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The latest film from the Kendrick Brothers, The Forge shares the message of discipleship and mentorship.
The film follows 19-year-old Isaiah a year after graduating high school without any plans for the future. He then gets a push from his mother played by Priscilla Shirer, to start making better decisions.
Cameron Arnett who stars in the film as Joshua Moore, says, "The Forge is a picture into all of our lives. We've all been Isaiah, not knowing where we're going and having questions about who we are. By the grace of God, he runs into a gentleman named Joshua Moore who is mature and seasoned as a Christian. Joshua takes him under his wing and they go through the process of growth. We get to see what discipleship looks like when someone who has the heart of God imparts to someone younger and begins to listen."
Having the opportunity to work with the Kendrick brothers again has been a blast for Arnett. "When I heard Alex talk about how this came about, that was when this idea came to mind when God laid this on his heart, the first person he thought of playing Joshua was me. For me that was, 'Thank you God for that.'"
Playing the role of Joshua came naturally for Arnett, who had his wife BJ play his on-screen bride, Janelle, as well. "My wife and I pastored for almost two decades. My heart is discipleship. We did that for so many years within the four walls and to see God take us from the four walls to now a picture of discipleship, what an honour. When I look at Joshua and Janelle, I look at Cameron and BJ as the same people. It resonated right off the bat, there was no what-if. I believe we were made to play these roles."
As far as what Arnett learned while filming the movie, he says, "The opportunity to be on the set together and watch the set and becoming more and more like Christ from the inside out and be able to be more like Christ with each other and strengthen those bonds."
He hopes that after seeing The Forge, Christians see, "That God is still in love with you, and He has not changed His mind and He's not angry. He still wants us to go out and make disciples. For those who don't know Him, "God is so in love with those who don't know Him that He's moulding and shaping people that can be His hands and feet on how to go love and serve them into a place where they realize they're being loved by Him."
The cast of The Forge includes many other familiar faces, including Priscilla Shirer (War Room and Overcomer) and Karen Abercrombie (War Room). It also stars T.C. Stallings, BJ Arnett, Jonathan Evans, and Tommy Woodard (FAMILY CAMP).
The Forge hits theatres on Aug. 23, 2024.