(CelebNMusic247-News) Russ Parr Talks The Undershepherd
Hold onto your hats and seats as Russ Parr, nationally syndicated radio show host and movie producer, takes you on dramatic ride through the prevailing ills of the Black Church in The Undershepherd.
The film is a fictional look at the black church and pastors who use their power for personal gain rather than helping their congregations.
In 2012 The Undershepherd shocked audiences with its controversial content at American Black Film Festival. The film met with some resistance in the black church but forged ahead anyway as the story needed to be told. Although, The Undershepherd won Best Narrative Feature, Best Actress and Best Director at the festival.
Here a bit about the upcoming TV One movie The Undershepherd :
In “The Undershepherd,” Isaiah Washington of “Grey’s Anatomy” fame plays a Lawrence “LC” Case, a pastor looking to advance in the church who comes into conflict with his best friend, his lead pastor and ultimately, himself. Vanessa Bell Calloway of “Shameless” plays Deaconess Carter who continues to put up road blocks for L.C. causing friction and drama. The two characters are not friends and don’t play nice with each other. While Lanman Rucker who plays Roland, a young pastor who realizes his friend has gone too far astray to help, and Malinda Williams is LC’s long-suffering wife who has problems of her own.
While the film is weakened by too many implausible dramatic scenarios near the end, Washington is scarily charismatic as LC, who fails to see how leading a church has led to his ultimate spiritual destruction. Many church goers may find parallels in their own church experience and this movie and that’s precisely why Parr was moved to write, direct and produce the film via his Uptoparr Productions.
Russ Par spoke with Afro about the concept and why he felt a film about the black church needed to be made.
Was there any personal curiosity in your choice to write and produce “The Undershepherd?”
“There’s a story here, a lot of things that are being ignored (in the Black Church) and no one is being held accountable.”
How real are the issues between the good preacher and the bad preacher?
“I wanted reality. There are a lot of very successful “bad” people. What I’m trying to do is show the reality of what goes on in the church. We have a lot of secrets in our community, and there are a lot of secrets in those church walls.”
What makes this movie so different that it will drive people to the theaters?
” The story is enveloped within the church, making it more controversial than it seems. “The Undershepherd” deals with money, power and infidelity. This movie is not an indictment of the Black Church. It’s an indictment of man, of who we place on that pedestal sometimes, just an ordinary human being with flaws. You can’t let them get to the point where they are so powerful that they think for you. “
Does God get the glory in “The Undershepherd”?
“Absolutely, the bad guy does not prevail. That is God. Dark comes to light.”
What was it like to work with Isaiah Washington?
“No disrespect to any actor, however, Isaiah is the most talented actor I’ve ever worked with. He (Isaiah) was phenomenal and took my script to the next level. No one could have played this role better than Isaiah did.”
What is your goal for this film?
“I would like to go theatrical and be successful. I wrote the film in 15 days and shot (the film) in LA in 15 days. I am taking more risk with a Black drama than a Black comedy. I’m a radio show host, comedian, and movie producer. I’m not a 1-trick pony.”
Who do you expect to support “The Undershepherd?”
“This isn’t your regular Black Church movie. People that are not that engaged in their church aren’t going to like this movie because they won’t understand it. However, 85 percent of our audience goes to church. In the original script, Roland didn’t exist. I’m not holding the church responsible — this is not the church’s fault, this (LC) is a God-created man who uses the pulpit to further his own agenda.”
The Undershepherd premieres on TV One network television on Saturday, March 30 at 8 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 31.
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