Faith Through Fire: Playing Shadrach - with Sunjay Midda

Matt: 00:00:00

Hey, and welcome to another episode of the Faith

Matt: 00:00:02

and Family Filmmakers podcast.

Matt: 00:00:04

I am Matt Chastain, and ladies and gentlemen, I woke up this morning early

Matt: 00:00:08

because I was, uh, gifted a screener link to a movie that I have not had a

Matt: 00:00:12

chance to go see, um, in the theaters.

Sunjay: 00:00:15

Wow.

Matt: 00:00:16

And yeah, so I was a- actually able to watch it, and we have…

Matt: 00:00:20

Uh, the movie was Daniel and the Fiery Furnace.

Matt: 00:00:22

A lot of folks have seen it.

Matt: 00:00:23

There's a lot of talk online about it.

Matt: 00:00:24

I'm, I'm really excited today to have a British actor, Sanjay Mi-

Matt: 00:00:28

Midda Sanjay Midda I told you I would mess up your name, Sanjay.

Matt: 00:00:31

I'm sorry.

Sunjay: 00:00:33

I mean, listen- You're

Matt: 00:00:33

here with us today … uh,

Sunjay: 00:00:34

from, uh…

Sunjay: 00:00:34

They just say Miller, but it's with Ds.

Sunjay: 00:00:37

Midda, that's it.

Matt: 00:00:38

Mi- Miller, but with a Ds.

Matt: 00:00:40

Midda.

Matt: 00:00:40

Okay, gotcha.

Matt: 00:00:41

There you go.

Matt: 00:00:41

Well, Sanjay, hey, thank you so much for joining us today on the podcast.

Matt: 00:00:44

We appreciate it.

Sunjay: 00:00:45

Absolutely.

Sunjay: 00:00:46

That's Really exciting.

Sunjay: 00:00:47

So you just watched the film?

Matt: 00:00:48

Watched the film this morning.

Matt: 00:00:50

And I tell you what- Wow … first thing I'm gonna do is I'm gonna

Matt: 00:00:51

tell people who you are, and then we're gonna dive in, 'cause I'm-

Matt: 00:00:55

Great … I'm fresh, baby, I'm fresh.

Matt: 00:00:56

So-

Sunjay: 00:00:56

Let's

Matt: 00:00:57

do that … uh, Sanjay is, uh- You've got

Sunjay: 00:00:57

the coffee in your system.

Matt: 00:00:59

I got… Yeah, exactly.

Matt: 00:01:00

I had about seven cups of coffee and watched the story of Daniel.

Matt: 00:01:03

So- … and we got Shadrach himself here.

Matt: 00:01:06

So, uh, British actor Sanjay Mirra is, uh, known for television, film, theater.

Matt: 00:01:10

Currently stars as Shadrach opposite Meedah Mas- Massoud in Daniel

Matt: 00:01:14

and the Fiery Furnace, but also opposite Elijah Alexander, which I

Matt: 00:01:18

wanna get into that later as well.

Matt: 00:01:20

Um, it opened in cinemas obviously in September.

Matt: 00:01:23

But you began your career 2015 with a series regular role on

Matt: 00:01:27

the BBC One drama, Doctors.

Matt: 00:01:29

You did 93 episodes, and since you've appeared in Silent Witness, A

Matt: 00:01:32

Quiet Place, Day One, the Torchwood spinoff, and ITV's The Bay.

Matt: 00:01:37

Now you're leading S- Solidarity, which is, uh, directed by David Middle,

Matt: 00:01:41

which w- was recently wrapped in New Mexico, according to my research.

Matt: 00:01:45

Is that all correct?

Sunjay: 00:01:46

Yeah, not called Solidarity, called Solitary.

Sunjay: 00:01:49

As in- Solitary … soli- solitary confinement.

Sunjay: 00:01:51

Yes, just wrapped that two and a half months ago actually.

Sunjay: 00:01:54

Yeah.

Matt: 00:01:55

My glasses aren't strong enough, 'cause it does- No, you are

Matt: 00:01:57

right … indeed say Solitary on there.

Matt: 00:01:59

Yes.

Matt: 00:01:59

So… But no, so I, I woke up this morning, I got the screener link

Matt: 00:02:02

yesterday, and I was able to watch it.

Matt: 00:02:04

And man, I, I was really excited to watch this story.

Matt: 00:02:08

It's, it's… I think it ki- it's a bit of an underrated story biblically, and…

Matt: 00:02:13

But I, I was very, very impressed with what you guys did with it, very impressed

Matt: 00:02:17

with several of the performances.

Matt: 00:02:19

I, I just really liked it.

Matt: 00:02:20

And, and one of the, I don't, wouldn't even say criticisms of it, but one of

Matt: 00:02:24

the things that I hear people say is that you need to come to this movie with

Matt: 00:02:27

a little level of biblical literacy.

Sunjay: 00:02:30

Hmm.

Matt: 00:02:30

Would you agree with that?

Sunjay: 00:02:31

Definitely, man.

Sunjay: 00:02:32

I mean, it's definitely for people who know the story.

Sunjay: 00:02:36

They've read Daniel, they know the story of the three boys,

Sunjay: 00:02:38

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Sunjay: 00:02:39

It's titled Daniel and the Fiery Furnace.

Sunjay: 00:02:42

I mean, look, people who don't know the story are expecting Daniel

Sunjay: 00:02:45

to be part of the fiery furnace.

Sunjay: 00:02:47

You know, spoiler alert, he's not.

Sunjay: 00:02:49

I mean, that's not a spoiler, you just read the Bible and you know it was the

Sunjay: 00:02:52

three boys who were into the furnace.

Sunjay: 00:02:55

But that being said, it's, you know, a lot of people are, who don't have the

Sunjay: 00:02:59

understanding are coming away with just a fantastic cinematic experience, as

Sunjay: 00:03:03

well as, you know, a thought-provoking faith, uh, story, you know?

Matt: 00:03:09

100%.

Matt: 00:03:09

And, I mean, a lot of people who do know the Bible will know that there

Matt: 00:03:12

was some artistic license taken a little bit by kind of including

Matt: 00:03:15

Daniel in more of the story than he actually appears in the Bible.

Matt: 00:03:20

Um, he was… In, in the Bible, e- especially in that chapter, Daniel's

Matt: 00:03:24

not mentioned in that chapter.

Matt: 00:03:25

It really becomes about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Matt: 00:03:29

So, uh, that was… I found that interesting.

Matt: 00:03:31

But that… But it also shows that I'm not one who gets offended when,

Matt: 00:03:34

when some artistic license is taken, um, in biblical stories that doesn't

Matt: 00:03:38

affect the m- the overall message of the biblical story, and that it

Matt: 00:03:41

didn't have that effect on me at all.

Matt: 00:03:43

So I, I just thoroughly enjoyed it.

Matt: 00:03:45

I wanna start, let's go back out of the movie for a second.

Matt: 00:03:47

I just wanna talk about your acting journey.

Matt: 00:03:49

I mean, you're a young guy, but you've been acting for quite

Matt: 00:03:51

a while now, over a decade.

Sunjay: 00:03:53

Yes.

Sunjay: 00:03:54

Yeah, you're right.

Sunjay: 00:03:55

Um, I'm… it's been 11 years since I professionally started acting, you know.

Sunjay: 00:03:59

I had a bit of an interesting story.

Sunjay: 00:04:02

You know, I'm from a small city in England where not, not

Sunjay: 00:04:05

many people are doing acting or anything kind of creative really.

Sunjay: 00:04:08

I'm from Wolverhampton, and, uh, you know, it's usually people who are living

Sunjay: 00:04:12

in London, or you have to kinda move to London to kinda make this dream happen.

Sunjay: 00:04:16

For some s- reason, you know, I, I knew I wanted to be an actor.

Sunjay: 00:04:20

I just always had a knack to entertain, to make people laugh,

Sunjay: 00:04:23

and just to have a good time.

Sunjay: 00:04:24

And for some reason, acting just felt right, you know?

Sunjay: 00:04:29

And I felt like I had a calling towards it.

Sunjay: 00:04:31

And I mean, I went to Disneyland quite a few times as a young kid, so that probably

Sunjay: 00:04:34

gave me the bug, the dream bug- Yeah

Sunjay: 00:04:36

as you would call it.

Sunjay: 00:04:37

And then, um, next thing you know, I, you know, I finished school studies.

Sunjay: 00:04:42

I remember the conversation quite vividly.

Sunjay: 00:04:44

I started further education in school, and it was, like, two months in, and

Sunjay: 00:04:50

I was speaking to a friend, uh, of mine in the class and I said, "I just

Sunjay: 00:04:53

don't think I can do this anymore.

Sunjay: 00:04:55

This is just not what I wanna do.

Sunjay: 00:04:56

I want to become an actor.

Sunjay: 00:04:58

I don't know how or when or, you know, how I'm gonna make this happen." I

Sunjay: 00:05:03

left the class that day and call my mum, and I said, "Mum-" I'm gonna

Sunjay: 00:05:10

drop out, I wanna become an actor.

Sunjay: 00:05:12

I don't know how, I don't know when, but I'm gonna make it happen.

Sunjay: 00:05:15

And she supported me and she said, "Call your dad."

Sunjay: 00:05:18

My dad said the exact same thing, "If your mom says it's fine, you know,

Sunjay: 00:05:20

we'll support you." Uh, and they did so.

Sunjay: 00:05:23

I'm actually named after an actor.

Sunjay: 00:05:25

My mom, funnily enough, named me after a famous actor, Sanjay Dutt.

Sunjay: 00:05:28

He's a huge, huge Indian actor, and, you know, I guess I started

Sunjay: 00:05:33

to really become aware of that, you know, l- over the last few years.

Sunjay: 00:05:38

I was like, "Wow, my- there is something meaningful about my name," you know,

Sunjay: 00:05:41

the reason why it was given to me.

Sunjay: 00:05:43

And, you know, my mom had these dreams as a young, as a young girl, but she

Sunjay: 00:05:46

never quite was able to, to pursue them, but she's seeing those dreams

Sunjay: 00:05:50

happen through my eyes, you know?

Sunjay: 00:05:52

Um, I actually brought her to India last year when we were shooting Daniel.

Sunjay: 00:05:57

I was just filming a project in Morocco, just come back on Friday.

Sunjay: 00:06:01

I was there for, like, nine weeks.

Sunjay: 00:06:02

I brought my mom out to that one as well, so I'm able to give her the

Sunjay: 00:06:06

experience of, you know, being on set, but also just have a good time, you

Sunjay: 00:06:10

know, what is it like to be an actor.

Sunjay: 00:06:11

Yeah, so it's been quite the journey but, you know, that, after that

Sunjay: 00:06:15

phone call, one way or another, I made it happen, you know?

Sunjay: 00:06:17

And here I am today.

Matt: 00:06:19

I love it.

Matt: 00:06:20

That is a killer story.

Matt: 00:06:22

this reminds me, and forgive me, here, but I had a friend who, uh, she was an

Matt: 00:06:26

amazing musician, and she wanted to go to Nashville to become a songwriter.

Matt: 00:06:29

And so she went to- Oh, yeah … Muskingum University and was, you know, studying

Matt: 00:06:33

songwriting, and she just was in the same position you were, right?

Matt: 00:06:37

She's like, I don't think I really wanna do this, the school thing.

Matt: 00:06:40

I do wanna be a songwriter." She walked out, she had spent all her money on

Matt: 00:06:43

books, walks out to her car, somebody had busted her window out and taken all her

Matt: 00:06:47

books. And so she goes, "You know what?

Matt: 00:06:50

I'm just gonna quit school now.

Matt: 00:06:51

That's my sign, and I'm gonna become a songwriter."

Matt: 00:06:54

And she ended up writing the song Jesus Take the Wheel.

Matt: 00:06:56

Ooh.

Matt: 00:06:56

If you ever heard of that one, it's a big country song.

Matt: 00:06:59

I think, I think she's making a movie off that.

Matt: 00:07:00

So she's, like, one of the biggest country songwriters in the world.

Matt: 00:07:02

Yeah.

Matt: 00:07:02

So that's… Yeah, sometimes when you're being called to a calling, y- you just

Matt: 00:07:06

gotta follow the calling rather than the prescribed path to the calling, right?

Sunjay: 00:07:11

Do you know what, Matt?

Sunjay: 00:07:11

Honestly, that's a really nice story.

Sunjay: 00:07:13

I think they're making a film on that, by the way.

Sunjay: 00:07:15

I, I personally think… You know, I'm very blessed to, to kinda

Sunjay: 00:07:19

know what my purpose is, and also to have pursued it, you know?

Sunjay: 00:07:23

I, I really do think that us as human beings, we've all got given, you know,

Sunjay: 00:07:28

a God-given talent and, you know, I really think it's an utter shame if-

Sunjay: 00:07:35

You know, number one, some people may never know what their purpose is.

Sunjay: 00:07:39

Number two, they may know what it is and they may not

Sunjay: 00:07:43

have the courage to pursue it.

Sunjay: 00:07:45

You know, I'm all for people who, you know, are chasing their dreams

Sunjay: 00:07:49

and the dream is out there who have something that they feel like

Sunjay: 00:07:52

they need to kind of chase towards.

Sunjay: 00:07:54

We've all got a gift, you know, and it's an utter shame for somebody to grow

Sunjay: 00:07:58

old and to have never tried to, to try to chase it or, for example, they've

Sunjay: 00:08:02

nev- they didn't even know what it was.

Sunjay: 00:08:04

You know?

Sunjay: 00:08:04

So I think for somebody like you j- you know, yous mentioned that

Sunjay: 00:08:07

story about Jesus at the wheel, some- some way, somehow, sometimes

Sunjay: 00:08:11

it, it comes and it, you know… I had a bit of a crazy experience.

Sunjay: 00:08:14

Like I, I, I ended up studying acting a year later after I dropped

Sunjay: 00:08:17

out, and I did it for two years because I had to find a course.

Sunjay: 00:08:20

I didn't, had no knowledge of the industry.

Sunjay: 00:08:23

I did two years, and I kid you not, my very first audition, it was two weeks

Sunjay: 00:08:29

after I'd finished college, 'cause I was gonna go on to study further

Sunjay: 00:08:32

in drama school or potentially go to Vancouver or New York to study, and

Sunjay: 00:08:37

it was for a show called Doctors.

Sunjay: 00:08:39

They said to me it was gonna be for three, four episodes, and I went there.

Sunjay: 00:08:43

I had nothing to lose.

Sunjay: 00:08:44

My very first ever audition, and I booked it.

Sunjay: 00:08:48

And six years later, you know, I did, uh, 93 episodes, you know?

Matt: 00:08:52

93 episodes.

Sunjay: 00:08:53

Nominated for awards and stuff, and it was just… Sometimes

Sunjay: 00:08:56

it can happen like that, you know?

Sunjay: 00:08:58

And, um, but I had to put the groundwork in first to really pursue

Sunjay: 00:09:02

what I was trying to do, and I feel like you will be rewarded for it.

Matt: 00:09:06

I love that.

Matt: 00:09:06

That is beautiful.

Matt: 00:09:07

Let's talk a little bit about playing Shadrach.

Matt: 00:09:10

Now how, how did that process work?

Matt: 00:09:12

How did you… Did you audition generally?

Matt: 00:09:14

Did you audition for that role?

Matt: 00:09:15

What, where did the, that process start?

Sunjay: 00:09:18

Yeah, there was a lot of submissions.

Sunjay: 00:09:20

The directors told me there might have been, you know, a thousand or couple of

Sunjay: 00:09:23

thousand of submissions for these roles.

Sunjay: 00:09:25

Um, you know, I actually got in touch spec- personally with, um,

Sunjay: 00:09:30

Beverly Holloway, the casting director, you know- Mm-hmm

Sunjay: 00:09:32

original casting director of The Chosen.

Sunjay: 00:09:34

Yep.

Sunjay: 00:09:34

I Can Only Imagine.

Sunjay: 00:09:36

Um, so I knew of her work and, um, I just reached out to her, excuse

Sunjay: 00:09:40

me, and I had a bit of a one-to-one, and it c- ended up being a bit of a

Sunjay: 00:09:46

chat just rather than it, we talking business, we are talking business,

Sunjay: 00:09:50

but it became a very personal chat.

Sunjay: 00:09:51

We're talking about our faith and, you know, being, you know, act- you

Sunjay: 00:09:54

know, people of faith in the industry, and also just, just connecting.

Sunjay: 00:09:57

Became friends, and she was like, "I've gotta see you for this movie,

Sunjay: 00:09:59

Daniel, you know, and I'm gonna try to get you an audition." Uh, she took

Sunjay: 00:10:03

her time actually, and then it came through, like, a week or two later.

Sunjay: 00:10:06

Had an audition, and then there was a callback with the Coomans.

Sunjay: 00:10:10

I had that over Zoom.

Sunjay: 00:10:12

And, uh, the fiery furnace scene was in the callback.

Sunjay: 00:10:16

I think it was an optional, and I think I said, "Yeah, I can do this.

Sunjay: 00:10:19

Let me, can I do this scene?" And, um- Over Zoom … in the Zoom,

Sunjay: 00:10:23

man, and I was standing right here.

Sunjay: 00:10:25

Where I'm taking this interview was right here.

Sunjay: 00:10:27

And, uh, so you know, I had wardrobes, this wall was around me.

Sunjay: 00:10:31

This, this was the fiery furnace.

Sunjay: 00:10:34

So I had to channel, you know, um, you know what really led me, Matt?

Sunjay: 00:10:38

Had you, have you heard the song I Can Only Imagine?

Matt: 00:10:41

Of course.

Sunjay: 00:10:42

Of course.

Sunjay: 00:10:42

That was actually the song that led me through that callback because

Sunjay: 00:10:47

they're about to meet their savior.

Matt: 00:10:50

Yeah.

Sunjay: 00:10:50

And that song is so true, the lyrics, like, I can only imagine.

Sunjay: 00:10:53

What will I do?

Sunjay: 00:10:54

Will I fall to my knees?

Sunjay: 00:10:55

Will I, you know, shout?

Sunjay: 00:10:56

Or will I, will I run to you, you know?

Sunjay: 00:10:59

Will I be speechless?

Sunjay: 00:11:00

And I just allowed that song to kind of, you know, deliver me

Sunjay: 00:11:04

through this particular moment.

Sunjay: 00:11:05

And next thing you know, I'm in tears in the callback.

Sunjay: 00:11:08

The directors told me in Nashville that under the table they were saying to each

Sunjay: 00:11:12

other, "He's got the job." And then- Let's go … they, they, they, but they still

Sunjay: 00:11:16

took another three weeks to let me know.

Sunjay: 00:11:17

I was in New York, you know, and they, they called me to, to tell, you know,

Sunjay: 00:11:21

my agent called me, I got the job.

Sunjay: 00:11:23

But I was preparing deeply, Matt.

Sunjay: 00:11:25

I knew of this story as a young boy.

Sunjay: 00:11:27

Like, I've grown up on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Sunjay: 00:11:30

I actually taught on, , these particular three boys.

Sunjay: 00:11:32

I think you hit the nail on the head.

Sunjay: 00:11:34

It's an underrated story in the Bible.

Sunjay: 00:11:36

Mm-hmm.

Sunjay: 00:11:36

You know?

Sunjay: 00:11:37

But they did potentially one of the most- I don't know, scariest

Sunjay: 00:11:42

things that you could think of.

Sunjay: 00:11:44

Like, they were willing to walk through the fire for their faith, you know?

Sunjay: 00:11:48

Yeah.

Sunjay: 00:11:48

We know that Joseph was put into prison.

Sunjay: 00:11:51

David had to make, wait so many years to become king.

Sunjay: 00:11:53

And of course, Jesus died on the cross for us, and Jonah went into, to the whale

Sunjay: 00:11:58

and, you know, Joshua took down Jericho.

Sunjay: 00:12:01

There were so many…

Sunjay: 00:12:02

But these guys, they actually walked into the fire saying, "No matter

Sunjay: 00:12:07

what, we will not bow down." Right?

Sunjay: 00:12:09

It's an underrated, it's only like a chapter or so, but so impactful.

Sunjay: 00:12:13

So impactful.

Sunjay: 00:12:14

Yeah.

Sunjay: 00:12:14

They walked,

Matt: 00:12:15

they literally walked into hell, and not knowing they were

Matt: 00:12:18

going to meet Jesus in there.

Matt: 00:12:20

Not knowing.

Matt: 00:12:20

They were just walking in there because that's what the punishment

Matt: 00:12:22

they had to take for not bowing down.

Sunjay: 00:12:25

There you go.

Sunjay: 00:12:25

I mean, that's the wonderful part about it, you know, when that fourth man that

Sunjay: 00:12:29

they, you know, "There's a fourth man in the fire. I, I thought we sent three,"

Sunjay: 00:12:32

and I, I grew up on the story, so I was able to… The, the, for me, it was

Sunjay: 00:12:36

about when I, you know, when I had a fai- I was putting my faith to the test.

Sunjay: 00:12:39

I was already preparing for the role before I'd even got the yes.

Sunjay: 00:12:43

Like- Wow … I was going back to the, to the scriptures from Genesis 1:1.

Matt: 00:12:48

Yeah.

Matt: 00:12:48

" Sunjay: In the beginning, God…" I started from there,

Matt: 00:12:51

and then I was up to Daniel.

Matt: 00:12:53

I got the call, I got the job.

Matt: 00:12:54

Like, I was preparing, you know?

Matt: 00:12:56

I was putting my faith to the test and, um, you know, I wanted to just,

Matt: 00:13:01

I wanted to know who these boys were, like, in terms of- Mm-hmm

Matt: 00:13:04

a personal, deep, deeper level.

Matt: 00:13:06

Who were their faith heroes?

Matt: 00:13:07

You know, they were noble.

Matt: 00:13:09

Like, they were, they were known as, you know, the most wise, the most skillful.

Matt: 00:13:13

Why, what was the reason for this, you know?

Matt: 00:13:15

What lineage did they come from?

Matt: 00:13:17

You know, I wanted to know what would they be, be memorizing.

Matt: 00:13:20

Who was their, you know, in their moments of, of fiery furnaces

Matt: 00:13:24

before the fiery furnace-

Matt: 00:13:25

Yeah

Matt: 00:13:26

… Sunjay: who would they go into?

Matt: 00:13:27

Was it Moses?

Matt: 00:13:28

Was it Si- Samson?

Matt: 00:13:29

You know, all these people.

Matt: 00:13:30

So I was just really trying to build that world, uh, very, very vividly, and then

Matt: 00:13:36

it came across, I think, on screen, man.

Matt: 00:13:38

100% did.

Matt: 00:13:39

1,000% did, and, and you kind of mostly answered the next question I was

Matt: 00:13:43

gonna ask you in terms of preparation.

Matt: 00:13:45

you know, a lot of times in these Bible stories, like you say, they're short.

Matt: 00:13:47

It's like a couple chapters.

Matt: 00:13:48

Uh, y- you're not getting to know who Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are.

Matt: 00:13:52

You're not getting to g- n- to know kind of the differences in their personalities.

Matt: 00:13:56

I mean, but you, you really sounds like you, you did a lot of research on, okay,

Matt: 00:14:00

what, what would have been his influences?

Matt: 00:14:02

What would have been his lifestyle?

Matt: 00:14:04

Um, but h- how, you know, in these, for these biblical characters who

Matt: 00:14:08

are often mentioned maybe just by name and by action, how do you then

Matt: 00:14:13

go apply not just a character to it, but three different characters

Matt: 00:14:17

to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?

Sunjay: 00:14:20

Yeah.

Sunjay: 00:14:21

Do you know what?

Sunjay: 00:14:21

One of the interesting ones was, I mean, this is a slight spoiler,

Sunjay: 00:14:25

but I guess it's kinda knowledge as well- We've all read it,

Matt: 00:14:27

yeah.

Sunjay: 00:14:28

It's in the trailers, you know, the prophet Jeremiah is in this film.

Sunjay: 00:14:33

And I hadn't, you know, I didn't know that, that, that pot- potentially

Sunjay: 00:14:38

Jeremiah and Daniel might have lived in the same period of time.

Sunjay: 00:14:41

So for me, it was like, okay, which prophecies did Jeremiah

Sunjay: 00:14:45

tell that they might have been anticipating in their lifetime?

Sunjay: 00:14:50

You know, because these are wise boys.

Sunjay: 00:14:52

Their parents potentially would have heard these prophecies from Isaiah

Sunjay: 00:14:55

and Jeremiah, and fearing potentially that these are gonna be the people

Sunjay: 00:14:59

that were gonna go to Babylon.

Sunjay: 00:15:01

It was about staying prepared and, you know, us three boys together, you

Sunjay: 00:15:06

know, bringing our unique personalities and traits to our characters.

Sunjay: 00:15:10

There's a really wonderful scene with myself and Michelle, and we're

Sunjay: 00:15:13

talking about the faith heroes.

Sunjay: 00:15:14

I think I mentioned, you know, Samson, um, Joshua, Moses, Job.

Sunjay: 00:15:19

I talk about the patience of Job.

Sunjay: 00:15:21

Um- Mm-hmm

Sunjay: 00:15:23

… and-

Matt: 00:15:23

Is that during the prayer?

Sunjay: 00:15:24

It's the beginning scene, actually, when we're

Sunjay: 00:15:26

just… i'm standing, the sun's hitting me, and then- Yeah, yeah,

Matt: 00:15:29

yeah, yeah, yeah

Sunjay: 00:15:30

Michelle comes up to me and then I have the conversation.

Sunjay: 00:15:32

I actually wrote that with the directors.

Sunjay: 00:15:34

It was their idea, and I said, "I would love to kinda give you what

Sunjay: 00:15:37

I would think who- Wow … who we, who we'd be talking to." So I was

Sunjay: 00:15:40

really grateful to the Coomans.

Sunjay: 00:15:41

They're so collaborative.

Sunjay: 00:15:42

It was a wonderful experience.

Sunjay: 00:15:44

Um, to just kind of, you know, know, know these facts, you know?

Sunjay: 00:15:49

And also get to, you know… Sometimes as, as an actor, you have to, you have to

Sunjay: 00:15:56

build a backstory, and you have to make- Mm-hmm … you know, you know, thoughts

Sunjay: 00:15:59

and ideas that make sense, you know?

Sunjay: 00:16:02

So that's kinda what we did, and I feel like it's, uh, it definitely came across,

Sunjay: 00:16:06

and we had a lot of fun in building our three, you know, unique relationships.

Sunjay: 00:16:11

I mean, there's, uh, many funny scenes within the f- film as well-

Matt: 00:16:15

Oh, yeah

Matt: 00:16:15

… Sunjay: where we're cracking a bit of jokes.

Matt: 00:16:17

'Cause we wanna make this relatable because these were also three

Matt: 00:16:19

boys, you know, three friends.

Matt: 00:16:21

Yeah.

Matt: 00:16:21

And people wanna walk away from that cinema thinking, you know,

Matt: 00:16:25

"I can relate to these guys."

Matt: 00:16:28

100%.

Matt: 00:16:28

and yeah, you completely pulled that off.

Matt: 00:16:30

You know, I wanna kind of relate two things here, 'cause you talk a l-

Matt: 00:16:34

a lot about the preparation you go through to get to know the character.

Matt: 00:16:38

And a lot of what this podcast is, is, you know, budding filmmakers

Matt: 00:16:42

kind of learning from the pros who do it, a lot of budding actors here.

Matt: 00:16:45

And I feel like there's a temptation for a lot of actors to perform a role rather

Matt: 00:16:51

than become the character, and that sounds like the most acting 101 thing ever.

Matt: 00:16:56

But, I mean, even in, uh, in movies I see every day, I see actors who may be

Matt: 00:17:00

very skilled at performing a role who aren't necessarily becoming the character.

Matt: 00:17:06

But that's what I noticed about you f- that just jumped out of the screen at me.

Matt: 00:17:10

You are that guy.

Matt: 00:17:11

You became that character, and I think it's that preparation and that,

Matt: 00:17:14

that kind of sub- su- subjugation or the, uh, willingness to submit

Matt: 00:17:20

to the character that you had.

Matt: 00:17:22

I see that mostly in this film.

Matt: 00:17:24

and not to rank characters, but you and Elijah Alexander both just

Matt: 00:17:28

have that so naturally, and I was so blown away by both performances.

Sunjay: 00:17:33

Oh, thank you so much, Matt.

Sunjay: 00:17:35

I really do appreciate you saying that.

Sunjay: 00:17:36

the first day we worked with Elijah, and

Sunjay: 00:17:41

I'd known about his work from The Chosen, uh, at this point.

Sunjay: 00:17:43

Yeah.

Sunjay: 00:17:43

It was the scene where we're presenting the image, the artwork-

Sunjay: 00:17:48

Mm … of the, you know, the idol that he's asking us to create.

Sunjay: 00:17:52

And he came onto the set, and I can tell you now, I got goosebumps just

Sunjay: 00:17:57

by… He must have been walking.

Sunjay: 00:17:59

You know, we were in this particular area, and I could only hear… You

Sunjay: 00:18:03

know, I heard on the radio, "Elijah's coming," you know, from one of the

Sunjay: 00:18:05

ADs, or, you know, heading to set.

Sunjay: 00:18:07

And I, like, the goosebumps were just coming up.

Sunjay: 00:18:11

You know, it felt so… He, he had brought such a, personality, but also

Sunjay: 00:18:17

realness and charisma to Nebuchadnezzar.

Sunjay: 00:18:20

Um, and he just felt like as if there's a reason why he's playing a king, you know?

Sunjay: 00:18:26

And, you know, you've gotta be able to carry that energy,

Sunjay: 00:18:30

and he certainly did, man.

Sunjay: 00:18:32

I was blown away.

Sunjay: 00:18:33

You know, I used to watch him, and I was just so grateful to be taking

Sunjay: 00:18:37

part, you know, uh, working with him.

Sunjay: 00:18:39

You know, there was just moments where sometimes you just gotta watch, and you've

Sunjay: 00:18:42

just gotta make sure you're on the same level, and you've just gotta give it back.

Sunjay: 00:18:44

And he was playful, and, you know, he was adding some dialogue and stuff.

Sunjay: 00:18:47

And just being, you know, uh, ready to receive is where you've kinda gotta be.

Matt: 00:18:53

Yeah, 'cause, I mean, as an actor, I mean, to, to act in a scene

Matt: 00:18:57

with an actor of that caliber, you're gonna either go one way or the other.

Matt: 00:18:59

You're gonna clam up or, or he's gonna lift you.

Matt: 00:19:02

And I think he- Yeah … he lifted everybody on screen-

Matt: 00:19:05

Definitely … with him.

Matt: 00:19:05

he reminds me of kind of a Russell Crowe if Russell Crowe were

Matt: 00:19:09

maybe a little better an actor.

Matt: 00:19:10

That's kind of what I, what I get from, from Elijah Alexander.

Matt: 00:19:14

But even with your role, now this is, this is something that

Matt: 00:19:16

all actors I think need to hear.

Matt: 00:19:18

Your role did not have… I mean, obviously Elijah can take a role like

Matt: 00:19:21

that and there, and he- he- he's, he's the, the lead in the film, so

Matt: 00:19:24

he has a lot of, of dialogue with which to work to, to, to perform.

Matt: 00:19:29

Your role, you're on film a lot, and the, and let's be honest, it, like you

Matt: 00:19:33

say, the story is about the three boys.

Matt: 00:19:34

But you didn't have a ton of dialogue, and so when you're an actor like that with-

Matt: 00:19:39

without a ton of dialogue, you really have to show up and, and make yourself,

Matt: 00:19:45

um, and, and bring, bring something that's just undeniable to the role in

Matt: 00:19:50

the, the few opportunities you have to speak, and I think you, you knocked

Matt: 00:19:53

that out of the park in my opinion.

Sunjay: 00:19:55

Definitely.

Sunjay: 00:19:56

Thank you so much.

Sunjay: 00:19:57

I mean, the camera sees everything, you know?

Sunjay: 00:20:00

Yeah.

Sunjay: 00:20:01

Talking filmically now.

Sunjay: 00:20:03

I just feel like- No matter what the scene, if you're saying something,

Sunjay: 00:20:08

if you're not saying… You can say a lot by not saying something.

Sunjay: 00:20:11

Um, but also you've just gotta be present and alive.

Sunjay: 00:20:15

Alive is the right word, I feel like.

Sunjay: 00:20:17

You've gotta be alive, like me and you right now.

Sunjay: 00:20:19

You're nodding your head right now.

Sunjay: 00:20:20

You're not saying anything, but you're nodding your head.

Sunjay: 00:20:22

You're doing something, you know?

Sunjay: 00:20:23

And I feel like, you know, it- the story, 'cause I knew it so well,

Sunjay: 00:20:29

and I loved how the directors intertwined the stuff with Jeremiah.

Sunjay: 00:20:34

You know, I was able to just, just listen, listen to the scriptures come alive, you

Sunjay: 00:20:39

know, and to just be alive and my senses to just be, be aware of what's going on.

Sunjay: 00:20:45

And I feel like ultimately something will happen from that, you know?

Sunjay: 00:20:50

And dependent upon, you might not be saying anything, but something's

Sunjay: 00:20:54

gonna happen in your face.

Sunjay: 00:20:55

You're gonna, you know, something's gonna move, you know?

Sunjay: 00:20:57

You're gonna, you're gonna feel inclined to just do

Sunjay: 00:21:00

something because you are alive.

Sunjay: 00:21:01

You are receiving, you know, this information in real time.

Sunjay: 00:21:05

Do you know what I mean?

Sunjay: 00:21:06

Um- Right … so that's kinda how I approach those moments, I guess.

Matt: 00:21:11

Well, it's the difference, like I said earlier, in becoming the character

Matt: 00:21:14

and really living and riding the waves of that character's intention- Yeah

Matt: 00:21:18

not letting it drop off when you're not speaking, and, and the difference

Matt: 00:21:22

in that and performing dialogue.

Matt: 00:21:25

Exactly.

Matt: 00:21:25

And that, that shows to an audience 100%.

Matt: 00:21:28

Uh, let's talk about you mentioned having to audition with the fiery furnace

Matt: 00:21:31

scene, so let's talk about- What, so what was it like to film that scene?

Sunjay: 00:21:36

Honestly, Matt, like, I, I actually wept for three

Sunjay: 00:21:41

to four hours straight, man.

Sunjay: 00:21:44

I just could not stop crying.

Sunjay: 00:21:46

Oof.

Sunjay: 00:21:47

I literally balled and balled.

Sunjay: 00:21:50

I slept like a baby that night, genuinely.

Sunjay: 00:21:54

I got back to the hotel and I said, "Guys, I think we got it," you know?

Sunjay: 00:21:58

This is the climactic scene.

Sunjay: 00:22:01

You know, because the truth is, you know, obviously we shoot this stuff in

Sunjay: 00:22:04

segments, but there was, there was, there was something that I was contemplating

Sunjay: 00:22:08

and I was asking question, 'cause you've always gotta ask questions as

Sunjay: 00:22:11

an actor, but also as the character.

Sunjay: 00:22:13

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were unscathed.

Sunjay: 00:22:16

Even their clothes were not burnt.

Sunjay: 00:22:20

So I had a question for the directors, and I just kind of

Sunjay: 00:22:24

wanted to internally feel it.

Sunjay: 00:22:26

When they're walking towards the furnace-

Sunjay: 00:22:32

Was I feeling the fire?

Sunjay: 00:22:33

Was I feeling the heat?

Sunjay: 00:22:36

Because they're not gonna be burnt.

Sunjay: 00:22:37

So the others who are, you know, Nebuchadnezzar's guards and stuff,

Sunjay: 00:22:40

they are being burnt from a distance.

Sunjay: 00:22:42

Back up, yeah.

Sunjay: 00:22:42

Right?

Sunjay: 00:22:43

Yeah.

Sunjay: 00:22:44

And we are about to walk straight in.

Sunjay: 00:22:46

So I was imagining what was it, was he having a supernatural

Sunjay: 00:22:50

feeling even just walking into it?

Sunjay: 00:22:52

And I was trying to feel that, you know, as Shadrach.

Sunjay: 00:22:58

And then of course, when we went into the furnace… I mean, you know, it's like I

Sunjay: 00:23:03

said, the, the song I, I Can Only Imagine.

Sunjay: 00:23:05

What am I gonna do when I meet my Lord and Savior?

Sunjay: 00:23:08

These guys, not only did they… They came to Babylon, you know.

Sunjay: 00:23:13

They were chosen.

Sunjay: 00:23:15

Part of that particular generation.

Sunjay: 00:23:17

And then above that, you know, they had to be around all this idolatry,

Sunjay: 00:23:22

all this stuff that was against who they were, yet they stood firm.

Sunjay: 00:23:26

They went through the test.

Sunjay: 00:23:27

They were gonna be put to death but, you know, thankfully Daniel,

Sunjay: 00:23:30

through the dream, he, he saw the king's dr- uh, uh, uh, vision.

Sunjay: 00:23:34

You know, they then went on the, on the Daniel Fast, as we call it.

Sunjay: 00:23:37

They went through so much, and then another test came their way where

Sunjay: 00:23:41

they've, they've been told to bow.

Sunjay: 00:23:44

The entire world is gonna bow to this statue, and they're the only three

Sunjay: 00:23:47

people mentioned who do not bow.

Sunjay: 00:23:50

Three people.

Sunjay: 00:23:51

And yet they answered and said, "No matter what, we are still not gonna

Sunjay: 00:23:56

bow." But they also believe that the Lord will st- can save them.

Sunjay: 00:24:00

He certainly will.

Sunjay: 00:24:01

But even if he doesn't, we're still not gonna bow.

Sunjay: 00:24:04

So they were literally putting themself, as Christ did for us,

Sunjay: 00:24:08

they were putting themselves to death for, for what they believe in.

Sunjay: 00:24:13

And they were literally laying down their lives for who they

Sunjay: 00:24:16

believe in, and the person that they're doing that for saves them.

Sunjay: 00:24:21

So I mean, who c- who can imagine what that feels like?

Matt: 00:24:25

That level of faith.

Sunjay: 00:24:26

I had to.

Sunjay: 00:24:27

That level of faith.

Sunjay: 00:24:27

You know, there is persecuted Christians across the globe who, who go through this.

Sunjay: 00:24:31

We know about Stephen, you know, who we, we see that Jesus stood

Sunjay: 00:24:35

at the right hand of the Father when receiving him, you know.

Sunjay: 00:24:37

And I just had to just imagine what that felt like, and I

Sunjay: 00:24:41

just could not stop crying.

Sunjay: 00:24:42

I just could not stop crying.

Sunjay: 00:24:44

Mm. I'm getting chills now thinking about it again because I just felt

Sunjay: 00:24:47

all I can do right now is weep.

Sunjay: 00:24:49

I'm speechless.

Sunjay: 00:24:50

You've just saved me.

Sunjay: 00:24:51

But then also, do I even wanna go back?

Sunjay: 00:24:55

Mm. I wanna stay with you.

Matt: 00:24:56

That's right.

Matt: 00:24:57

That's right.

Sunjay: 00:24:57

You know?

Sunjay: 00:24:58

Uh, so I had all these questions.

Sunjay: 00:24:59

Just I, I thank the directors that they were able to, you know, bring that scene.

Sunjay: 00:25:04

I mean, I'm ha- I'm hearing so many people who are moved by this

Sunjay: 00:25:06

particular scene and the prayer scene that you mentioned earlier.

Sunjay: 00:25:09

You know, the sequence of the prayer, and people are just moving, you know,

Sunjay: 00:25:13

coming away just like, you know, reminding themselves of the fourth man in the fire

Sunjay: 00:25:18

and, um, yeah, just to be able to stand true and firm in your faith, you know?

Matt: 00:25:23

And, and you're… As an actor, you're pulled, if you're

Matt: 00:25:25

being true to your character, which you were, you're being pulled in so

Matt: 00:25:27

many different directions because obviously these guys, their, their

Matt: 00:25:30

faith was, was dang near perfect.

Matt: 00:25:32

They walked into the fire.

Matt: 00:25:34

But at the same time- time if, if, if I'm in that situation, regardless of wh-

Matt: 00:25:38

of, of the faith I have in God, 'cause like you said, I didn't, they didn't

Matt: 00:25:41

know whether God was going to save them-

Sunjay: 00:25:43

they didn't know what, they didn't know, you know, what we know now.

Matt: 00:25:45

They didn't know what we know now.

Matt: 00:25:46

They didn't know that the- Yeah … they might have thought that, well, God

Matt: 00:25:49

will save our souls and we'll go to heaven, but we're gonna burn here.

Matt: 00:25:51

Yeah.

Matt: 00:25:52

So there had to be some real cognitive dissonance around

Matt: 00:25:54

walking and looking at fire and it not burning you, and just- Yeah

Matt: 00:25:58

th- freaking out about that be- before you see Jesus when the, or the fourth

Matt: 00:26:02

man in the fire, when the, the, all of that goes away and now we know why.

Matt: 00:26:06

We know that God did so many miracles for the people, uh, before that.

Matt: 00:26:11

You know, parting the sea, um, one of the major ones, you know, turning

Matt: 00:26:15

water into, you know, the, the, the river turning into blood, and

Matt: 00:26:18

there's so many different things.

Matt: 00:26:19

You know, Samson killing all these, you know, the thousands of, of, of men

Matt: 00:26:24

and, you know, with, with just a bone.

Matt: 00:26:25

Like, it… So we, we know that he, I feel like they, they had

Matt: 00:26:30

understanding of, you know, their God being able to deliver them.

Matt: 00:26:35

And also, you know, even through the freed- you know, the Daniel

Matt: 00:26:38

Fast, they were miraculously- Mm-hmm

Matt: 00:26:40

you know, better looking than all- Bigger and

Matt: 00:26:42

stronger

Matt: 00:26:43

… Sunjay: bigger and stronger.

Matt: 00:26:44

So they knew that God was able to do this for them, however, him doing it, you

Matt: 00:26:49

know, was a different thing, you know?

Matt: 00:26:51

But they were willing to put that to the test, I guess, and, you know,

Matt: 00:26:55

sometimes y- you, you know, you gotta put your faith to the test for God

Matt: 00:26:59

to show up, you know what I mean?

Matt: 00:27:00

Easy to say you have faith, and tell yourself- Yeah … you have faith.

Matt: 00:27:04

What's it gonna be like when the, the furnace is burning, right?

Sunjay: 00:27:07

There you go.

Matt: 00:27:08

And that kind of leads us to the overall message and,

Matt: 00:27:10

and we've kind of covered that.

Matt: 00:27:12

F- for me, the reason I, I said that, and this is, uh, what I kind of

Matt: 00:27:15

thought while I was watching it, why I thought that the Daniel story, um,

Matt: 00:27:18

well, and the Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego story, the fiery furnace is

Matt: 00:27:22

underrated is, is it really does…

Matt: 00:27:26

It, it's a, it's a perfect example of the story, of the entire Bible.

Matt: 00:27:31

It's that men seek power, and that's, and that's our downfall, and those who

Matt: 00:27:37

seek, and when we're called to seek truth, those who submit to God are saved by God.

Matt: 00:27:43

Those who cannot submit to God and seek power- They're the, the,

Matt: 00:27:48

they're the Abednego and Azarias.

Matt: 00:27:50

And, and that's… You can apply that same kind of lesson for the entirety

Matt: 00:27:55

of the, the Old and New Testaments.

Matt: 00:27:58

And I s- and- Yeah … and it was, it was, it was a, it was a well done,

Matt: 00:28:00

uh… It w- it's a great story, but you guys, I think, really, really

Matt: 00:28:03

produced it very, very, very well.

Sunjay: 00:28:05

Yeah, it's done really well.

Sunjay: 00:28:07

I think it's done, like, $8 million, um- Yeah

Sunjay: 00:28:10

just in US and, and Canada alone, um, which is almost, I

Sunjay: 00:28:14

think, quadruple the budget.

Sunjay: 00:28:16

I know that the Coomans are planning on, uh, the next part of their plans with

Sunjay: 00:28:21

some, some biblical cinematic movies.

Sunjay: 00:28:24

I c- I call it the BCU, the Biblical- Yeah … Cinematic Universe.

Sunjay: 00:28:28

Yeah,

Matt: 00:28:28

yeah.

Sunjay: 00:28:28

People across the world, Matt, like, I am seeing thousands and

Sunjay: 00:28:32

thousands and thousands of people in Indonesia and Brazil, Indonesia- Wow

Sunjay: 00:28:37

especially, just pour into the cinema watching this movie.

Sunjay: 00:28:43

Like, I've received countless messages, and people are having Bible study.

Sunjay: 00:28:48

They've got their Bibles out watching the movie.

Sunjay: 00:28:49

People are, you know, after the movie, they're praying together.

Sunjay: 00:28:52

I'm seeing footage of just all this stuff.

Sunjay: 00:28:54

There was 1,000 people at the premiere in Indonesia alone.

Sunjay: 00:28:59

Wow.

Sunjay: 00:28:59

You know, so this is moving across the world.

Matt: 00:29:02

It's beautiful.

Matt: 00:29:03

I love it.

Matt: 00:29:03

You know,

Matt: 00:29:04

I wanna talk about one of the criticisms that I've read of it online

Matt: 00:29:07

and then kind of relate it back to what you just said, and I get it.

Matt: 00:29:10

We're, turned off by AI.

Matt: 00:29:12

People don't like anything AI- … because it doesn't seem real.

Matt: 00:29:15

I'll defend this movie's use of AI i- in two ways.

Matt: 00:29:19

One, other than maybe the fourth man in the fire, um, which looked a lot

Matt: 00:29:25

like the Shroud of Turin Yeah … um, other than that, AI was primarily used

Matt: 00:29:30

as a budgetary, uh, way to save money.

Matt: 00:29:33

A lot the big giant scenes that you couldn't have shot without- Yeah

Matt: 00:29:37

A budget much more than t- 'cause I, saw that the budget was, like, $2 million.

Matt: 00:29:41

People don't realize- It, it does sound fair, yeah … that

Matt: 00:29:42

sounds like a lot of money.

Matt: 00:29:43

That's absolutely nothing in- Yeah … and so this movie did not

Matt: 00:29:47

look like a $2 million movie at all.

Matt: 00:29:49

It looked like it was about a 50 to a $100 million movie.

Matt: 00:29:53

But you have to use AI in order to make that happen, and i- if you said, "Nope,

Matt: 00:29:58

no AI, we're gonna spend 50 million bucks," and then you made 8 million

Matt: 00:30:02

in the theaters, well, guess what?

Matt: 00:30:03

Then those amazing filmmakers aren't gonna get to go do it again.

Matt: 00:30:07

So I think it's fine to use AI when you're s- you know, for these big

Matt: 00:30:11

establishing shots or some of the things you would've used CGI for 10 years ago.

Matt: 00:30:16

Um, but you didn't take the humanity out of it.

Matt: 00:30:18

The actors were human.

Sunjay: 00:30:21

Yeah, I think that's the most important thing, you know.

Sunjay: 00:30:23

We want the stories to, to remain and stay human, uh, relatable

Sunjay: 00:30:28

and, um, you know, of course.

Sunjay: 00:30:31

I mean, how do you possibly create a scene of people walking

Sunjay: 00:30:37

through fire, you know- Right

Sunjay: 00:30:38

without people getting hurt, you know?

Sunjay: 00:30:40

Um, and then- There's no

Matt: 00:30:41

practical answer for that.

Sunjay: 00:30:43

You know, there you go.

Sunjay: 00:30:44

So I totally understand, you know, some of the comments in regards to that.

Sunjay: 00:30:48

Um, but I really like how you put it, you know, at the end of the day, this

Sunjay: 00:30:52

movie made $8 million, you know, it has made, sorry, and it's growing off,

Sunjay: 00:30:56

off a $2 million budget shot in India.

Sunjay: 00:30:58

Do you know what I mean?

Sunjay: 00:30:59

We shot in India and, um, you know, we, we… They did the best that they could

Sunjay: 00:31:03

and I, and I personally just w- think that we are-- These people are, are, are

Sunjay: 00:31:09

competing against huge productions houses.

Sunjay: 00:31:13

Yeah.

Sunjay: 00:31:13

You know?

Sunjay: 00:31:13

So they're doing the best that they can and ultimately, you

Sunjay: 00:31:17

know, people are walking away…

Sunjay: 00:31:19

I mean, it's got a-- It's been rated hot on, on Rotten Tomatoes

Sunjay: 00:31:23

from the audience, you know?

Sunjay: 00:31:24

So majority of people are loving it, you know, and I guess sometimes you gotta

Sunjay: 00:31:29

just, you know… You, you… Not, not everybody's gonna be totally, totally,

Sunjay: 00:31:32

you know, pleased with everything, and that's totally understandable.

Sunjay: 00:31:35

Everyone's, everybody's got an opinion.

Sunjay: 00:31:37

Um, I just think, you know, sometimes you gotta have a bit of understanding

Sunjay: 00:31:40

like you just mentioned, and you kind of can, I don't know, accept it or you can,

Sunjay: 00:31:45

you can, I guess, relate to it, I guess.

Matt: 00:31:47

Well, you just have more of a nuanced opinion about AI.

Matt: 00:31:50

Yeah, a more nuanced opinion.

Matt: 00:31:51

It's not a it's either good or bad.

Matt: 00:31:52

It's, it's- Yeah … it can be good in these ways and it can be b- if… Now,

Matt: 00:31:56

if they'd tried to make your character AI, I wouldn't have liked that very

Matt: 00:31:59

much- … 'cause I want the real dude.

Matt: 00:32:00

Yeah.

Matt: 00:32:01

And so, uh, for me, they used it correctly, and so I hope people will, uh-

Sunjay: 00:32:04

I can promise you every moment that I was on screen, it was me.

Matt: 00:32:07

It was obviously you.

Matt: 00:32:08

Yeah- Yeah … you were, you were being real.

Matt: 00:32:10

Well, man, um, I don't want to take up too much more of your time.

Matt: 00:32:13

I really appreciate the time you spent with us today.

Matt: 00:32:15

one thing I do wanna ask though is, as a successful actor, and I

Matt: 00:32:19

don't… I, I, I mean successful in, in the product of your skill.

Matt: 00:32:23

Y- y- you're-- The, the performance you turned in was successful.

Matt: 00:32:27

I'm gonna say that objectively.

Matt: 00:32:28

But also just in the fact that you're able to, to, to book such a movie and

Matt: 00:32:31

you, and you are a s- a working actor.

Matt: 00:32:33

What advice do you have for other actors who are, you know, struggling

Matt: 00:32:37

to kinda break into the business?

Sunjay: 00:32:41

What advice do I have?

Sunjay: 00:32:42

I mean, number one, I think i- it's, it sounds cliché, but this

Sunjay: 00:32:48

is a marathon, not a sprint.

Sunjay: 00:32:51

You know, I'm having such an incredible couple years.

Sunjay: 00:32:54

I've shot in India, I've shot in Romania, I've shot in the US, I've shot in Morocco.

Sunjay: 00:33:00

You know, 10 years ago, I, I might have been in my bedroom and that

Sunjay: 00:33:06

could have… that seemed so far away.

Sunjay: 00:33:08

You know, I think it's just about having that faith and also belief, but

Sunjay: 00:33:14

also just keep working on your craft.

Sunjay: 00:33:16

I just really do believe, you know, there's a scripture in the Bible and,

Sunjay: 00:33:21

you know, I'm not saying it means this, but I'm saying it's useful in the terms

Sunjay: 00:33:25

of it, what, for what it, you know, you might be able to take away from it.

Sunjay: 00:33:30

You know, where your heart is, there your treasure shall be also.

Sunjay: 00:33:32

And I feel like what you put your heart into, what you put your time

Sunjay: 00:33:35

and your effort and everything, you will see treasure from it, you know?

Sunjay: 00:33:39

And I really love, you know, when it's not happening, you know, when I'm not

Sunjay: 00:33:44

traveling the bloody world and doing this and that, I'm, I'm in class, I'm

Sunjay: 00:33:49

go- I'm reading plays, I'm going to the theater, I am going to the movies, I'm

Sunjay: 00:33:52

watching films, I'm watching series.

Sunjay: 00:33:54

You know, I'm going to acting sessions and s- seeing what's being cast and,

Sunjay: 00:33:59

and, you know, being very proactive rather than just waiting for the,

Sunjay: 00:34:03

your, the phone to c- to, to ring.

Sunjay: 00:34:05

I personally believe that luck is when preparation meets opportunity.

Sunjay: 00:34:09

You've got to stay prepared, you know?

Sunjay: 00:34:11

then it will happen, I do believe.

Sunjay: 00:34:13

But most of all, it's a marathon, not a sprint.

Sunjay: 00:34:15

You've gotta do this for the love of the game.

Sunjay: 00:34:17

You know, you're not… If you're doing it for fame, you, it's, it's not gonna last.

Sunjay: 00:34:21

It's just not gonna last.

Sunjay: 00:34:22

You know, this is something, this is a medium, you know, for people

Sunjay: 00:34:27

who are crazy enough to, to see it through to the end because, um, a lot

Sunjay: 00:34:33

of the time as an actor, you spend it unemployed, and that's the reality of it.

Sunjay: 00:34:38

You know, I saw an incredible interview, a fantastic actor who, who recently

Sunjay: 00:34:42

played, uh, Wonder Man for Disney, Yahya Abdul, and I believe he said,

Sunjay: 00:34:47

"The least time for an actor that they, in terms of acting, they hear

Sunjay: 00:34:53

'action' and 'cut'" You know, that's such a small percentage of their life.

Sunjay: 00:34:59

The rest of the time is preparation, and that's just such a small amount.

Sunjay: 00:35:04

So that should give you a bit of an insight into, you know, some advice,

Sunjay: 00:35:10

and also hopefully give you a bit of inspiration to just keep going.

Sunjay: 00:35:13

Just keep going, because I think it's, it's inevitable, you know?

Sunjay: 00:35:17

I, I, I really do believe, you know, where your heart is, your treasure shall be, and

Sunjay: 00:35:22

what you put in, it will come back to you.

Matt: 00:35:24

Like a professional athlete, those guys are completely-

Sunjay: 00:35:26

That's how you gotta treat it … all in.

Matt: 00:35:28

Yeah.

Sunjay: 00:35:28

Yeah, you gotta treat it like an athlete, you know?

Sunjay: 00:35:30

They're… An athlete, if they are under-trained, if they're

Sunjay: 00:35:33

not warmed up, You will see it.

Sunjay: 00:35:35

You know, they've got to keep training in order to stay fit or stay ready or

Sunjay: 00:35:39

stay prepared in whatever sport that they are taking part of, you know?

Sunjay: 00:35:44

If they don't- Well- … go to training this week, they're not

Sunjay: 00:35:46

playing on the weekend, you know?

Matt: 00:35:49

Well, speaking of training, you did not miss bicep day

Matt: 00:35:52

before- … you, uh, before this role.

Matt: 00:35:54

I saw that-

Sunjay: 00:35:55

I'm glad you said it

Sunjay: 00:35:55

… Matt: my man had some guns.

Sunjay: 00:35:58

My goodness.

Sunjay: 00:35:59

I'm glad, I'm glad you picked it out, Matt.

Sunjay: 00:36:01

Do you know what?

Sunjay: 00:36:01

Genuinely, it was something I actually specifically worked on because, look,

Sunjay: 00:36:06

these boys were uniquely special, and- Yeah … especially, you know,

Sunjay: 00:36:12

I'm so glad to, I'm so grateful to the Coomans for this because there's

Sunjay: 00:36:16

the scene where we get weighed, and we know- Yeah … that they came out

Sunjay: 00:36:20

stronger looking and physically, you know, better than the other people.

Sunjay: 00:36:23

Um, they show Daniel, then they show Shadrach.

Sunjay: 00:36:27

And, you know, I'm so glad they got me because I actually specifically for that

Sunjay: 00:36:31

day of shooting, I'd got an extra pump.

Sunjay: 00:36:34

There was no atrophy in those biceps, I'm gonna tell you.

Sunjay: 00:36:37

No AI, baby.

Sunjay: 00:36:39

That was just- That was- … you know, me and another actor who plays, um, Abednego

Sunjay: 00:36:44

or Azariah, whatever you wanna go with.

Sunjay: 00:36:45

Funny story.

Sunjay: 00:36:46

So there's this whole debate about the, you know, the guys becoming eunuchs.

Sunjay: 00:36:50

Right.

Sunjay: 00:36:50

We actually shot a whole eunuch scene- It's only got

Sunjay: 00:36:54

glimpse of it on, in the movie.

Sunjay: 00:36:56

Um, and funnily enough, we got the call quite late that day, we were at the hotel,

Sunjay: 00:37:02

"You guys are shooting this scene today."

Sunjay: 00:37:04

So we got those dumbbells, and Zacky, he is such a won- he put

Sunjay: 00:37:09

them in his backpack, we were in our trailer, and we were just pumping,

Sunjay: 00:37:14

pumping, and pumping, you know?

Matt: 00:37:17

You couldn't move your arms, but man, they looked good.

Sunjay: 00:37:20

Where's the baby oil?

Matt: 00:37:23

That's right.

Matt: 00:37:24

Oh, it's such a- Put the camera right here.

Sunjay: 00:37:26

Yeah, I

Matt: 00:37:26

mean, this is the fun part.

Matt: 00:37:27

Well, the gun show was alive in India, for sure.

Sunjay: 00:37:29

Absolutely.

Matt: 00:37:29

Uh, yeah, so you mentioned, um, a project that you just

Matt: 00:37:32

got done working on in Morocco.

Matt: 00:37:35

Yes.

Matt: 00:37:35

I don't wanna say anything more about it, because I don't know where

Matt: 00:37:37

the secrecy lies, but what can you tell us about this next project?

Sunjay: 00:37:41

Very secret, you know, it's not even been announced, but we have

Sunjay: 00:37:44

just completed it, that is for sure.

Sunjay: 00:37:46

Um, it is, what can I say?

Sunjay: 00:37:49

You know, it's a huge… It's a season two of a show that was

Sunjay: 00:37:54

number one, let's just say that.

Sunjay: 00:37:56

Um, and- Hmm … you know, I wrapped on Friday.

Sunjay: 00:38:00

I have not changed my facial hair or hair on my head since Friday,

Sunjay: 00:38:06

so I'll let the people guess, and have it to your own imagination.

Sunjay: 00:38:11

As you can see, I look a lot different to Shadrach, but, um- You do

Matt: 00:38:14

look a little different than Shadrach, for sure

Matt: 00:38:15

… Sunjay: you know, so, um, I

Matt: 00:38:17

will- Well, when that comes out, I wanna have you back

Matt: 00:38:19

on and let's talk about that.

Matt: 00:38:20

Abs- Because-

Sunjay: 00:38:20

Well, that's one thing for sure, is we'll speak again.

Matt: 00:38:24

Absolutely.

Matt: 00:38:25

Yeah, it's l- it's so helpful, uh, not just to talk to you about, uh,

Matt: 00:38:28

about this particular experience, but to learn from this experience the

Matt: 00:38:32

lessons I think a l- a lot of us need to learn about what it is like to be

Matt: 00:38:36

an actor, and I, I love to get into the, into the nerdy, nerdy actor stuff.

Matt: 00:38:41

So let's- Yeah … talk about season two I mean,

Sunjay: 00:38:42

honestly, Matt, I am just, most of all, I, like, I want the

Sunjay: 00:38:45

people to know I am so grateful.

Sunjay: 00:38:48

Like, my, my- Yeah … I wake up every day and I try to give five things to

Sunjay: 00:38:53

be thankful for each morning, you know?

Sunjay: 00:38:56

Different things every day, and I am not going to, um, you know, put under

Sunjay: 00:39:03

the carpet the, the incredible time I've had over the last couple of years.

Sunjay: 00:39:06

The last three months, you know, I was shooting in Morocco, I was

Sunjay: 00:39:08

shooting in New Mexico, I was in Nashville for the premiere.

Sunjay: 00:39:11

Last year, I was shooting in India, I was shooting in Romania.

Sunjay: 00:39:14

Before I went to New Mexico, I was shooting a show out here for ITV.

Sunjay: 00:39:18

I just got engaged, you know?

Matt: 00:39:20

Oh, congratulations.

Sunjay: 00:39:21

I got engaged on the day of the premiere in Nashville, at the after party.

Sunjay: 00:39:26

What a time to

Matt: 00:39:27

be alive.

Matt: 00:39:27

You're living the dream, my brother.

Sunjay: 00:39:29

It's happening, I'm just so grateful.

Sunjay: 00:39:31

Like, honestly, you know, I've had my fiery furnaces, like, you

Sunjay: 00:39:36

know, I've been there, and moments of doubt and fear and, you know.

Sunjay: 00:39:40

But I stuck it out, and here we are, and we're celebrating these moments

Sunjay: 00:39:45

and, you know, we're coming through.

Matt: 00:39:47

I could not think of a better way to end it.

Matt: 00:39:48

Sanjay Midda, thank you so much for joining us today on the Faith Family-

Sunjay: 00:39:51

You said it right.

Sunjay: 00:39:52

… Matt: Filmmakers podcast.

Sunjay: 00:39:53

It only took seven tries.

Sunjay: 00:39:55

You see- … I went through my own fiery furnace of linguistic mispronunciation,

Sunjay: 00:39:58

and I finally got it, so-

Sunjay: 00:39:59

There you go, man.

Matt: 00:40:00

Thank you so much for joining us, brother.

Matt: 00:40:01

I appreciate you.

Sunjay: 00:40:02

Thank you, Matt.