Q&A: 'Fireproof' star Erin Bethea

February 11, 2009

Erin Bethea

Co-Star of the movie Fireproof

Last fall the independent film Fireproof set audiences ablaze. The Christian film that cost only a half million dollars to make earned more than $33 million. The film starred formed Growing Pains star Kirk Cameron and newcomer Erin Bethea. Since the film’s release, Bethea has become a bit of a celebrity among churchgoers, and she has been speaking with churches nationwide about the film, her faith and the role of arts in the Church.

She recently spoke about all of these issues with Premiere.

How did you get involved with Fireproof and Facing The Giants?

Sherwood Baptist Church, the church that produced both movies, is my home church. I’ve been a member there since I was seven years old.

After having a small role in Facing The Giants, how did you end up with the lead in Fireproof?

I didn’t originally audition for Catherine. I didn’t think that I could make the time commitment. Catherine was originally written to be in her mid-thirties, and I was 24. It didn’t seem like a real possibility.

When I auditioned for the film, I really fell in love with the story and Catherine’s journey as a woman.  I asked if they would let me audition for the part—just to humor me—and I guess they liked what they saw.

Were you surprised by the success of the films?

I was and I wasn’t. When I read the script, I thought it was really powerful. I thought that if people get what this is about, it would be a really huge thing. Part of what surprised me what how many people actually got what it was about. We knew that God was going to do great things with this story, but we were all a little surprised by how much it’s been used already.

So many of us grew up knowing Kirk Cameron as Mike Seaver on Growing Pains. Was it intimidating to work so closely with him?

You know, it wasn’t really. Kirk is a super nice guy. He’ll probably hate me for saying this, but I was a little too young to have really had a crush on him when he was on Growing Pains. Luckily, it wasn’t something where I had a teenage crush on him and then had to play his wife.

What’s next for you?

Right now, I’m working at Disney World in Orlando, which I love.  I’m also going around the country speaking at a lot of churches. It’s something that I’m very excited to be doing, and I never really thought that I’d get this kind of opportunity. Something that I’m really passionate about is getting Christians involved in the arts—particularly in the secular arts. It’s been really great to go around to churches and encourage them—to tell them that the arts aren’t something to be afraid of, they’re something to be used as a ministry tool. I’m also working on a TV show with the North American Mission Board.

How has the response been when you speak with churches about the arts?

It’s been really great. One of the things that I always say—and I find that many Christians agree with me—is that we as believers tend to complain about Hollywood or secular music. We talk about how it’s so full of trash and how we can’t take our family to see it. That’s all true, but we have no right to complain about it unless we’re doing something to change it. The way that you change it is by getting involved—whether that’s going to see movies like Fireproof or buying CDs that put out a positive message. It’s not just about supporting “Christian” things. I’m really passionate about going Christians to support family-friendly art.

What are other issues that you’re passionate about?

Something that I’ve spoken about at a couple of churches is why God is trustworthy. We have our dreams and our goals, and we tend to keep those things from God because they’re things that we want to accomplish. We can really trust God with all of those things, though. It’s a lesson that I really learned while making Fireproof. We can really trust Him not just as our savior, but we can trust him with all of our dreams and goals, too.


Fireproof is currently available on DVD. For information on how to bring Erin Bethea to your church or event, visit www.premierefaith.com/erin_bethea.