Columbia Pictures is providing an all expenses paid trip to the Miracles From Heaven Press Junket and Screening- all opinions are my own.
So- recently I went on a trip to LA to preview the movie Miracles From Heaven, and to interview the stars and other people behind the movie. I don’t mean to have you dripping with jealousy or anything.. but it was as fabulous as it sounds. I arrived in LA and the first thing I did was this:
PURE perfection for this Minnesota gal! I flew in early enough for some ME time before we were whisked away to the movie.
Los Angles SUNSETS are amazing no matter where you are!
We got to view the movie, which I’ll be telling you more about the day it releases. But, *spoiler alert*- it’s AWESOME! Cross my heart and hope to die.
The tear struggle was real.
The next day we woke up, ate some grub (good food was definitely a huge part of this trip!), and went to the hospitality suite for (more food) and THE interviews!!!
Even though this wasn’t my first celebrity interview, I was still super nervous. The anticipation is just hanging in the air. So many nervous giggles and excited whispers. I SAT SO CLOSE!
I think a big part of my nerves for this interview was how much I truly loved the movie, how much it inspired me, and how much I respected everyone who was a part of it.
Our first interview was with the fabulous Queen Latifah and the amazingly talented Kylie Rogers! SO exciting! They were so funny together, and you can definitely tell that they have a great relationship off screen. Queen Latifah kept calling Kylie the star and saying “I just love her!” It was very sweet. She also said she was very thankful for this role. Queen Latifah told us that she prays about every role she does, and she saw this awesome faith based movie as a way to “give one back to God.” She really liked how it showed real people going through real problems, and how to get through difficult times.
And Kylie is SERIOUSLY a cutie. Just wait until you see her on screen- I was honestly so impressed with her acting!! And in real life she is just as poised, warm, and utterly adorable. She said that it was “cool to know I’m portraying someone that this actually happened to- and I got to meet her!” Kylie spent a lot of time with the real Annabel Beam, and the two became fast friends. Kylie was very dedicated to her role, and had to work through some pretty emotional scenes- she is much more mature than her age would tell! She and Queen Latifah were laughing about the scene in the movie where Queen Latifah’s character (Angela) puts braids in Kylie’s character’s (Anna) hair. I asked Kylie if they hurt, and she laughed loudly and said “YES!” She said she had never had braids in before, and Queen’s response was “Ahh, I got to see babies first braid.”
While we were outside waiting for our ride back to the airport, Kylie was also waiting outside and I got a quick selfie with her! Honestly, isn’t she just a doll? JUST WAIT until you see her acting live and in action. I get to say I met her when… this girl is going places!
Next up for our interviews was Christy Beam, the real Annabel’s mom and writer of the memoir Miracles From Heaven, as well as screenplay writer Randy Brown. They were both so great!
It was such a treat to listen to Christy- it really brought the power of this movie full circle. This is a REAL family who went through this. Her tears were genuine. This was her life. She is such an inspiration. She said she began writing her book Miracles From Heaven simply as a way to heal. She thought it would be just some therapeutic writing, but she quickly realized that her story needed to be shared. When we asked her if she thought the book was reflected well in the movie, she said “The heartbeat and message of the movie is so in line with the heartbeat and message of the book.” What more can you ask for? There were a few changes that were made, as always, but Christy said that everyone was so open to her thoughts, concerns, and suggestions. She definitely felt like a part of the team. And she just GUSHED over Jennifer Garner. They really and truly seemed to have a great relationship and connection. They spent a lot of time together, and Christy said Jennifer was very dedicated to learning all about her, poured over the book, the script, and was constantly asking questions.
Randy said that the hardest part of turning the book into a screenplay was how to transfer all of the medical information and make it digestible for the audience. In my opinion, he did a great job! He was very humble and had a lot of good things to say about everyone he worked with.
Stay tuned next week for more interviews with producers T.D. Jakes, Joe Roth, and DeVon Franklin, director Patricia Riggins, and actors Eugenio Derbez, Martin Henderson, & Jennifer Garner!!
