The highly anticipated sequel to “I Can Only Imagine” hits theaters this weekend. It comes nine years after the story behind the chart-topping worship song became a box-office hit, earning more than $83 million in domestic returns.
Now the standalone sequel continues the story of MercyMe’s Bart Millard. In this story, the son is now the father. Millard shared with CBN News’ Studio 5 how the song “Even If” gave birth to the heart of this latest motion picture.
Millard shared, “‘Imagine’ and ‘Even If’ were written out of some difficult seasons of my life. And not all songs are written that way, but my therapy is working issues out through my song. So, there are several that the ones that mean the most to me have come out of some pretty painful places and been therapeutic for me.”
John Michael Finley returns to play Bart Millard in this new film. He shared how he felt taking on the role, and how we will meet this part of Bart’s life journey in the film.
“First of all, just immediately elated, thrilled. Didn’t even really care what the content was. Just like, let’s get the band back together. I mean, there’s always in the back of your head, you don’t want it to be too fluffy or too cheesy. It’s a sequel, let’s make it good. But I think what’s key here is the tables have turned and now we see Bart as the father. I think that’s crucial in our film to see him. I mean, there’s one moment in particular I can think of to where he literally steps in the same puddle that his father stepped in and to catch himself repeating those same mistakes, but also realizing, well, maybe he wasn’t trying to hurt me. Maybe he was trying to protect me,” Finley told CBN News’ Studio 5.
Sammie Dell plays the role of Bart’s son named Sam. He talked about taking on that role.
Dell said, “I was kind of a part of the hype of the first ‘I Can Only Imagine’. I remember seeing it, and to kind of come in and do a sequel film is mind-boggling to be able to sit next to these two guys. To come in and play Sam is kind of like another aspect because I’m so used to hearing Mercy Me and Bart, but then to go under that level and go deeper into the family was a really cool experience.”
Singer and Songwriter Tim Timmons is Millard’s best friend and the co-writer of the song “Even If.” Timmons has been living with an incurable cancer since being diagnosed in 2001. He shared with CBN News’ Studio 5 how he is doing decades after the diagnosis.
Timmons said, “There’s still tumors on my liver wearing out my heart, they say. But I was given five years to live 25 years ago and I… today, I woke up again. I got off a plane this morning, and I woke up again today. And then tomorrow if I wake up again, giddy up.”
Actor Milo Ventimiglia portrays the role of Timmons and revealed what he did after being offered the role.
“I was offered a movie called ‘I Can Only Imagine 2’ and I’m like, I should probably watch the first one. I like that. But I did it on the heels of reading this beautiful script, the roadmap that we have to make the second film that I’m like, wow, I should really watch the first film… And then it just keeps going. These breadcrumbs keep tumbling into a larger ball of awesomeness. And I get to meet and study and just become friends, close friends with Tim Timmons. And what a gift that is,” said Ventimiglia.
Playing the role of Timmons arrived at a trying time for Ventimiglia with the loss of his house due to the destructive California wildfires.
“You’re given this moment in your life where everything physically is taken from you. And in the same two weeks, everything is given to you with the birth of our first child, my daughter. I think these two diametrically opposed things just existing at the same time and then strangely mirroring just thematic concepts of the movie was like, crazy,” Ventimiglia told CBN News’ Studio 5.
“Then even in the script, talking about God is in the fire. I’m like, ‘I just experienced the fire.’ And how you push through these moments and all of that is just a wonderful thing to be given as an artist, as a husband, as a father, as a friend. And it was exactly what I needed at the right time. I don’t know if the performance would have been the same had I not lost my house in a fire, but you know what? We’ll never know because it happened,” he continued.
“I Can Only Imagine 2” is in theaters nationwide on February 20th.
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