God 'orchestrated' hostage crisis to bring me to Him, says Ashley Smith of 'Captive'

(Paramount Pictures)

Paramount is set to release the true-to-life drama thriller "Captive" which tells about a night of terror that unexpectedly turned into a night of blessing and miracle.

The movie stars Kate Mara, as drug junkie turned hostage Ashley Smith, and David Oyelowo, as her captor Brian Nichols.

Nichols, an escaped convicted murderer, held Smith captive in her own home for seven hours back in 2005. But when she started reading Pastor Rick Warren's book "The Purpose Driven Life" out loud to him, Nichols' heart miraculously softened and he let her go.

Looking back, Smith said that terrifying encounter turned out to be a blessing in disguise since it helped her change her life for the better. Since that night in captivity, Smith never touched drugs again.

"I began to realise that God had kind of orchestrated this night for me to either change my life for the better or for my life to end if I didn't make specific decisions that night," she told Charisma News. "As I look back on that night, it's pretty clear that God was trying to get a hold of me."

Her terrifying but transformative experience inspired Smith to write her own book called "Unlikely Angel." To promote the book, she travelled across the country to share her story to the public.

With the film "Captive," she said she has been given a bigger platform to share how her faith in God was restored. She is thankful to the entire cast and crew for doing justice to her story.

"I talked with the producers and the director several different times. They were really wanting to make sure that I was happy and that the story really told my true life story," Smith said. "I don't think they could have done a better job doing that than what they've done already."

There would be a brief cameo for Smith and her children in the film, and audiences have to pay close attention so as not to miss it.

"Captive" premieres in theatres all over the US on Sept. 18.