Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes are not two books I usually include in my regular Bible reading. But after seeing THE SONG, a modern-day adaptation of the life and writings of Solomon, I have a new appreciation for these books’ poetry and message. Love and meaning — we’re all looking for that, right?
A May 21 press release describes the music-driven romantic drama like this:
THE SONG follows aspiring singer-songwriter Jed King (Alan Powell) as he struggles to catch a break and escape the long shadow of his father, a country music legend. After reluctantly accepting a gig at a local vineyard harvest festival, Jed is love-struck by the vineyard owner’s daughter, Rose (Ali Faulkner), and a romance quickly blooms. Soon after their wedding, Jed writes Rose “The Song,” which becomes a breakout hit. Thrust into a life of stardom and a world of temptation in the form of fellow performer Shelby Bale (Caitlin Nicol-Thomas), Jed’s life and marriage begin to fall apart.
Here I interview* Ali Faulkner about her career as an actress and her role in THE SONG, coming to theaters Friday, Sept. 26.
1. How do you think being part of The Song, a movie about marriage, better prepared you for marriage?
The whole experience opened my heart and taught me what was really important in life, and was a profound reminder to never lose sight of what matters. It helped me recognize on a deeper level that true love, and having someone to walk through life with, is the greatest gift, and it inspired me to cherish that and take good care of it. It also taught me about the forgiveness and grace in true love on a level I had never experienced, and I hope to carry that with me forever and certainly into my new marriage.
2. Word on the street is that you’re an amazing singer, but in this movie that’s laden with music, you don’t sing one note. Were you bummed about that?
Not at all. To be completely honest, I didn’t even think about that. All of my mind and heart were put into being open to bringing Rose to life, which was something that truly required a lot of prayer. In the film, Rose knows nothing about music, so at that time, I kind of didn’t either, except for how much it moves me. It was the most my heart has ever been involved in a film. But it is a dream of mine to sing in a role and would love to do so one day!
3. What’s stuck with you about the stories of King David and King Solomon since being part of this movie based on their lives?
What’s stuck with me is how relatable Solomon’s story is to all humanity. I feel men and women both will identify with his character in the film, not just men. He struggles with the most fundamental questions in life: what’s important, what’s real, what has meaning. These are questions people struggle with daily.
King Solomon’s ability to put these things into words in such a profound way has truly been a gift. Ultimately, he finds that without God, there’s no point to doing anything, because it all goes away anyway, and all of our toil on earth leads to nothing. But with God, life and love have meaning and purpose. That’s certainly given me direction and hope.
4. You work in an industry that puts a premium on looks. How do you fight the temptation to obsess over body image when the people for whom you work value it so highly?
I try to present myself well when I’m called to, but I really don’t worry about it too much. In my opinion, that would be a waste of life. It’s important to be healthy and take care of ourselves, but after that, we can’t waste time trying to change ourselves too much at the expense of our own uniqueness, trying to fit some made-up idea of beauty. How will diversity be widely appreciated unless we start by appreciating ourselves? How boring if we all looked the same!
We’ve been given these “temples” as a gift to carry us through life. We can complain about them, be rude to them, or we can love and appreciate them. Ladies, women in magazines are airbrushed and lit perfectly to make them look flawless. They are not. I think all women are just so beautiful in their own way. I think wrinkles and aging can be gorgeous. And ultimately, true beauty shines through the heart.
5. If you could do anything other than act or sing, and there were no limits placed on what you could do with your life, what would you do?
I’d love to be more heavily involved with charities, perhaps found my own one day, and see God’s hand sweep through them, making profound changes in the world of love and peace and provision for those who are in need. This may sound like a Miss America answer, but hey, it’s the truth. I hope to be apart of those types of things on whatever level I am blessed to. But that’s very possible and could very well happen.
So … no limits? OK. I genuinely mean this: I’d fly like Peter Pan. 🙂
* Thanks to Joshua Rogers for also contributing to this interview.
