Independent feature movie tells story of John Wesley
Burgess Jenkins stars as John Wesley in "Wesley," a
feature film on the spiritual journey of the founder of the Methodist
movement.
UMNS photos courtesy of Foundery Pictures. |
A UMNS Report
By Jennifer Lind*
Aug. 15, 2008
A perilous adventure on the high seas, a star-crossed love affair, mob
violence, rioting, attempted assassination—not the elements one might
expect in a film about the founder of Methodism.
The director and producer of "Wesley" believes, however, that the
dramatic and often surprising story of John Wesley will attract
moviegoers of all faiths, as well as warm their hearts.
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In one scene, Wesley falls in love
with Sophy Hopkey, portrayed
by Carrie Anne Hunt.
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"I’m hoping that we’re going to hit a crossover audience, that this
isn’t just going to be of interest to Methodists," said John Jackman,
whose films include "Passing Moment," "Windsor Knot" and "An Uncommon
Union."
The independent feature film traces the life of Wesley as an outwardly
religious young man who undergoes a spiritual renewal that leads to a
revolutionary ministry. It is scheduled for release as early as October.
"It has all the elements that you’d want to put into a movie," said
Jackman, who spent more than a thousand hours researching Wesley’s life.
The script is based largely on the journals of both John Wesley and his
brother, Charles.
According to Jackman, the film is not a stuffy, intellectual discourse
on Wesleyan theology, and it doesn’t emphasize details that distinguish
Methodism from other Christian movements.
"We’ve really had to focus on the core spiritual journey of Wesley,"
Jackman said. "Some of the stuff that would be very sectarian also, of
course, is not going to appeal to a modern audience—and probably
wouldn’t even appeal to modern Methodists."
Burgess Jenkins, who plays Wesley, applauds the film for its openness
and reach. "I think the end result is something that is so far-reaching
in so many ways—that if you’re not Christian, you’re not going to be
turned off by it … and if you are (Christian), you’re going to get
something very profound from it," said Jenkins, whose film credits
include "The Reaping" and "Remember the Titans."
Who was Wesley?
Wesley wasn’t born with the convictions of grace and faith that would carry on in his name through the generations.
The film explores the vulnerable, human side of Methodism’s founder,
beginning with a spiritually conflicted yet pious Wesley as an Anglican
priest teaching at Oxford University in 1732.
"His attitude toward religion when he was young was very external and
had to do with doing good works to earn your own way into heaven,"
explained Jackman, also a Moravian pastor, "and it really didn’t
have anything to do with compassion or love or grace at all."
As a method actor, Jenkins approached the role by trying, as much as
possible, to become the character. "A lot of it came from reading
Wesley’s journals," he said. "Once I had a good idea of who John Wesley
was … and what it was that motivated him … I started living, as best I
knew how, as John.
"It was probably the most profound experience I’ve had as an actor in
embodying another character—not just John’s accent or his gait or his
posture, but his ideology."
How does he describe Wesley?
"Academic in mind, a bit naīve in heart, a bit lost in soul … ultimately
earnest. … But, at the core of all of that was a desire for God’s will,
a desire for greatness for God, and to glorify God in everything he
did. I do believe that that’s at the core of John, however humanly
fallible. That, to me, is what makes him so identifiable for all of us."
'Strangely warmed'
It is now 1735. John and his brother Charles, played by Keith Harris
("Big Fish," "Junebug," "Chicks101"), sail for the British colony of
Georgia in hopes of ministering to American Indians.
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Producer and director John Jackman
(right) discusses a scene with Jenkins.
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A violent storm breaks the main mast of the ship. Terrified for their
lives, the Wesley brothers are stunned to observe a group of Moravian
missionaries calmly singing and praying, seeming oblivious to the storm
raging around them.
Once in Georgia, John falls in love with the local magistrate’s niece,
Sophy Hopkey, played by Carrie Anne Hunt ("Sunset," "Forgotten," "Move
Cary"). The romance ends bitterly, and a discouraged Wesley returns to
England where he encounters Peter Boehler, a Moravian missionary who
speaks of "heart religion."
Wesley wrestles with his inner turmoil and eventually, during a
religious meeting on Aldersgate Street in London on May 24, 1738,
experiences the peace he had been yearning for, expressed in his famous
description: "I felt my heart strangely warmed."
An invigorated Wesley begins preaching in London but is rebuffed by most
churches. Unfazed, he brings his ministry, with his hymn-writing
brother Charles, to the fields. There, his eyes are opened to the poor
and weary masses of England who hunger for both food and faith. The
brothers begin a radical and controversial social ministry that meets
with fierce opposition from the gentry, who hire thugs to kill John. He
escapes and ultimately triumphs as thousands of people gather to hear
him preach at his father’s tomb in the closing scene.
Jackman sees a need for Wesley’s story in today’s world.
"The pulling together of spiritual life and social action and social
ministry to the poor is something that I see as very timely right now,
as we get into a society where the rich are getting richer and the poor
are getting poorer," he said.
Array of artists
Television and film actress June Lockhart joins the cast as Susannah
Wesley, Charles and John’s mother, who plays a pivotal role in both
sons’ early spiritual growth. Lockhart was for an entire generation the
quintessential "TV mom" from her roles in the series "Lassie" and "Lost
in Space."
Kevin McCarthy plays Bishop Ryder, a fictional character based loosely
on John Ryder, Bishop of Killaloe, who defends Wesley against attempts
to defrock him.
Bruce Kiesling composed and conducted the musical score. With a
background in 18th-century music, he used some early Methodist hymn
tunes as subtle themes. "The music is so important," said Jackman,
noting the significance of the Wesley brothers’ contribution to
congregational singing.
The project received financial backing from private investors. Theatrical release decisions will be up to the distributor.
The production company, Foundery Pictures LLC, was created by Jackman
for the project in 2006. The company name comes from the Methodist
movement’s first headquarters, The Foundery in Moorfields, England,
where the first meeting of the Methodist Society was conducted on July
23, 1740.
*Lind is an intern for United Methodist Communications and a senior
religious studies major at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
News media contact: Marta Aldrich, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Related video
Trailer
Related Article
On the set of "Wesley"
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