Jennifer Garner has been speaking out about the impact that her latest faith-based film 'Miracles from Heaven' has had on her own Christian faith. Garner rarely speaks publicly about her faith but with faith, and Christianity in particular, being such a central part of her latest body of work, it was inevitable that she'd be questioned about her own.
Garner, who grew up attending church every Sunday, told Good Morning Texas: "When I did move to L.A., it wasn't something that was just part of the culture there in the same way, at least in my life. But it didn't mean that I lost who I was."
In Miracles from Heaven, Garner plays Christy Beam, the mother of a daughter who has a rare, incurable digestive disorder until one day she falls from a tree and is miraculously healed. Christy's daughter, Anna Beam, claims that during the time she fell unconscious she met with Jesus in heaven. Now 13-years-old, Anna has no symptoms of her previous condition and is not currently taking any medication in relation to it. Anna's miraculous recovery left specialist doctors and the community both perplexed and astounded.
In the film, Anna's recovery helps to restore her family and Garner has revealed that her role in the film led to her incorporating church into her family's schedule again.
"There was something about doing this film and talking to my kids about it and realising that they were looking for the structure of church every Sunday," Garner told Good Morning Texas host Jane McGarry. "So it was a great gift of this film that it took us back to finding our local Methodist church and going every Sunday. It's really sweet," she added.
Garner has also said that she feels the film chose her in a way and that she was inspired by the faith of the Beam family and the strength of Christy Beam in particular.
The film is based on the true story and bestselling book by Christy Beam and is produced by DeVon Franklin's Franklin Entertainment company. The film's trailer has been viewed more than 200 million times since it was released in November last year.
Miracles from Heaven is due out in cinemas from the 18th March 2016.
