Ving Rhames is one of the best character actors in Hollywood, having given us such beloved bad-asses as Marsellus Wallace (“Pulp Fiction”), Luther Stickell (the “Mission Impossible” series) and Buddy Bragg (“Out of Sight”). So he knows it might be surprising to hear that his latest role is a man who walks with God, rather than away from Him.
“All of them are a part of the human family,” insisted the burly Hollywood veteran, who plays a reformed reverend in his news film “Saving God,” which lands on DVD shelves this week. “They’re all human beings, and they all have their own stories. I don’t think a Christian guy’s life is worth more than a guy who’s not a Christian. It’s both a human life.”
In the flick, Rhames stars as Armstrong Cane, a man who emerges from prison to return to his old Los Angeles stomping grounds, determined to prove that even a murder convict can become a soldier for The Man Upstairs.
“I was watching T.B.N. and I was watching the Word Network and another Christian station, and I was just switching channels,” Rhames remembered of what made him want to play Reverend Cane. “I realized that with how they were dressed, I couldn’t really tell the difference between a preacher and a pimp. So then, after I listened to some sermons I realized it was mostly prosperity-preaching; for $39.99 you could get the two-set DVD or the CD or whatever. It was like [they were] selling the word of God.”
“My thing is, especially in the black community, if a pastor is making millions of dollars, and there’s some reports that some pastors are receiving $35 million…no one in your congregation should be on welfare,” Rhames said, agreeing with his character’s hard stance against a neighborhood televangelist too busy driving a luxury car to meet with his flock.
“That was the premise of how I came up with the concept of this film," continued Rhames. "With [writer] Michael Jackson we started talking…[I didn’t want to] let the pastor be the stereotype of a Christian, which is normally a nice guy and basically someone you can take advantage of. When I look at Jesus Christ in the Bible, you could say he was a revolutionary. He went up against the laws and the government of His time.”
“The character I’m playing, I know him,” Rhames said of the inspirational film. “And many people have said the preaching comes across very authentic. For me, it’s been a blessing to do this project.”
What actor would you most love to discover delivering sermons at your local house of worship?
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