Hard Truths of the Foster Care Crisis: Neal Harmon and Demetrius Grosse on New Film ‘Sound of Hope’

[FULL TRANSCRIPT BELOW] In 1997, in a small town in East Texas, Bishop W.C. Martin and his wife Donna felt moved to adopt two children from the foster care system.

They went on to inspire other families in their church to do the same. In total, 22 families in the community adopted 77 children.

This moving true story is depicted in the new Angel Studios film “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot.”

In this episode, I sit down with award-winning actor Demetrius Grosse, who depicts Bishop Martin in the film, and Angel Studios CEO and co-founder, Neal Harmon.

In America today, there are more than 400,000 children in the foster care system.

One study found that about 70 percent of those who age out of the system are arrested at least once by the time they’re 26. Seven out of 10 girls who grow up in the system will become pregnant by the time they turn 21.

The film “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot,” will be released in theaters on July 4, with some early screenings on July 3.

Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

*Big thanks to our sponsor for this episode Patriot Gold Group. Check them out here: https://ept.ms/3sr5LhH

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Jan Jekielek:
Demetrius Grosse, Neal Harmon, such a pleasure to have you on American Thought Leaders.

Demetrius Grosse:
Thank you for having us, Jan.

Mr. Jekielek:
Demetrius, you play Bishop Martin who is central in the film, “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot.” It’s the truly amazing story of what happened in Possum Trot, Texas. Please give us a picture of what it’s all about.

Mr. Grosse:
It’s a creatively made film, masterfully shot by Josh Weigel. It is a true story about the small community of Possum Trot, where Bishop W.C. Martin and First Lady Donna Martin banded together 22 families, and galvanized their community to adopt 77 children. They were very modest, humble people, not exorbitantly wealthy.

Mr. Jekielek:
You just said that it was 22 families adopting 77 children. How does that math work?

Mr. Grosse:
This community was literally greater than the sum of its parts. They were a faith-based community with Bennett Chapel as their church. They galvanized a small movement that is not so small anymore. It is the kind of conversation that any of us could have. Regardless of limited resources, it’s an example of what you can do to help eradicate this orphan crisis in our country.

Mr. Jekielek:
Most people’s problems are pretty insignificant in the face of what these people faced and what they overcame. Please tell us about that.

Neal Harmon:
As we finished the film, both Trish and I paid it forward. We were so moved that we wanted others to be able to watch this film. Then we drove home and sat in the car for a long time just talking. I remember saying, “I don’t want to live my life in a way that my heart becomes hard.” This movie is just soul-stretching. I was complaining about some of the trials that we were going through, and after I watched this film, they just seemed so insignificant.

Instead of saying, “Woe is me,” it was, “What can I do? What more is my heart capable of? What more is my soul capable of ?” When these people lost themselves in service, they found themselves in a way that you only understand if you see their story or experience it for yourself.

Mr. Jekielek:
I still see you as Bishop Martin in the film. It’s hard for me to shake that because you are very convincing in the role. What did it take to prepare for this role?

Mr. Grosse:
It took a really earnest look at what it means to be a pastor and a leader of a community through the lens of a church. I got to research his life and spend a little time with him. More so than that was the reality that this was a married couple, a man and his wife, First Lady Donna Martin. While he is an ordained minister, he grapples with some of the challenges that we all face in raising our families, and the everyday issues of being a parent.

We don’t shy away from that. We don’t shy away from it being challenging to adopt these children. One of their children is a special needs case. His name is Princeton, the heart of their family. While they’re dealing with that, they’re also dealing with people in their community saying, “Okay, are we really doing this?” The sister in the film, played by Jillian, is a single mother and her car is breaking down.
For me, it was looking beyond him being a pastor and actually seeing the human inside, not just the robes, but the soul of the man. That was helpful in portraying him not just as the archetype of the southern Baptist preacher, thumping a Bible and speaking in rhythm.

Hopefully, this performance imbues an authenticity where the audience feels like they can connect with this couple who are ordinary people doing this extraordinary thing. As an actor, I’m trying to get to the core of the man under the pastor’s collar. That way, I can invite the audience in and help them identify with these extraordinary people.

Mr. Jekielek:
Both of you are deeply human and deeply convincing. You are also deeply troubled at times, yet find so much value in your relationship. Your chemistry was fantastic and it seemed like a deeply spiritual relationship. What was it like working with her?

Mr. Grosse:
It actually started off as a spiritual relationship. It was weeks of getting to know not only our characters, but getting to know each other. She’s also a comedian. She is a very spiritually-centered woman, and I am a pretty spiritually centered guy.

When we first got to set, we g0t the opportunity to meet with First Lady Donna Martin and Bishop W.C. Martin. They covered us and anointed us, if you will, with prayer. From there, we were off to the races. It felt like this invisible hand was guiding us to get through the vicissitudes of shooting a feature film in 25 days, which is like a sprint.

Nika is really funny and was just a delight on set. Her lane was keeping the days moving and keeping the lightheartedness on the set. Our chemistry is the result of the covering by the Martins. They gave us the nod and their blessing. It was a positive force pushing us through and guiding us through the vicissitudes of making a film of this magnitude with these kind of time constraints

Mr. Jekielek:
That comes through in spades. This is an amazing family. Then it’s a community of families that deeply support each other through all sorts of difficult moments. The First Lady was one of 18 children. She said that her mom was great at helping her not to notice they didn’t have much, but she gave the love and the caring that made for a real family connection.

Mr. Harmon:
That was certainly our experience in the Harmon household. We grew up in rural Idaho, with no carpet on the front room room floor, just boards. We ate a lot of squash and potatoes during the winter. We were grateful if we had butter and toast or cheese. It would disappear quickly, but we had no idea that we were poor. We just didn’t even know it.

We played out in the trees, built tree houses, and had adventures together. We had ample doses of love and that’s just so critical. Whether you’re raising your own family or you’re raising foster children, children just need love. A neighbor who just began fostering a two-year-old and a four-year-old said that she was inspired by a longtime foster family in Utah that said, “If there is one thing people should know about foster care, it is that you will get attached and your heart will probably get broken.”

But our hearts are big enough to hold the pain of the world and love is never wasted. Getting the chance to bond and attach to these kids is a blessing. If your heart breaks for the loss of this child, that means you’re doing it right. Become a foster parent, even if you’re scared. I promise the chance to help another is worth it, because love is never wasted.

Mr. Jekielek:
The film does not shy away from tough issues and one of them is the reality of foster care. Some of the families that are involved in foster care are not the best. In the film, we saw the woman who was doing the placements in foster care and seeking families that would adopt. In many cases, she’s trying to pull the kids out of poor situations in foster care in order to place them with families that will work out in the long term. It is a system that is fraught with difficulties.

Mr. Harmon:
I noticed that she stretched a few rules in order to pull that off. With one of her best lines, the First Lady said, “The state ain’t no family. Religious guilt can’t fix a broken child’s heart. Real, determined love can pick up the pieces when all the lovey-dovey is gone and the real world hits. The state ain’t no family.”

She had superiors that she answered to, but she had a vision for what Bennett Chapel could do, even though Bennett Chapel didn’t meet what society would think would be the ideal circumstances for these children. She could see beyond that. That is a good message for all of us. Don’t allow red tape to get in the way of love.

Mr. Grosse:
People are committed to what they have been called to do. The people of Bennett Chapel are committed to their faith and their community. They believed their community could pull this off. They didn’t allow the lack of financial resources to stop them.

There is also a pivotal scene where Bishop W.C. Martin goes to one of his fellow pastors, Pastor Mark of the megachurch. He has to humble himself and ask for financial help from this megachurch to help a parishioner fix her sewage system, fix her washer and dryer, and fix her leaking roof. It’s the start of a huge conversation in the faith-based community, “How and when do we cross those trivial lines that separate us? It’s a very keen scene about two-thirds through the movie, and I’m glad we kept that one in.

Mr. Harmon:
Me too. I see him as a good megachurch pastor. He’s studying the scriptures, he’s helping the children in primary, but he doesn’t see the need around him. This neighbor that I was telling you about that adopted this four-year-old and two-year-old is living in Utah Valley in a community that’s very loving and safe.

Mr. Grosse:
Provo, Utah is a very nice place. I once shot a movie there and was in and out. Then when I went to visit Angel Studios, I developed a real affinity towards Provo.

Mr. Harmon:
She said that she put herself into the foster care system right there in Utah. She said, “I almost wanted to just stick my head back in the sand. I had no idea about the level of hardship that is happening right under our noses right there in Utah.” I felt like that scene captures that particular dynamic.

Mr. Jekielek:
Kids are placed in foster care, because otherwise, they would be in government care. They get temporarily placed in homes, and then there’s the search for full-time adoptive parents. In some cases, the foster parents become the adoptive parents. Please explain to us how the system works.

Mr. Harmon:
I’m not an expert, but the foster care system is children moving from home to home, because they don’t have adoptive parents. Their biological parents have been abusive and are no longer fit to take care of their children. Foster care is a temporary solution, and that is one of the reasons people are so afraid of it. They say. “If I love a child and bring them into my home it will be too hard to say goodbye.” But that is okay. It’s okay to hold these children’s pain and to love them. It doesn’t take away from us to love them.

It’s a temporary solution. A lot of these kids are older, and the older the children get, the harder it is to teach them and to mold them. Then you will have girls that end up having children out of wedlock. The number of these foster kids who end up in prison within two years of leaving the system is astronomically high. It is indeed a system that is fraught with problems.
We released the film Sound of Freedom last year, and we learned that 90 percent of instances of child trafficking in the United States are connected to the child protective services. They have gone through that system. This is the hardest, ugliest part of society that we don’t want to see. We want to turn our eyes away from it. In terms of numbers, there are 400,000 children in the foster care system, and 100,000 of them are available for adoption. The number of churches in the United States is also 400,000.

Mr. Grosse:
What we leave with after watching this film is that anyone can affect this issue in a positive way. The resounding message behind it is that communities can help to end the orphan crisis, and that strong families are the bedrock of our society. As long as there is love and a commitment to raising the children, that’s the bedrock of what makes society work. That is our primary message.

Mr. Jekielek:
The film is powerful, gripping, and moving. At the same time, I learned that there are a lot of children in the system and some of those foster placements aren’t the best and there is a dark reality around it. Someone coming in and playing the role of a loving foster parent is so valuable. We need to get the children adopted into families that really want them.

Mr. Grosse:
It’s one of those underbelly things of our society, like mass incarceration, that trickles into society with the abuse, the neglect, and the crime rates. On the back end are the policymakers that need to get involved, as well as law enforcement. This movie is about getting to the root of the issue.

Mr. Jekielek:
Because these kids have suffered and had unbelievable trauma, it’s difficult for the family to make the commitment to take a child with these problems. It takes a huge amount of love and conviction to do this and to transform a child’s life.

Mr. Grosse:
Most people who watch this film will want to do something to help, but they may not know how. They may be overcome with emotion. I came out of the film and said, “I’ve got to do something. There’s somewhere that I can pitch in to be a part of this in a real way.”

Mr. Jekielek:
Was there part of the process that was difficult for you to put yourself into?

Mr. Grosse:
Sure. Oftentimes, the southern Baptist preacher is characterized as a flamboyant caricature, and it’s done in comedy a lot. There was no room for that kind portrayal with this man and this story. While he had some of the epithets and nuances of that classical southern Baptist preacher, he was so unique and so melodic in his rhythm.

To embody that I had to divorce myself from all of that programming that we see in comedic representations and really just tap into the soul of the man. He himself said that he did not want to be imitated, but portrayed. It was about holding a space for his energy to come through. and for me to fall in love with the character that I was playing and root for him.

Mr. Jekielek:
Neal, how did Angel Studios come to this project in the first place?

Mr. Harmon:
Josh and Rebecca came to us after seeing the success of Sound of Freedom. They could see the connection. They realized they had written a script, but didn’t feel that the script actually did justice to the story, so they moved into Possum Trot and lived there. That helped them reach an authenticity level with the script that shows this is really a fight for children.

This is not easy. It is about love, but it is a fight, and they want us to fight. This is something we can all participate in. We can all do something. The Angel Guild is a group of over 330,000 people in over 155 countries who are the green lighting power at Angel Studios. You don’t work with Angel until you get through our Angel Guild members. They rated this story so high that we knew we wanted to take it to theaters on July 4th.

Mr. Jekielek:
You also crowdsource the topics, not just the financing.

Mr. Harmon:
Yes.

Mr. Grosse:
It’s an honor to be a part of this legacy. This is a film company that has a reputation for bringing stories that show and share light, positive stories. They are not necessarily blue sky, easily digestible ones, but ones that push for the positive kind of change that we all want to see. When I knew that our film was going to go this far and partner with Angel, I was really touched. I felt like I was in the right place, doing the right thing, at the right time, with the right people.

Mr. Jekielek:
You mentioned this connection between foster care and human trafficking. Please tell us how or why that might be the case.

Mr. Harmon:
I would have to admit that I’m not close enough to it to actually give you all the statistics. When people don’t have parents and are forgotten and overlooked, there are so many ill-intentioned people who want to take advantage of the children who can’t necessarily cry out for help. It’s not a surprise that the incarceration rates, the child trafficking rates, and the abuse rates are all highest in this world. It’s just not a surprise.

I don’t know what causes what, and how much is correlated vs. how much is causal, but 90 percent of child trafficking cases have touched this foster care system. That is what’s happening. We can heal the foster care system in the way that Bennett Chapel and that community healed that system in a one-hundred-mile area. They solved the problem entirely and they laid the blueprint.

Mr. Jekielek:
There is an amazing moment in the film that is so well. You call and say, “Hey, we’re ready for more kids,” but there are no more kids. All the kids in the region have been adopted. Is this something that could be possible in an urban setting, or is there something about it being a rural area?

Mr. Grosse:
I’m glad you asked that, Jan. There is something about it being in a rural setting in our film. Nino and Josh were based on real people who have now grown up and have families of their own. Josh and Nino were in a scene walking a mule. Growing up in an urban environment, I remember what it was like to go out to rural Maryland and to see my cousins and to be on the farm. In our film, you can see the benefit of rural life for Josh and Nino. You see them being able to smell the fresh air and be with the animals.

But this is a call for urban communities as well, because there is also a silver lining to growing up in an urban community. There is the sophistication, the pace of life, the cosmopolitan elements, and the openness to all kinds of ideas. The pulse of the inner city is very edifying in its own way. I do not want audiences to be alienated from this film because Possum Trot, Texas is a rural area. I do want to see urban people in the Latino community, the black community, and the white community involve themselves in this story.

The core message of the movie, mentioned by First Lady Donna’s character, is that what it takes is love. It takes committed, unconditional, determined love to do this. It doesn’t take a big mansion. It could be a one or two-bedroom apartment. As long as the person is committed to helping a child, success can happen.

Mr. Jekielek:
Terry is a special character in the film. She’s the third child that was adopted into the Martin family. The mom says to Terry, “Don’t fight with my daughter,” meaning her real daughter. She didn’t mean to say it that way and then she has to deal with that. People get emotional and people get angry. Ultimately, faith plays a central role in all of this.

Mr. Grosse:
There is a wide range of human emotions that all of these characters go through which people can identify with it. When people see the film, invariably, they are moved. People are joking online that you should bring a box of tissues, because you will cry tears of conviction, but you will also laugh and cry tears of joy. People do come away from the film feeling like they have been cleansed.

I’ve heard people say, “I felt cleansed from the inside out. These were good tears that gave me hope and made me feel like I could affect the change that’s necessary.” That may not be verbatim, but people have been very outspoken about the emotions that they feel. Overall, they come out feeling a need to do something and affect the change.

Mr. Jekielek:
There’s a way to get through the dark night of the soul and get through the other side. In the film you see these people change themselves and grow and become the best versions of themselves through these difficult trials and tribulations.

Mr. Grosse:
Yes, it is the dark night of the soul. Pain may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. You see that journey played out in this film, absolutely. When they are raising all of these children they have adopted, trying to keep a church going, trying to keep their lights on and make ends meet, it puts a strain on the union.
You can see the resilience of their love and their marriage and how it radiates and reverberates through their community and inspires others. Hopefully, it can inspire all of us as well.

Mr. Jekielek:
Absolutely. Please tell us where we can see this film. There was recently a showing at 700 screens across America.

Mr. Harmon:
It will be on more screens on July 4th. There are some early screenings on July 3rd, if your July 4th is too busy. After hearing all this, people may be concerned about having to go and do another activity after seeing this film. Actually, I’m going to tell you that you will be changed after seeing it.

Mr. Grosse:
You will be changed.

Mr. Harmon:
Yes, you will be changed. You need to go and get that cleansing that Demetrius is talking about. Our souls need this in order for our hearts to be cleansed.

Mr. Grosse:
That is what happened to me. I don’t usually cry in movies. With this film, I cried a little bit, but it was a good cry. If you’ve ever had a good cry it feels like you were bathed somehow.

Mr. Harmon:
You don’t know how much you needed it until after you’re done.

Mr. Grosse:
Especially when they’re not sorrowful tears, but hopeful tears. You think, “Oh my God, this is so beautiful.” Without giving too much away, there is the significant element of a happy ending to this story.

Mr. Jekielek:
You managed to do this with Sound of Freedom as well. These are very difficult topics, but you did it in a tasteful way, while still conveying the reality. Also, any age level could go to see the film.

Mr. Grosse:
Even the romance scene has a Bible in it. There’s a scene where the First Lady and Bishop are at home. All the kids are in bed and he’s trying to have a moment with his wife. I can’t give the movie away, but it’s very tastefully done. The movie has a PG-13 rating. For a film that can have this kind of impact, it is critical to have that rating.

Mr. Harmon:
The credit for Sound of Freedom goes to Alejandro Monteverde and Eduardo Verastegui, and for Sound of Hope to the Weigels, Josh and Rebecca and their team. We’re glad to help it reach as many people as possible.

Mr. Jekielek:
You are not distributing it in the conventional way. Angel Studio is known for the pay it forward model. How does Hollywood fit into what you are doing?

Mr. Harmon:
Hollywood is the greatest storytelling community that has ever existed. At Angel we feel they lost their way on how the stories are picked. They have a few very powerful gatekeepers who are deciding what stories get told and how they get told. We said that everything about Hollywood is incredible. We just need to replace the gatekeepers to essentially give audiences the stories that they need the most, and the stories that resonate with them the most. That has been true to form.

We thought maybe we would just be getting independent filmmakers from random walks of life or faith filmmakers, but no, those aren’t the filmmakers that are coming to Angel. The filmmakers that are coming to Angel are the ones who are tired of the gatekeepers wanting them to tell stories and use their craft and their artistic abilities to focus on the dark, or focus on the depraved, or focus on the cynical in society. No one wants to shy away from reality. But the beautiful thing about Sound of Hope is that even though it’s super authentic, super raw, very gritty, you leave cleansed and you leave feeling hope.

At Angel, that’s what we call light. Our Angel Guild gets to decide what amplifies light. We hope that this groundswell of people who are fighting for these kids and coming to this show and sharing this with friends, will be able to fight for the downtrodden and abused children in society who need us. Please come see the film on July 4th.

Mr. Jekielek:
What does this pay it forward work, and how do you find out where the film is playing?

Mr. Harmon:
You can go to angel.com/hope to find the theater near you. We are adding theaters daily, so check back if your theater is not there. There’s also a button where you can request a specific theater. You can call your local theater and let them know about the film. We grew up in rural Idaho. I can remember the two times that I went to the movies when I was young. It was at the Dollar Theater, and it was such a transformational experience for me.

Pay it forward allows people like us to experience the cinema and have this healing experience around Sound of Hope. Otherwise, they wouldn’t go see it. When Tricia and I paid it forward, that created a fund for free tickets. Please go to angel.com/hope where there is a button for claiming the already available free tickets. For those of you who have watched it, if you feel inspired to pay it forward there is a QR code at the end of the film where you can do that.

Mr. Jekielek:
I love this system that that you guys have devised at Angel
where you create this opportunity for others.

Mr. Harmon:
There were 1,800,000 people who watched Sound of Freedom without having to pay for their own ticket. We have no idea what kind of impact that will have on future generations on the world. There have been laws passed, like the Sound of Freedom Act. We just heard about the Sound of Hope Act that is being passed in Texas. We don’t know what those ripples will do over time, but that’s a lot of impact in this world. We sense that with the Sound of Hope film it is happening again

Mr. Grosse:
Art is about what we can heal in this world. To be a part of this film that approaches the most vulnerable amongst us, orphan kids, feels good. It feels like we’re doing the right thing for the right reason. We’re excited for the world to see it, and to create an opportunity to see it for free. We’re thankful for the Angel Guild and for the pay it forward formula that’s allowing people to do just that

Mr. Jekielek:
Demetrius Gross, Neal Harmon, it’s such a pleasure to have you on the show.

Mr. Grosse:
Jan, thank you for having us.

Mr. Harmon:
Thank you, Jan.

Mr. Jekielek:
Thank you all for joining Demetrius Grosse, Neal Harmon, and me on this episode of American Thought Leaders. I’m your host Jan Jekielek.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.