FirstLadyB | Connecting Faith and Hollywood
I had the opportunity to speak with Smallfoot writer, Clare Sera on Wednesday, and from the moment she said hello, I knew she was a woman of faith.
I started our conversation congratulating Sera on an awesome opening weekend. During it’s premiere weekend, Smallfoot was the top-grossing film in the world.
FirstLadyB: What was the inspiration behind Smallfoot?
Sera: The film is based on the book Yeti Tracks, by Sergio Pablos. It’s a story about a group of Yeti’s who come across a human, with each having a fear of the other. It’s kind of like our world today. We fear the unknown. I’m a Believer, and Believer’s shouldn’t fear, because God didn’t give us the spirit of fear. *AMEN*
FirstLadyB: The film seems to have a spiritual undertone, was that your angle during the writing process?
Sera: Well, there is a character in the film played by Common called the Stonekeeper. His job is to protect the village, and to do that he hides the truth. So, during the writing process we would ask the bigger question,”Is there such a thing as a good lie?” We allowed the film to take viewers on their own journey of self discovery. In the end the truth always win.
FirstLadyB: There’s this myth that Christians aren’t in Hollywood. How do you handle the dark side of Hollywood as a woman of faith?
Sera: I get asked that question a lot. But how do you handle the dark side of ministry? I know there’s a dark side to Hollywood, but what about when we encounter the dark side of ministry?
When Sera asked that question, it made me stop and wonder. The truth is like she said, we all know there’s a dark side to Hollywood, but what happens to a Believer when they encounter a dark side to ministry that they never knew existed? Kinda like the Yeti’s in Smallfoot. They lived in a world thinking it was only them, until they had to encounter another creature that existed in the world along with them.
Smallfoot is in theaters now!
