'Evening Shade' was such an eye-opening experience. I was 19 when I went on that show. I had barely had an acting class. So as Burt Reynolds continued to bring me back for the next three years, I learned so much from him and all the other legends that were on the show.
Mennonites are very conservative. They don't drink, dance, smoke, go to movies. I grew up in a very conservative faith-based community.
The nice thing about building up your own studio is if Hollywood decides to hate faith-based films, it doesn't matter to us. We have an audience and continue to serve that audience.
The Lord, over the years, grew a seed in my heart to make faith-based films.
As an actor, you've worked very hard, and you've been doing this for 20-some years, and William Morris was never interested - or any studio, either - in your company or as an actor, and then 'God's Not Dead' happens, and now everyone calls you.
The majority of the time, we try to hire the best people that we can get just to make the best films, and I think that's something that Pure Flix has been known for the movies we produce on the budgets that we do... our production values have elevated this genre.
Coming to Hollywood at 19 and living in a single apartment with one other guy on Venice Beach was a massive contrast to my upbringing.
