Casting calls: no non-believers allowed?

I saw a casting notice in my email this morning for a Christian film out west. The filmmaker gave a little info about the project, and what he was looking for. The last part jumped out at me:

“…must be a believer who attends a gospel-believing church.”

Hmm.

I understand where this guy is coming from. He’s doing this as a ministry after all. But I’ve never been a fan of this type of exclusionary casting. Even when I ran a youth drama group in a church, I refused to close the door on non-believers. (We had a standard “code of conduct” every student signed and agreed to follow, but being a baptized believer was not a prerequisite.) Every summer the youth pastor would ask me if we could change the policy. Every year, I’d have a longer list of names to show him why we shouldn’t: kids who accepted Christ because they were involved in drama.

As I have moved into the filmmaking world, I’m even more open to using non-believers. From a practical standpoint, it gives you a much larger pool of talent to select from. Christian actors are just far and few between, and there are so many hungry actors out there who will bend over backwards to add one more credit to the resume. What’s more, when you’re on a schedule and a budget, professionalism is far more valuable than salvation. My shooting days are usually jammed; we’ve done 6-7 shorts in a single day. I need an actor who is going to show up on time, know their role, and take direction in a serious, professional manner.

I’m not saying Christian actors are unprofessional; there are plenty who act in a serious, professional way. But I’ve worked with some who have not only been unprofessional in their actions, but expect me, the director, to forgive them for it because, after all, they are a Christian, doing it out of the goodness of their heart.

There is a legitimate concern some Christian filmmakers have that a non-believer will not get into a Christian role. You certainly don’t want someone with a vendetta against Christians sabotaging your production. So far, everyone that I have used has been very professional and brought their best work every time the camera is turned on. My advice there is to be as open as you can at the start with your actors. Let them see your script, and let them decide if this is something they can do comfortably. A good actor will give you a solid performance no matter what their personal beliefs off camera.

There’s a much bigger reason to use non-believers in film projects, and I’ve already alluded to it: evangelism. This is a chance to reach out to others who might not hear the gospel, which is the whole point of filming your movie, right? It’s a chance to show non-believers that you’re not an exclusionary Christian who wants to be in his/her safe little Christian bubble isolated from the world. It’s a chance to expose them to the gospel through your script. And if both those elements are there, it’s a chance to do some personal evangelism.

You’d be amazed at the impact you can make simply being a serious professional working on a movie set. When you let Christ shine through you in words and actions, you can really open eyes and hearts to the gospel.

I know it’s scary; an all Christian film set is a safe comfort zone, and when everyone’s working hard, it’s great. But every day, I read countless blogs about how depraved it is in Hollywood , and how we need more Christians making an impact in film. This IS your chance to make an impact on actors (and crew members, by the way!) right in your own backyard.

Don’t dismiss it. Pray over it. God might open an opportunity for a film ministry like you never imagined.