Columbia Pictures is providing an all expenses paid trip to the Miracles From Heaven Press Junket and Screening- all opinions are my own.

Read about my trip and interviews with Queen Latifah, Kylie Rogers, Christy Beam, and Randy Brown here!

T.D. Jakes was definitely on my “excited to see” list. I am a huge fan of his! And of course, meeting the whole “dream team” behind Heaven is for Real, and now Miracles From Heaven- Joe Roth, DeVon Franklin, and T.D. Jakes. We all absolutely loved listening to them- so interesting!

Joe Roth said more than once that he loves being a part of a project that goes against the grain of what Hollywood is typically putting out there these days. I LOVE that. I love that there are people out there fighting to put out movies that uplift and encourage! We definitely need some more of that.

DeVon Franklin was equally as excited to be a part of this movie- you could tell all three genuinely stood behind the message and movie.

T.D. Jakes said that he was drawn to this story because he felt it was such a powerful expression of the way the way a mother relates to her child. He talked about how he loved the way Christy fought as a mother. “So often you have to roll up your sleeves and fight- it’s not always easy. But being a mother is being prepared to fight and the fight never ends.” The world needs more mothers that don’t take no for an answer, he said.

Director Patricia Riggen and Eugenio Derbez seen at Columbia Pictures “Miracles From Heaven” Photo Call at The London on Friday, March 4, 2016, in West Hollywood, CA. (Photo by Dan Steinberg/Invision for Sony Pictures/AP Images)

Next up was the Miracles from Heaven director Patricia Riggen and Eugenio Dervez who plays Dr. Nurko in the film. They were hilarious!

Patricia was definitely inspiring to listen to- she’s not only a female director, but a Mexican female director. She told us that only 7% of directors are female. She works hard to be the best she can be, because she knows there are many female directors coming behind her that are counting on her to lead the way. They also both talked about how great it was to be breaking down stereotypes of not only Mexicans but Latinos as well. Love seeing that in Hollywood!

Patricia spoke so passionately about the movie- of course, it is her baby! When she was asked about the music though, her eyes totally lit up. She said she used her intuition to pick the music for Miracles From Heaven.

The very last song in the movie (you’ll have to go see the movie to find out what it is!!) was one that Patricia was originally told wasn’t in the budget. She put it in anyway. And when everyone got a look at the scene with it in there, it wasn’t too long before the song was purchased and placed permanently into the movie. Now that’s not taking no for an answer!

Eugenio spent quite a bit of time with the real Dr. Nurko to get a good basis for his character. Eugenio said Dr. Nurko is fairly shy, but very charming. He did an awesome job playing him!

When he was asked why he chose to be a part of this movie, he said that actors usually boil everything down to two things- the script, and the director. And he said that once he heard that Patricia was on board, he was too, practically without needed to even read the script. He trusts her judgement of what is a good project. Goes to show you what great people were behind this movie, and how much they all trust each other!

Jennifer Garner and Martin Henderson seen at Columbia Pictures “Miracles From Heaven” Photo Call at The London on Friday, March 4, 2016, in West Hollywood, CA. (Photo by Dan Steinberg/Invision for Sony Pictures/AP Images)

And then Martin Henderson and Jennifer Garner walked in… AMAZING! They were both so sweet and charming immediately. It was quiet at first- Jen broke the ice by saying “Hi, this is Martin. I’m Jen.” As if we didn’t know! =)

Martin, other than being ridiculously good looking, was very humble and charming. He had us laughing the whole time. He also got fairly serious, talking about how much he loved this movie, and loved playing a dad as he has no kids of his own. Martin was quick to compliment Jen on her skills as an “amazing mother” to her kids, which spent quite a bit of time on set. He said he wished everyone had the same commitment that she has to her children. What a compliment! Jen had to take a moment, it looked like she was about to cry. Who wouldn’t?

In the same way Christy Beam spoke so highly of Jen, Jen spoke very highly of Christy. Jen was definitely very dedicated to this role, and wanted to get everything right. Jennifer said she was constantly texting, calling and emailing Christy asking would you, did you, how did you, what was your reaction, etc. Jen said that Christy was a great cheat sheet. Jen kept looking back over the book and also a list of hymns and songs that Christy loves.

When asked if she would bring her kids to watch the movie, Jen said she didn’t think that she would. Given how emotional the movie was, she thought it might be tough for them to see her so sad.

Both Martin and Jen talked quite a bit about how emotional the roles were. They had to get into a place of desperation and anguish over and over again. They said it was difficult enough for them as adults, but they always tried to remember that there was a little girl going through the very same emotions- and they couldn’t imagine with it was like for Kylie (who played Annabel). Both Martin and Jennifer took Kylie under their wing. Jen said “Kylie and I played as hard as we worked”. There were trips to a lake house, crafting, braiding doll hair, rock climbing, etc. This movie turned them all into family, I love that!

Being able to interview the stars of Miracles From Heaven was amazing, and I can’t wait to share with you all what I thought of the movie! Stay tuned!