Actress Patricia Heaton is ramping up her mission to honor God in Hollywood. This time, the “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “The Middle” star is teaming up with her husband, actor-director David Hunt, to bring inspiring faith-based TV programs and films to the masses.
The couple has launched a production company that aims to bring hope and truth into the world, Heaton said in a recent interview.
“We named our company ‘Four Boys Entertainment’ because we wanted to leave a legacy for our kids,” she said. “We want to contribute something to culture that’s truthful but is grounded in hope, the hope that we have through our faith, that God is in control, and that all things work to the good of those who love the Lord. We know that’s true. That doesn’t mean you create content that’s sugar-coated, but we’re about bringing truth into the world and ultimately bringing hope into the world.”
The production company, named after their four sons, has already released a film that brings God into a difficult subject.
The film “Unexpected” is now streaming on Amazon Prime video and follows Bob, played by Joseph Mazzello, and Amy, played by Anna Camp. The couple’s marriage is strained by career setbacks, prescription addiction, and Amy’s habit of adopting animals, but it keeps it lighthearted.
At the same time, the comedy also navigates the struggles of infertility.
“We had a wonderful book that we optioned,” Heaton said. “The actual story of infertility wasn’t in the original book, but it was a perfect way to use this really funny, wonderful story about adopting animals and explore the issue of infertility, which gave the story a lot more meat.”
Infertility affects over 10 million women in America, according to the CDC, and yet it remains a subject very few people talk about.
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Hunt said he wanted to intentionally show how infertility affects men, as well.
“One of the crew members told us while we were shooting the movie how unusual and how important it was that we saw the husband’s struggle, Bob’s struggle,” Hunt said. “I think it’s very balanced from both a male and a female perspective.”
“I want to make people laugh. I want to get people at ease,” he added. “And then three-quarters of the way through the movie, I want to reach through the screen and get into their hearts and give it a little squeeze.”
The film is having a major impact on audiences.
“At the end of the movie, for the Q&A, there was silence,” Hunt told the Christian Post. “And we thought, ‘Oh no, they hated it.’ Instead, people started getting up, one by one, women and men weeping, saying, ‘Thank you so much for telling our story.'”
The Hollywood couple says they want to continue to show people how faith can bring hope in the most trying of trials.
Heaton recently told CBN News that her latest project, “The Unbreakable Boy,” tells the story of a family navigating the journey of raising a child who is both autistic and suffers from brittle bone disease.
The 67-year-old said she was excited to play a role in a story that she believes to be the perfect respite for people who are trying to find peace amid the storms of life.
“The story is wonderful and it’s a true story,” she said. “And it’s a story about a struggle that many families experience today — a child on the spectrum, or even just if your kid has learning differences.”
Heaton continued, “You see a story where the struggles are not sugarcoated, but it’s hopeful and redemptive at the end.”
