A star of the upcoming movie Drummer Boy says the film’s themes of forgiveness and reconciliation within a divided family carry a timely message for today’s polarized world.
Charles Esten portrays British officer Lord Balfour in the Angel Studios musical, which opens this weekend and follows two brothers drawn to opposite sides of the Revolutionary War. It stars Joel Smallbone of For King & Country as Jeremiah Clem, Lucas Leach as Benjamin Clem and Melora Hardin (The Office, Monk) as Rachel Clem, the brothers’ mother.
Esten is known for his roles in Outer Banks and Nashville as well as another Angel project, Homestead.
“Everybody talks about how divided we are at this point [in America], and sometimes we lose our historical comparisons,” Esten told Crosswalk Headlines.
“Are we more divided than we were during the Civil War or the Revolutionary War? Perhaps, perhaps not.”
Nevertheless, Esten said, the movie offers hope that faith, forgiveness and grace can heal even the deepest family divisions.
“The story itself says, in the middle of that, in the midst of that, you can be cleaved right down the middle of your family -- but with your faith and your family and forgiveness and grace, there are these things that are larger than these divisions that can heal and can bring us together again -- even in the face of bad guys like Lord Balfour,” he said with a smile.
The project was a perfect fit for Esten, whose acting career parallels his work as a singer-songwriter. He has performed at the Grand Ole Opry more than 180 times.
The music first drew him to the project, prompting him to think, “If this script is half good, this is going to be great.” He said the script proved “way more than half good,” and the opportunity to play the antagonist added to the appeal.
Homestead was directed by Ben Smallbone, who co-directs Drummer Boy with his brother Joel. The musical has been years in the making.
“It's the 250th anniversary of our country, so it's probably the right time for it to have come out,” Esten said.
As Esten sees it, the movie shows that the Revolutionary War was not always the clear-cut battle between “good and bad” modern audiences often imagine. Families found themselves divided, with loved ones reaching different conclusions.
“If you had come here as an English lord, or as loyal to the king, and that's how you came across, and that's how you got your property, and that's how you raised your family,” then you’d likely be loyal to England, Esten said.
“It wasn't that hard for me to wrap my head around why somebody like Lord Balfour would consider it wrong to be disloyal to the very crown that sent you.”
Esten said the brothers interpret their father’s death during a French attack on their English ship differently: Jeremiah believes they should honor the British flag their father died defending, while Benjamin believes they should pursue the freedom their father sought in the New World. Both, he said, have understandable reasons for choosing opposing sides.
“I love any argument where both of the people are ostensibly right -- it's not like one of them was terribly wrong,” he said.
“You can be on both sides of this story, and still be a good man, and even a Christian.”
Photo credit: ©Angel Studios
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
