Roma Downey speaks ‘Resurrection’ and grief: ‘It was my faith that kept me from falling to my knees’

EXCLUSIVE: Roma Downey has many reasons to be grateful this year.

The actress and producer finally releases’ Resurrection ‘, an epic biblical film that follows the immediate aftermath of Jesus’ crucifixion. The 60-year-old and her husband, film director Mark Burnett, originally hoped to release the film for Christmas last year. But because theaters remain closed amid the coronavirus pandemic, the couple decided to discover a new streaming platform + in time for Easter.

Downey, best known for starring in the 90s hit series ‘Touched by an Angel’, devoted her career to the release of faith-based and family-friendly programming by her production company LightWorkers. The miniseries “The Bible”, released in 2013, garnered three Primetime Emmy nominations and attracted more than 100 million viewers over its ten-week career on the History Channel, Deadline.com reports.

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Downey spoke to Fox News about why we now need a movie like ‘Resurrection’, how she relied on pain during painful moments in her life, as well as the one message she hopes to deliver this Easter.

Fox News: What inspired you to release a movie like ‘Resurrection’ now?
Roma Downey: You know, it’s really born out of our feelings around the COVID pandemic and the need for a story of hope. We wanted to make this offer available to families during the Easter season.

And we decided to go with discovery + because there is a lot of family-friendly content. I am excited that it is available from the safety and comfort of people’s own homes. Families can now see the biggest story of hope playing out on the screen.

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Fox News: Why do you think people are now more than ever looking for biblical stories from Hollywood?
Downey: This is the biggest story. If you’re a screenwriter, the Bible has it all. There is tension, betrayal, love, sacrifice, heroism, drama, danger – you name it. It contains all the ingredients that make up a wonderful story.

But it’s deeper than that. People are hungry for God. I think they are lusting for hope. We were so visual and there are so many streaming services now. There is so much content available. But I think people want to see these stories on screen. And the Bible is beautiful.

I think the Bible can look at the screen so people can make a real emotional connection. And this story focuses on the disciples. We look back and see how heroic and courageous they were. I’m sure they were scared to death and yet they persevered. And I think audiences can identify with that. We see ourselves in it and it makes us feel even more connected to the story.

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Fox News: ‘Resurrection’ is the ultimate story of hope. Can you describe a time in your own life in which things became difficult and felt hopeless? How did your faith motivate you to keep going?
Downey: I’m no stranger to sadness. I lost my mom when I was just 10 years old. She died unexpectedly of a heart attack. I lost my dad when I was in college. In recent years I have lost my beloved Della Reese, who played with me in ‘Touched by an Angel’. She was like a mother to me. And my brother. I call it because I’m someone who’s lost a lot of people [I] love, but I do not think I could have endured any of those losses without the hope of the resurrection, without the promise of the resurrection.

It was my faith that drove me. It was my faith that kept me from falling to my knees. It was my faith that helped me to rise again. I could make a choice to live my best life and try to honor the memory of my mom and dad. But not a day goes by that I do not miss them. I so wish they were there.

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Fox News: When did you realize that you wanted to share these stories from the Bible on the big screen, whether it be as an actress or behind the scenes?
Downey: I got the opportunity to play an angel on ‘Touched by an Angel’ in the early 90’s. And as a believer, it was like a divine post. I have to be the messenger every week and convey a message of God’s love. And at the height of the program’s success, more than 25 million people agree every week. And I believe they set out for that message. And the message was really simple.

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In each episode, the message was that there is a God, that he loves us and that he wants to be a part of our lives. The same message is really embedded in all the work I do, whether I’m in front of the camera or behind it. I want to use this platform to share the love of God. It was such a privilege and such a joy.

Fox News: What was it like working with your husband?
Downey: It was a blessing. I have girlfriends who constantly laugh and say, “I could not even hang wallpaper with my husband.” Mark and I have been working together for almost a decade now. We started our production company LightWorkers Media and watched it grow and expand. Every day, even on social media, we are only committed to publishing positive content. We post writings, we post constructive stories – just try to give the world light.

This is our commitment. And then of course we have bigger projects, like these movies. We have another biblical movie going on. So we have a lot of things that we work on together. We’re actually going to start shooting at the end of the summer … It’s just what we like to do and it gives us so much joy. We are so passionate about it.

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Fox News: What is one Bible story that you would like to tell at some point and why?
Downey: Our next film we are currently working on will discuss us deeper in Acts. This is very exciting. Even with ‘Resurrection’, we tell the story of where there were only a handful of believers until the 21st century, reminding people that there are now more than 2.2 billion Christians in the world.

I think this is very comforting, especially in a year in which we have all been isolated due to the COVID pandemic. We are all disconnected from each other in some ways.

We are all ready to step out. We are ready to see a resurrection in our own lives. And it is comforting to be reminded that we are part of a larger family of 2.2 billion sons and daughters of a loving God. I find it an excellent memory, especially in times when I see no one. I think this is a story we all needed.