'David and Goliath' actor says landing the lead role in the upcoming Bible flick was 'initially duanting'

The lead actor of the upcoming Biblical flick 'David and Goliath' had only one word to describe the filming, and that is "daunting."

Miles Sloman, who had to audition against 7,000 other hopefuls for the role, said that as an unknown actor, he put a lot of pressure on himself when playing one of the most beloved characters in the Bible.

"Taking a lead role in such a significant film was initially daunting and I put a fair amount of pressure on myself," Sloman said.

Sloman, however, said that he eventually felt at ease with the filming "with the help and support of [his] fellow actors after the first take."

Filming indeed was daunting, and production was not without its mishaps. According to the film's director, Tim Chey, they had a small accident involving Sloman and a donkey. The scene called for an aerial shot and a helicopter, but the buzzing of the aircraft "spooked" the donkey and sent Sloman "six feet into the air." 

"He fell off a donkey because of my stupid hubris," Chey recalled with a laugh.

While the earlier two films based on Biblical stories, Noah and Exodus: Gods and Kings, suffered from inaccuracies, Sloman said that, for this film, the production team had worked hard in making sure that "David and Goliath" is Biblically accurate.  

"Tim has spent a huge amount of time on getting it right and true to the story in order to make it as Biblically correct as possible," he revealed.

Sloman expressed his confidence that the audience can learn something inspirational from watching the film.

"It's the ultimate underdog story and I think a lot can be taken from David's sheer determination, faith in God, and courage to stand up to adversity," he said.

David and Goliath is a cinematic take on the early life of King David of Israel, who fought and defeated the Philistine giant Goliath using only a slingshot.  It will be released to theatres on April 3.