New Film Features UM Graduate
in Leading Role

Erin Bethea on the set of "Fireproof"

A siren wailed in the background, the sound of a fire truck racing to a house ablaze. But Erin Bethea’s voice was calm.

“All of this has been really challenging,” she said, as sound technicians revved up the siren for another take on the movie set of “Fireproof.”

The University of Mobile 2004 graduate was in the midst of another 14-hour day in Albany, Ga., squeezing in a telephone interview between shooting scenes for the movie that will be released in theatres nationwide in August 2008. Fireproof is the third production of Sherwood Pictures and brothers Stephen and Alex Kendrick, creators of “Facing the Giants.” The movie productions are part of the ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, where church members have roles both in front of and behind the camera.

In “Facing the Giants,” Erin had a small part as a sportscaster, with four sentences to recite. This time, her role is much larger.

“I came to the audition having in mind a really small part,” she recalled. “I had already told the Lord, ‘whatever you want me to do with this movie, I’ll do it.’ I was thinking if there were no speaking parts for me, I will work behind the scenes; I wouldn’t have to be in front of the camera.”

Instead, the UM theatre major was tapped for the leading lady part of Catherine Holt, playing opposite veteran actor Kirk Cameron as husband and firefighter Lt. Caleb Holt.

According to the movie website fireproofthemovie.com, the story focuses on the Holts’ failing marriage and the challenge Caleb accepts from his father to make one last attempt to salvage it. “Can he attempt to love his wife while avoiding God’s love for him?” the movie synopsis asks. “Will he be able to demonstrate love over and over again to a person that’s no longer receptive to his love? Or is this just another marriage destined to go up in smoke?”

Photos by Hayley Catt, UM Class of 2007

Kirk Cameron, an evangelical Christian who played Mike Seaver on the sitcom “Growing Pains” and starred in the “Left Behind” series of movies, is “amazing,” Erin said. “We both feel like we are doing something we’ve never done before. Both roles are emotionally challenging. It makes my job easy because he’s so believable and talented.”

To take the role as Catherine Holt, Erin dropped from full-time status to seasonal status at Disney World, where she is an entertainer. Shooting began Oct. 15 and will wrap up on Dec. 14. Erin said she plans to return to Orlando and continue working at a job she loves at Disney World until the movie’s promotional efforts begin in late spring or early summer.

On the Set
There is a peaceful spirit on the set of Fireproof, where each day of shooting begins with a devotional and prayer time. When Erin and Kirk have a difficult scene to do, those not involved directly in shooting the picture go into a room and pray for the actors.

“I think what has surprised me is the level of support you get from people. They so want to lift you up and encourage you and help you out. I am not used to that in the entertainment business,” she said.
There are no egos on this set, she added. They are out to see the movie succeed, not for personal gain.
“The great thing about a church making a movie is it’s an opportunity for anyone with a gift to contribute. If your gift is acting and performance, you contribute that. If it is service, we’ve got people who are doing hair, makeup, wardrobe…and people volunteering to be at the church praying while the filming is going on. Whatever your gift, your passion, you contribute that. There is a spirit of unity on the set,” she said.

The UM Connection
Erin isn’t the only University of Mobile connection to Fireproof. Her sister, Hayley Catt, is a 2007 UM graduate majoring in communication and is working behind the scenes on the movie. Hayley is the still photographer and website coordinator for Fireproof, as well as year-round assistant to the director, Alex Kendrick. Their father, Michael Catt, is senior pastor at Sherwood Baptist and a member of the university’s Board of Regents.

Erin said her experiences in the theatre department at UM helped prepare her for this day, such as learning to work with people in stressful situations, getting along with different personalities, mastering the many jobs required to put on a production, and appreciating the roles each person plays in creating the whole picture.

“Spending four years at a Christian school, the discipleship you get there, the Bible teaching you are under, just really prepares you to go into the world and say, ‘Okay God, I’ve spent four years being challenged and taught, and I am ready for whatever you have for me,’” she said.

While acting for film is very different from acting in theatre productions at UM or appearing in character in the “Fantasmic!” show at MGM Studios at Disney World, Erin said the process feels very natural and normal.

“I’m surprised I wasn’t terrified of the whole thing,” she said. “I’ve had so much fun and I just felt like this is definitely where I’m supposed to be.

“Sometimes it’s scary, too,” she added. “From Albany, Georgia, we are going to make this little movie, but we want it to change the world. That’s such a huge philosophy at the University of Mobile -- that now I know what I know and learned what I’ve learned, how can I use that to change the world?”
She is hoping another door will open like the one that led to Fireproof.

“I’ve already had a couple of people from other film companies say they are pleased with what they’ve seen. I hope the Lord opens up more opportunities in film. I feel like the next year and a half of my life will be a day at a time,” she said.