With superheroes filling the silver screen, it’s only fitting that the strongest man who ever lived gets his own red-carpet treatment. The muscular hero from the Old Testament is the subject of the new Pure Flix Entertainment film Samson, arriving in theaters this week.
Starring Taylor James, who most recently appeared as an Atlantean guard in Justice League, the film chronicles Samson’s rise and fall as recorded in Judges. The actor, who also appeared in Mamma Mia!, brought his own enthusiasm and sense purpose to the role.
“There are the one or two roles that you get in your lifetime that you feel you’re born to play,” he said. “I believe that Samson was the role for me and (through the audition process) I had a connection that was so powerful.”
Stepping into Samson’s sandals, James saw the “youthful emotions” that caused Samson’s reluctance to step into his destiny.
“I had to remember what it was like for that, someone’s who’s very reluctant to do things,” he said. “Not saying he’s spoiled. He’s hard-headed, he’s passionate. He had all these youthful emotions that we learn to control as we get older, and we learn to use to get the benefit from them. We use them for fuel. I wanted to know why he was reluctant. When I tapped into that mind-frame and saw that he wanted love and then when he lost the love, the fear came in, and those were the next steps toward redemption.”
The film also stars Billy Zane (Titanic) as King Balek and Jackson Rathbone (Twilight) as Balek’s son Rallah. Hollywood icons Rutger Hauer and Lindsey Wagner (Bionic Woman) appear as Samson’s parents, Manoah and Zealphonis .
“As a fanboy, it was pretty cool to know that my mother was the Bionic Woman and my father was in Blade Runner,” James said. “They were super great. They’re absolutely wonderful people.”
James regards the entire production as a cherished memory, including his time with director Bruce Macdonald, who treated him like family.
“He was very kind, and he opened up the doors to his house and his family to a lot of us, especially me, and I managed to share Easter with them,” he said.
Samson, directed by Bruce Macdonald and written by Jason Baumgardner, Galen Gilbert, Timothy Ratajczak and Zach Smith, releases on Feb. 16 from Pure Flix Entertainment.
For more information, visit SAMSON.MOVIE. Follow Taylor James on Instagram at @TaylorActionJames
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DeWayne Hamby s a communications specialist and longtime journalist covering faith-based music, entertainment, books and the retail industry. He is also the editor of the White Wing Messenger, director of communications for the Church of God of Prophecy and author of the book Gratitude Adjustment. Connect with him at www.dewaynehamby.com or on twitter – @dewaynehamby.
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