Bonus Episode 4 | Cameron Arnett: Faith and Filmmaking - Mick Unplugged

Episode Transcription

• Bonus Episode 4 Transcription

  Intro: Are you ready to change your habits, sculpt your destiny, and light up your path to greatness? Welcome to the epicenter of transformation. This is Mick Unplugged. We'll help you identify your because so you can create a routine that's not just productive, but powerful. You'll embrace the art of evolution, adapt strategies to stay ahead of the game, and take a step toward the extraordinary.
  
  So let's unleash your potential. Now here's Mick.
  
  Mick Hunt: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another episode of Mick Unplugged. And in today's episode, we're diving deep into the journey of a man who once left the glittering lights of Hollywood behind driven by his own convictions only to redefine success on his own terms in the world of faith based entertainment. From the iconic sets of Miami Vice and Star Trek, the next generation to leading roles that inspire and tell his story, That's truly a testament of power over faith. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the stage. My man, the incomparable, Cameron Arnett.
  
  Cameron, how are you doing, brother?
  
  Cameron Arnett: Wow. You know, I don't I I I wanna live up to that that introduction, brother.
  
  Mick Hunt: You you do every day in life, man. You do every day in life.
  
  Cameron Arnett: It's the goodness and grace of God. There's no credit involved. You know, we all come from that background of sin and craziness and, you know, being lost to a gracious and and forgiving savior that turned our lives around. And that's really what this is all about.
  
  Mick Hunt: Amen to that. Amen to that. So so let's get into it, man. Like, you made the decision to leave Hollywood over a decade ago the right way, prioritizing your morals and spiritual beliefs. Can you share with us what that period of transition was like, and what fueled your return to becoming the leading figure in faith based film?
  
  Cameron Arnett: Well, you know, I I like to tell people again when when I I deal with all this is that acting chose me twice. And I never really did choose to be an actor, to even be within entertainment. It really is something that that chose me twice. And I I have come to realize why now, But it took a long time before that realization came, and it came through kind of some weird circumstances. More than a decade ago, several decades ago, being in Hollywood, I had just come back to California from Toronto, Canada doing a movie of the week.
  
  And my then manager, said to me, hey. You know, he called and said, hey. They wanna see you for this role. They're really high on you on it. They're asking for you to come in, specifically, you know, because there there are certain points in in in times of of your matriculation through Hollywood that you grew up from, you know, to whoever you you may come to be.
  
  But, so I came, and I I went went back, did the movie the week, came back to, LA and auditioned. A lot of great people in the room, a lot of, great names, and end up getting the role. And so it would have been my first starring role, you know, love interest and all that kind of stuff, all the the big stuff that, you know, you you work for all your life as an actor. Right? So I get the role, and they send the contracts in.
  
  And my manager, you know, we're we're we're we're all, you know, jubilation and all that times that we're running around the room about to sign on on the dotted line. And my agent calls and says, hey. You know, by the way, the producers need Canada to do partial body nudity. And, you know, back in the day, that again, that that was when cable was doing all the risque stuff and and and tell him who's trying to keep up and push the envelope was the big term of the day. And so when that came into our minds and, you know, my then manager knew who I was.
  
  I had become a bonafide Christian by that point. And so he knew that that wasn't gonna fly, and and it didn't. And so I said, you know, hey, Jeremy. I I I can't do this. You know?
  
  He goes he said, I I know. And so we called the agent and talked to the agent about I can't do it. And the agent said, well, let me talk to the producers, and they came back. Well, they said that Cameron doesn't have to be the one who does the nudity. He just do the acting.
  
  We'll get a body double, and then that'll be that. And so I'm thinking that everything's gonna be fine, man. I'm gonna make money, you know, get this, you know, these accolades and everything else. And I feel the holy spirit tap me on the shoulder and say, you've got to shun even the appearance of evil. People will think that it's you.
  
  Mick Hunt: Exactly.
  
  Cameron Arnett: And so I we called back, said, can't do it. Gonna have to pass this one by, and all hell broke loose, man. You know, lost agent, you know, got blackballed, a lost family, lost all I mean, everybody left everything. Everything left ended up bankrupt and sleeping on the backroom of a woman who was on welfare. And so I had hit rock bottom, so I thought at least at that at that point in time.
  
  So that's where this whole crisis of Korea was birthed even though I didn't know it then. Decades decades later, I'm over here in Atlanta remarried. God has, you know, brought this phenomenal woman into my life, and that's another story altogether, man. Just to see the orchestration of God, the the goodness of God, and things that we don't even think of and how God connects the dots. So I end up, you know, here in Atlanta, pastored for 2 decades.
  
  And, within that amount of time, god was giving me this dream of this character. And I thought he wanted me to write it, so I'm writing it down. I'm writing it down. I'm writing it down. Every night, I'm having the same dream.
  
  And a week goes by, my wife gets invited to this woman's tea. Right? And we don't, you know, like, you know, woman's tea. We don't know what what that's all about. So she goes, and she comes back and said, oh, what that was about.
  
  They want you to come and audition for this role, in this movie. And, you know, and I'm keeping the story short. So I'm, like, I'm thinking Hollywood, and I'm thinking I'm not I am not going back to that. And so another week goes by, I'm having the same dream, writing this character, and at the end of the second week, the Holy Spirit says, it's me. I want you to go to this one.
  
  And I hate auditioning. I don't want no parts of Hollywood, but out of obedience to God, I go. And I watch god do things for me in this audition that I've never done before. It's like I'm watching the video. I'm in this thing.
  
  I'm watching this whole thing happen, and it turns out that the character that God was showing me at night dreaming for 2 weeks was a character that I was auditioning for. It was the first Christian film that I that that I was involved in, and it just blew up. I got a lot of, you know, of notice and recognition for that film in in festivals and everything else. And that's how god brought me back in on this side, doing it for him, in him, because of him, you know. And in the last 10 years, man, I've done over 40 films, 6 or 7 different television series.
  
  I did not know that God was having me back then, so my career and my life as a seed. But what's happening now is a flourishing of that seed I've never seen. I I've never seen anything like it, never experienced every anything like it. My wife and I, we our relationship, our marriage, never seen anything like it, never experienced anything like it. And I am really in the midst of God just so showing his favor that it's embarrassing.
  
  Mick Hunt: I love it, man. That's an amazing journey. I have I have so many things I wanna ask you, but you hit on something where you said you hated the auditioning. So for people that don't know what that's like, like, walk us through what auditioning really entails and and and why back then you hated that aspect of that.
  
  Cameron Arnett: Well, I still hate it now. Ain't no ain't ain't no back then. See, that's another part of the story too. You know, when when after I did the audition and I did the role and everything else and, you know, getting all the the, the praise for it, that kind of stuff, I had to go back to God. I said, god, you know who I am.
  
  You know what what what this whole Hollywood thing did to me. You know what what happened in my life. You know how I feel about it. If it's really you, I'm asking you to do the impossible. Give me what you wanna give me without me having to audition.
  
  Because that's called impossible in this arena. And, those 40 something films and those 6 or 7 different TV series, no auditions. Just got gift. I mean, the first one I auditioned, another one, they just said, hey, I we just wanna see what you do with the role. Nothing else has been an audition.
  
  Again, it testifies to who God is and how he will do the impossible and show himself strong. You don't have to sell your soul for what god has intended for you. But the process of auditioning man to me in in in the in the especially in the Hollywood sense, it's demoralizing. People run you through the ringer. There are actors that love to do it, but I would say 80% of the actors hate auditioning.
  
  It's just one of those ills of the industry that they have to do. An actor finally gets to the point where they don't have to audition. You know, they they'll let you know how much they hated it. Actors now who who are well known and end up being asked to audition will tell you, I can't believe it. I had to audition for that.
  
  That's how they feel about it. You know?
  
  Mick Hunt: Yeah. I've heard an actor tell me, I don't like I don't need to practice. Like like, I don't need to practice.
  
  Cameron Arnett: There's a, story of Shelley Winters. Shelley Winters is an old actress that most people don't even remember now, but extraordinary giftedness and and and being able to, conjure or bring up all of her passion on on the top of her skin, man. She was very, connected to her emotions. And so one day after she had been Shelley Winter's, you know, the extraordinary actress, somebody asked her to come in to audition. And this guy was almost like a new director.
  
  You you name it. Whatever. Nothing near the accolades and the and the experience that she had. And so she went to audition with her 2 Oscars, and she put the 2 Oscars on his table. And she said, when you've done this, you can ask me to audition.
  
  Mick Hunt: Love it.
  
  Cameron Arnett: Come on, guys. How much how much how much practice do you think Shelley Winter needed for you to audition her? It's demoralizing. And so there's a point where you get to that the fact that they ask you is to me not regarding who you are and what you've done. But but, again, with this being said, man, it was really a god thing because there's nothing I wanna chase in life.
  
  There's nothing what I that I want more than my relation to Christ and anything that that has an opportunity to vie for that affection. I'm I'm here because I know this is where god wants me to be. Other than that, it wouldn't it wouldn't have the attraction for me.
  
  Mick Hunt: I love it. So let's talk about March 11th, a couple of weeks ago. Your latest your latest film.
  
  Cameron Arnett: We had a film that came out, 47 Days with Jesus that came out, and I got a an opportunity to play Pontius Pilate of all things. Quite a great experience. Wonderful film. You know, people need to understand. What I love about making Christian films is that as Christians, we get to see on screen what this looks like, what living this life looks like.
  
  Because sometimes we hear a a a spoken word, and and it's a sermon, and we we have to kinda try to piece it together. And we don't always get, a bird's eye view as to what it looks like to live this out in the real world's kinda sense. And films provide us the ability to watch people live this way. And and this film, 47 Days with Jesus, the way in which the family has a clue as to how to make this the story of Christ a legacy, how to how to hand it down. Because because one thing about Abraham that God said was I know that he would teach his children after him.
  
  And so the reason what made Abraham so spectacular in God's eyes is that he wouldn't just follow God, he would teach his children how to follow God, and that's the discipleship model. And so this film really allows you to see how you can creatively, innovatively hand down the relationship and the story of Christ within your family. This is just a beautiful picture.
  
  Mick Hunt: No. I love it, man. I I love it. And a lot of people don't know this that are listening, but I'm gonna tell you first. So my mother is a minister.
  
  Right? And so growing up, entire family always in church. And and I always tell my mom this, especially now, is with this younger generation, you have to make things relatable and understandable. And I feel like you embrace that in the roles that you play because I I see that you're trying to make a connection with the audience, but understanding that the audience is arranged. Right?
  
  So how do you do that in in the roles, even if you you may or may not have influence on the script, but how do you take your character and make that character relatable to to everyone?
  
  Cameron Arnett: Well, you know, again, I I think that's a part of the blessing is that God took me from where I was in LA, put me here within the Christian filmmaking arena, but also gave me a platform within that arena where I do have a say. I do have a a part to play in, maybe even shaping. And and the more films I do, of course, the more opportunity that I have to shape the story itself. And so I I use the ability that he's given me to do that, to do that for the good of what God is is is doing for his people, for his kingdom. But for me, I choose a character that is within a script that are going to lead people to Christ.
  
  So whatever I have to do within that that that script, as long as the purpose of the story is to bring people to Christ, I relish that because I can play a maniacal evil character. But at the end of the day and at the end of of the film where my character will take you is a reason to run away from that guy and stick to Christ. Okay? So I I'd rather do that than playing a righteous character within a story that's gonna take you away from from God. And I have to say no to those.
  
  Okay? And even in the secular realm, they'll use a and and and I'm and I'm I'm thinking of a specific time where they wanted me to play a pastor who was a really good guy, but it was within a story that was making him look bad and making the guy who is bad, who's a pastor, look right. Okay? And so the story was gonna actually take you away from the word even though I was gonna be able to play a a character that was doing the right thing, saying the right thing, being the right thing, but the story wasn't gonna take you the right place. So I'm I don't wanna do that.
  
  And so that's how I choose and maintain the characters. I've I've played Lucifer. I've played, you know, errant pastors that were just, like, maniacal and crazy. But the story is to let you know who Christ is, that he loves you. He's with you.
  
  He is for you. And he's not trying to beat you over over the head, you know, with a stick. All the right things that to make you fall in love with a god who's in love with you. And so that's my my purpose within all these films.
  
  Mick Hunt: I love it. Now aside from acting, and you're also a very world renowned motivational speaker, and you lead the ministry Christ Over Career, which you referenced earlier. Tell us a little bit about that from a motivational speaking standpoint and then also Christ Over Career.
  
  Cameron Arnett: Amen. And, again, when we use the term motivational speaker, I know for for a lot of people, it's a turn off, but if they they miss the point, the whole point of there is no greater motivator than Christ. There is no greater captivator than Christ. When people say, I'm not here and they would not we we shouldn't be about entertainment. Well, the word entertainment means to to captivate the mind.
  
  Okay? So I am here to entertain you by the word of God. I'm here to captivate your mind by the truth, by the grace, by the the power, by the, by by the presence of Christ. And so for me, I'm here to motivate you to live for a God who died for you and resurrected for you, and that empowered you to be a ruler in this world and not to be ruled by the world. I'm here to motivate you for that towards that and to let you know, yeah, all the obstacles, all the things that may happen, Like Paul says, man, it's a small thing compared to the excellency of knowing him.
  
  I wanna motivate you towards that. And so, yes, that's what having this platform as an actor is all about for me. You know, the real thing is Kami, the man that is able to use whatever prowess, whatever prosperity, whatever accolade, whatever platform that God gives him to save the lost and disciple the saved. That's what I am married to. That's what makes me tick, and that's what I live for.
  
  So when I'm on the stage or in front of a church or whatever it may be, conference, whatever it is, festival, and I get to speak the word of God, represent Christ in his kingdom, and to see the light turn on in people's hearts and minds and then be transformed and actually be thriving Christians on the earth? What's not to like? And the grace of these films is that they outstrip you in a sense of out outstretch you and go to around the world. I now field questions and and relationships from around the world from these films. You know?
  
  So I'm I'm mentoring and training pastors and talking to people and and and and raising up people from around the world. I mean, like, with you in the podcast, I mean, it just out. It goes beyond you to have the masses of people that you may never meet until you, you know, get to heaven yourself and realize the impact that you have had around the world by allowing yourself to be used by God in this medium called entertainment. Communications. Man, we are fortunate people.
  
  Mick Hunt: Absolutely. So you said you mentor pastors. And so I'm gonna ask this question for my mom since my mom my mom is that. Where do you mentor on, and and and what is that like like for you mentoring disciples?
  
  Cameron Arnett: As a Christian, I'm called as an apostle, prophet, and teacher. And so my anointing is apostolic, is prophetic, and is teaching, is training. And so I kind of say to people too, I get that that threefold cord of what people hate. People don't wanna be told what to do. People don't wanna have any structure.
  
  They don't wanna be pointed to god. All kind I'm talking about the flesh of man. I'm not talking about the true Christian. And so my thing is I'm called really not to have congregants like a pastor, which is a phenomenal anointing. I'm called to raise up leaders that will pastor and raise up other leaders.
  
  That's my part. I'm I'm called to, make sure that we are we stay upon the written word of God and that we don't lose the foundation. I'm I'm called to bring structure to what we do in a church. 80% of what people do in church is not even biblical. So those kind of things and see, people don't wanna hear that because they they feel like they're being condemned.
  
  And I think one of the greatest damages that Satan has done to the church is to make them believe or to think that correction is condemnation. And so I try to make that understood and known to men and women of God that have been doing this for a while that never does god ever bring condemnation, but he corrects everyone that he loves. And if you're not going to be corrected by God, then you must be more holy than he is. Because every time that I go to him, I know that I get corrected because I'm not as holy as he is. And so that's really part of the arm of apostles, prophet, and teachers is to bring that kind of structure and teaching and training and resurrect the true meaning of Christ likeness.
  
  The whole point of Christ of Korea, we're calling the church back to the lordship of Jesus Christ, putting him and key keeping him at the helm of every decision. That's the statement that we make known to everybody. And the the way in which we get there is by having a relationship to the king. He is king. He's lord.
  
  It's not a suggestion. We don't vote. You know, we actually make ourselves bondservants, slaves to him. We are his subjects and he commands us and we follow him and we find out in following him or we're made free. That's a concept that the church needs to to revive and to live out.
  
  Mick Hunt: Absolutely. So I know earlier, you just said you're married to your ministry, but I also know you're also married to miss BJ. Right? And and the both of you have established a production company. You have a nonprofit saving destinies.
  
  What inspired you both to to embark on this journey? And then I think the the amazing thing that I want the audience to hear is how do you both complement each other. Right? Because when there's a a a spousal dynamic, right, it has to be a true complement to each other or it doesn't last long. Like, not only the relationship, but anything you're doing business related as well.
  
  So I'd love to hear how you do it.
  
  Cameron Arnett: You know, the Bible says, be addicted to the ministry. I'm addicted to to the ministry, and I've and I cleave onto BJ. Alright? For this reason shall a man leave us as a father father and mother, right, and cleave unto his wife. And so we're we we have become 1, and the way that we became 1 and God taught us is that while our jobs are not really to be one with each other.
  
  Our job is to be one with him, and we find each other in him. And so there is no I'm not here to try to to agree with BJ. BJ is not here to try to agree with Camille. We agree with God, and so be when we agree with God, we find that we're in agreement. And so that's how we do what we do.
  
  And the Bible says to us that he will make a perfect help that is meet for him. And so she is perfectly suited for me. Everything that I think, say, and do, she's suited for. And so I have to also respect her suiting for me. When we got married, I said, baby, I I got this box.
  
  Inside this box is just me and god. You never come into this box. I will never let you into this box. So if you ever try to get into this box, I will kick you out because you you don't belong in this box. That's the problem that we had with Adam and and woman.
  
  Alright? And so he she became evil because she got into his box, and he let her into his box. And so for me, when God says go do this, I'm never asking for an opinion. I'm never asking should we do it. I'm saying, god said to do this.
  
  Your job is to show me how to how to do that the best way because you have the wisdom to unlock where we're going because you're you're perfectly suited to help me get to where god said. And so I have to respect the wisdom because say I fit I go to my wife and I say, hey, babe. God is saying do this. What am I not seeing? Because he's showing you how to do that.
  
  He's made you able to help me do that, to conquer that. So if I don't go get the wisdom, if I don't go go use the one who is meat for me and fulfilling that, then I'm just I've I've lost my mind. I'm I'm I basically short circuited god's plan. And I think a lot of husbands need to understand that. It's not a matter of being better than, greater than.
  
  It's side by side being used by God as important as each each other in our perspective places. And when we understand that, then we become 1. We don't compete with each other. I tell my wife in in any given she is a dynamic woman, and I I'll tell her in a second. Babe, when you're teaching, when you're out there doing what you do I mean, we we traveled to New York, man.
  
  She take 14, 15 of her students, and I go to carry her books. It's not about Kamie. It's not about Cameron Arnett at that point in time. It's about me serving my wife and what god has called her to be and to do. So those points in places come, and we don't compete.
  
  We are here to uplift each other and be that synergies for each other. So that is our understanding. That's what we in our first 7 years of marriage, we wouldn't even allow ourselves to be in 2 different places at the same time. We we only had one car. We have forged a beginning that was so tight in us being one that now I don't care where we are, we're always 1 because it's like raising a child.
  
  If you train them up in the way that they should go, when they're older, they won't depart. Right? And so we train up each other and being one so much in those 1st 7 years that oneness is just our DNA.
  
  Mick Hunt: I love it. So much to unpack there and and so much useful information for for the folks that are listening. Cameron's a beast. I promise you. He's a beast.
  
  Cameron Arnett: God we we we're following the God of the the universe. And I'm telling you, we're not special. We're not different. We're not better. What we are is obedient, though.
  
  Mick Hunt: That's right. Alright. Couple of things, and I'll get you out of here. I know you're a busy man. Looking ahead, you're starring in the eagerly awaited movie, The Forge.
  
  Right? And it's gonna be distributed by Sony this August. Without giving too much away, what what can we expect from this film, and what excites you about this project?
  
  Cameron Arnett: Wow, man. Everything about this project is exciting. I get to begin play the role of husband and wife on screen with my wife, so it's like, again, another another added plus. But the Kendrick brothers, I truly believe in anointing. I believe God calls in each and every one for a reason, for a purpose, to accomplish certain thing.
  
  You know, Paul said that I may apprehend the things for which I've been apprehended. And so these guys are anointed to do what they do. They're called to do what they do, and they do it always in prayer and putting God first in the process. And so just to be in that frame with them has been such a blessing. Being on the set with these guys is like a slice of heaven.
  
  And I'll say it to anybody, man. I mean, they are just anointed. And so I'm excited about this song because I know that it's all flowing out of god's anointing, out of god's calling. You know, when they did War Room, man, it changed my life. I saw us being represented as people that were people.
  
  And the fact that God took a story that could have been all white, made it all black, and about prayer, about a grandma. Right? And made it the number one film in the country. You can't tell me that's not miraculous. That's not God.
  
  And so while while I'm watching that, it changed my life, and god somehow get connects us together. And that's another story. Oh my gosh. How god connected us as families and as collaborators is a phenomenal story. And so here we are now doing this film, and it's about discipleship.
  
  It's about the core of us being Christians and being raised up by God in such a way, a powerful film. I believe that Like A War Room and it's in the War Room Universe. I believe Like A War Room that it will make the mark that God that God wants. And and for the church, we have to learn to be strategic. We have to get out there and support this film, the opening weekend.
  
  Because that's what Hollywood understands. Alright? But we have to go out there in masses and make these films as popular as the church wants Christ himself to be. That's what God is doing. He's overtaking the airways through these films and turning theaters and streaming services into the 4 wall church, taking it out of the 4 4 the the realm of the 4 walls and impacting life globally.
  
  And we get an opportunity as a church, even if we're not the filmmakers or or the ones in the films, but as the body of Christ to be the supporting factor and the ones that make the difference in letting the world know that this is right and important. That's who the audience is. And so, I'm looking forward to to watching God do what men can't do. You know, it's like Janice and Jambres. Right?
  
  When when Moses went, I don't care what kind of snake you make. You know? I don't care how many snakes you make. Snake that God makes is gonna eat up your snakes. And that's what this is all about, man.
  
  I I I can't wait for it. So it's it's gonna be awesome.
  
  Mick Hunt: So the forge releasing in August, and and I can tell you, Cameron, my mom, my uncles, and my aunt, you're biggest fan. So so mom, uncle Wayman, aunt Flora, uncle Randy, uncle Tron, it's for you.
  
  Cameron Arnett: Make sure
  
  Mick Hunt: you go support. And and and maybe if you're nice, we can get you in a film as a extra or something too.
  
  Cameron Arnett: Hey.
  
  Mick Hunt: Right. You know
  
  Cameron Arnett: what I'm saying? Let let let let's sit and talk about it. That's that's that's
  
  Mick Hunt: you
  
  Cameron Arnett: know, we we can go ahead and plan for the future on that.
  
  Mick Hunt: So there we go. There we go. Well, brother Arnett, I appreciate you more than you know. This has been amazing. If there's anything that I can personally ever do to support, I'm there for it.
  
  Again, the forge coming out in August. Right now, 47 days with Jesus, you can go you can go watch that right now. So if you haven't seen that, go check that out. Mister Arnett, anything you wanna leave the audience with? Any what's what's one thing that people can do right now to to start activating their life and and and get better at something today?
  
  Cameron Arnett: The first thing that you can do is what you we were commanded to do. Seek first the kingdom of god and his righteousness. All things will be added to you. You have to marry yourself to him as king. You have to understand his lordship, and that everything that God says to you is really for your good, will actually turn out for your good.
  
  Everything that God does is cloaked in death and in loss. And so on unless you're willing to lose your life, you can't gain life. And so he's gonna say things to you that's gonna look like, oh my god, what's gonna happen to me? You're exactly where he wants you to be. As you are obedient, you'll find out on the other side of that is a life that's greater than anything that you could imagine because he wants you to have days of heaven on the earth.
  
  But you can't do that unless you are willing to die for him the way that he died for you.
  
  Mick Hunt: I love it. Great way to end the episode. Follow those words, and everything's gonna happen the way that it should happen. And for all the listeners, remember, your because is your superpower. Go unleash it.
  
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