Award-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr. considers his new role as a drug dealer turned Christian in “The Firing Squad” one of the most significant of his career.
“After living through the pandemic and all the wars that we’re going through, it’s time to get back to God,” he told “The Christian Post.” “I got the script sent to me for this film, and it hit me so powerfully that these men had nothing to live for but found faith in the darkest times in their lives, in a jail cell. They were able to face the inevitable with dignity and pride.”Top of FormBottom of Form
From Christian filmmaker Tim Chey and starring Kevin Sorbo, Gooding and James Barrington, “The Firing Squad” is based on the true story of three men facing execution. As the moments leading to their deaths unfold, a series of unexpected events begins to reveal the profound impact of faith and its ability to offer hope in the darkest times. Their path to redemption extends beyond their own salvation, sparking a spiritual awakening within the prison camp. The influence of their faith touches even the most hardened inmates, leading them toward the compassionate embrace of Christ.
Gooding plays Samuel Wilson, an inmate facing imminent execution. His “moth to the flame” moment, he said, was the conviction that the “world needs stories of redemption and faith at a really crucial time.”
Gooding’s personal journey mirrors the themes of his latest film. Raised as a Christian, he drifted away from his faith during his Hollywood career but recently rededicated his life to Christ. Several years ago, the actor admitted he went through a dark time in his life after his father died — “and then one day, I literally I woke up and God said, ‘All right, you ready to come back? Remember me?’” he said.
“I start off every morning and I go to bed every night with the same prayer of, ‘God, thy will be done. God’s will be done in my life,’” he said. “A lot of times, I’ve been in situations and scenarios that I know are dark. And I go, ‘I don’t know why I’m here and why I’m doing what I’m doing. But I know it’s God’s will.’ And every time, I come out the other end, even stronger.”
“The Firing Squad” will be released in theaters on August 2.
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice
