Are there different dramatizations in the religions or different races, or was that all true to life?

TD Jakes: Not the races, no.

DF: It was all pretty true to what was in the book. And Patricia certainly was very, very keen on making sure that those parts along the way were authentic and relatable and they all cam from ideas that were inspired by the book.

READ RELATED STORY: Queen Latifah, Jennifer Garner Lead TD Jakes’ ‘Miracles From Heaven’

EUR: Can you separate yourselves and look back at it and watch the film and be inspired?

TDJ, DF: (Emphatically) Oh yes! Yes!

Joe Roth: Absolutely. It would be an impossible job frankly if you couldn’t identify with the goal in mind.

TDJ: We sniffle when we watch it.

DF: We sniffled when it was shot. We sniffled reading the script.

TDJ: Yeah, it’s a heart story and I think from the Director on down, brought their heart into it, and their experience with their children and family, and you see your child sick. You’re fighting with their family. You’re fighting with the mother for her child. It’s hard to be detached from that when you love someone.

JR: I’ve seen the movie about four or five times and Devon laughs because I sit in the front corner so people don’t see how much I cry.

EUR: How much of yourself did you insert into your role? Was it you trying to pull from who Queen Latifah is especially once you heard that she (Angela) sees herself as you?

QL: Yeah, I mean the idea of “Queen Latifah.” That helped because it let me know what the real Angela likes. So I think she kind of sees that idea of strength and positivity and change in the world; that idealism that you can change the world. But I really think it was Patricia (Director) telling me what they needed at that moment. What this family really needed and what this was coming from. This family was going through it. This baby is not feeling well and that’s enough for me as a human being to know a child is not feeling well and a mom is dealing with a sick child. That’s enough for me and I don’t need to go too deep into it. I just know that it’s already deep enough and if my skills are juggling a ball or braiding hair or whatever it is that I can do to make their lives easier, that’s where I would draw those things from.

“Miracles from Heaven” from Sony Pictures  is in theaters now. Click here to  find a theater near you showing the film.

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