Inside 'The Forge': A Journey of Faith and Film with Aspen Kennedy

In this special episode, we are live from NRB (National Religious Broadcasters Convention), where Karen Potter and Rob sit down with actor Aspen Kennedy to discuss his latest role in the highly anticipated Kendrick Brothers' film, The Forge. Aspen shares his inspiring journey from Memphis to Atlanta, his passion for faith-based filmmaking, and his experience working on this impactful project.

Key Highlights:

• Aspen Kennedy’s Journey: Learn about Aspen's path from studying Mass Communications to finding his calling in acting, leading him to a role in The Forge.
• Behind the Scenes: Discover what it's like working on a Christian film with the Kendrick Brothers, including daily devotionals, prayer coordinators, and maintaining a Christ-centered environment on-set.
• The Forge's Powerful Message: Aspen offers insights into the film's core themes of discipleship and the life-changing power of faith in Jesus Christ.
• Aspen’s Aspirations: Hear about Aspen’s dedication to roles that honor God, his desire to work in both Christian and mainstream films without compromising his values, and his love for superhero genres.
• Hope and Inspiration: Aspen leaves listeners with an encouraging message about overcoming struggles and finding hope in Christ, aligning with the film's narrative of redemption and transformation.

Follow Aspen Kennedy:

• Instagram: @AspenKennedy

Release Date:
Mark your calendars for the release of The Forge on August 23rd, 2024. This is a must-watch for anyone seeking a film that beautifully portrays the journey of faith and the importance of discipleship.

#TheForgeMovie #AspenKennedy #KendrickBrothers #FaithAndFilm #Discipleship #CovenantEyesPodcast #ChristianInspiration #August2024Film #HopeInChrist

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Transcript

0:03

We. Hey, everybody, welcome back to the Covenant Eyes podcast. Karen Potter here again. Still at NRB. Having an amazing time. Are we not wrong? It's excellent. So many people to talk to, which is wonderful. Yes, absolutely. Well, I'm excited about this next conversation because there is a new film coming out by our dear friends, the Kendrick brothers, and we have this one at the start this week I got this amazing new film. So go ahead, Rob. So we've got with us today, Mr. Kennedy. Yes. You are an actor and a Christian. Yes. And our one of the main characters in The Forge. Yes. Aspen, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got involved with this? And, also just about The Forge itself, the movie. Yeah, absolutely. again, my name is Aspen Kennedy. I was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. I've been in Atlanta, Georgia since 2017. I went to Jackson State University and I say, mass communications and marketing, but I took a course that really changed my life because I felt like the first class that didn't feel like school, and I was called Fundamentals of Acting and, fell in love with acting. So from there, I graduated and moved to Atlanta and have been working in film TV ever since. Yeah. So how did you get connected with this film? Yeah, so I got to audition for it, around May last year. Okay. And, when I read the breakdown, I was my heart immediately wanted to be a part of it because I've been a fan of the Kendrick brothers two films. And, just to be a part of something bigger and beyond myself has always been a goal, a dream of mine. So it's to partner with great people has been such a blessing. That's awesome. So what is it like doing film and doing Christian film? Because, gosh, this is, this is a space that is growing and we are so thankful for that. But tell us a little bit of what it's like. Yes. I mean, especially working with the Kendrick brothers has been a blessing to be able to see not only just be successful at it. Yeah, but they put the work second and keep it Lord first. And you see why they're successful at everything they do. So we had every day devotional set to start the days off. Yeah. Prayer coordinators praying over the saints, the location over the actors. And it's just like you didn't feel like you were working. You felt like, okay, Lord, this is a space where you working through every single person here who has a heart open to do what you want to do, and then the result is a film. So it was truly a blessing. That's awesome. Yeah. That's excellent. Well, for our listeners, I don't want to scoop the whole movie, but can you kind of just give us a little bit of the, story there without. Saying too much. Saying too much. For sure. So of course, at his core, The Forge is about discipleship. But, you see the heart and compassion of Jesus Christ throughout the entire film. And, you follow a guy, Isaiah, who definitely has some growing up to do, you know, he's, grew up without his father. And, you see how that kind of plays a role on him finding his way in his journey. He's trying to navigate life by himself without having that guidance and wisdom of a father figure. but as the film plays out, he definitely has that decision to make Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. And, things turn around tremendously for him. So I'm excited for everyone said absolutely. So when does this film get released? So it releases in theaters August 23rd, 2024, I believe. Awesome. Okay, so a good summertime film for everybody. so good, so good. Well, you know, I are. You're aspirations are to continue in the Christian film space. Is that kind of what you're hoping to do with your future? Yeah, for sure. With my career, I definitely want to always portray messages that have great meaning and purpose, for I don't want to do anything that's doesn't bring glory to God as well. I want to do some secular, maybe like Marvel. I love simple superhero stuff too. But, my goal is to never compromise for sure. That's awesome. We need more people like that in the film industry. So that's incredible. That Chadwick Boseman was one of my favorites. but yeah. Awesome. Awesome. So what is your favorite superhero? Spider-Man. Spider-Man always. Yeah. Yes. I'm a Batman, personally, I know that's not Marvel, but sorry, that’s DC, but yes, I like Batman. But on the Marvel side, I like Spider-Man too or so. But it's so amazing. No matter whether you're in a Christian film or into, you know, Hollywood. Yeah, industry. And just walking out your faith is is such a huge, piece. And, I can tell just from talking with you, you're a man of faith, and, you know that that's going to be something that, you know, I think you'll be able to do pretty well. But, Yeah. So any particular roles or other than the, the, superheroes, what are the kinds of things you like? I like stuff out of the box. Like, I would love to. I love the physical training that goes behind like, boxers as a prep for movies. Yeah. one of my favorites was Ali when Will Smith played Ali. So stuff like that. I love biopics, I love Westerns, I love, you know, spy thriller stuff like that, but nothing crazy, but just a good message. What a great story. Yeah, yeah. Do you have anything else in the works yet? I do actually start filming. I fly out next Tuesday, but I can't say too much about. Okay, so. But it's a period piece. awesome. So tell me a little bit about some of the the coworkers that you had on this film. I mean, you have some amazing people with you on this film. So who was one of your favorites that you worked with? Man, it's hard to pick one, right? I feel like everybody was like a mother or father, so to speak. Or sister or brother. Working with Priscilla Shirer was amazing. I've watched her sermons. So. It's so funny. When I met her for the first time, my actual Bible was, annotated by her dad, Doctor Tony Evans. I feel like a cool moment. I met her brother, Jonathan. He's like, where are you? Like family now? So that was pretty cool to see in the physical realm of, like, God, we're all family, but when you bring us together, we truly are family. So, it was a blessing. What, what would you like to leave our listeners with? You know, as a takeaway message? Is there some, you know, inspiration or hope? Because, you know, a lot of people that listen to our podcast? Yeah, they're coming at this. You know, they're either struggling with an addiction to pornography or other things, and they're looking for hope. Do you have a message you could leave them with? Yeah, absolutely. that goes along with the message of the film, I hope, is that they see themselves or see parts of them selves in the, film and that, you know, they're just inspired, encouraged to, you know, simply put, their trust in Jesus Christ. And, to know that when you truly surrender and just open up your heart to him, he does the rest. So, yeah, he can turn around anything, break any addiction. And, he's literally, the best thing in anybody's life, so. Amen. Amen. Well, Aspen, do you have a personal site? Or if our listeners kind of wanted to see what's up with you and what's next? where would they find that? Absolutely. My Instagram is @AspenKennedy, A-S-P-E-N K-E-N-N-E-D-Y. We'll put that in the show notes. For our listeners. Be sure to mark your calendar for August 2024 for this film. You are not going to want to miss it. The Kendrick Brothers do great work in Aspen. This is this is exciting and thank you for your work because we need more Christian films. I mean, we just need that. So everybody, thanks for joining us for this episode of The Covenant Eyes Podcast. Take care. God bless. We'll see you next time.