Interview with actress Marilyn Burns
“Two families. A large backyard. Nine cousins with a big dream. Four years ago, this was all they had. Today, the film ‘Pendragon’ is a testimony of God fulfilling their dream in ways that they never imagined.”
So YLCF reader Sarah Ferraro sums up the story of the Burns Family Studios‘ movie “Pendragon.” I had a chance to get a bit more “behind the scenes” with Marilyn Burns, homeschool graduate and leading actress in the movie “Pendragon” in a recent interview…
Gretchen: When you’re not acting in period movies, what is the thing you like most to do?
Marilyn: Wow, that’s a hard one. I love to do so many different things! Music is definitely one of them… I also love reading and writing, and just about any kind of creative art, really – I love the process of imagining something and making it come to life with my hands.
Gretchen: How have you been able to use your musical gifts to God’s glory?
Marilyn: I am actually just finishing up a music degree this semester, and I love to play the piano and violin. Music is always an incredible way to worship our awesome God, and to share his love with others… whether that means gathering to sing in our home, playing at a nursing home, or as part of a church service (or working on a film score!). Aaron and I had a really incredible opportunity last summer to be part of a missions outreach in the Alaskan mountains. The village children were fascinated with our instruments, and loved singing along to the worship songs we taught them – it was a really incredible experience, and I am so thankful that God gave us that opportunity!
Gretchen: Tell us what it’s like to have your family create a movie. How did you know it was more than just something you had fun with, but something God wanted you to do?
Marilyn: That was a hard one for me, to be honest – especially in the middle of the project. Filmmaking is never easy or comfortable, but it was always fun to be a “princess” – what girl wouldn’t want to do that? There were so many other opportunities, though, things that I thought God wanted me doing – finishing school, serving at church – it was hard to balance everything. The part that made me most sure God wanted me right where I was were all the opportunities to encourage others through the project. It’s been amazing to hear how the final movie has been a blessing to so many people, and even in the process, I’ve had so many opportunities to reach out to other girls – it’s been incredible!
Gretchen: In the movie “Pendragon” you play the king’s daughter, Wenneveria. What was the message you wanted most to convey as you acted out the part of Wenneveria?
Marilyn: Well, of course, the character Wenneveria is meant to support the message of the entire film – to encourage our audience to embrace the vision God has for their lives. But I think she is a specific encouragement to girls – her trust in God, her patience and hard work, and (although she once betrays his trust) her commitment to Artos and his vision. Also, there is a beautiful relationship between Wenneveria and her father – it was a really special memory to play this part with my dad, and I hope it can be an encouragement to other girls as well.
Gretchen: What did all the costuming, makeup, hairstyling, and acting in this movie teach you about beauty?
Marilyn: Hmm… That’s a good question. It was a lot of fun designing the costumes for each person, trying to make their character come through in the way they appear on screen. I guess you could say that was the greatest lesson. Your appearance, the way you present yourself, reveals a lot about who you are, and who you want to be.
Gretchen: What would you say to other girls who are interested in acting in small Christian films?
Marilyn: It’s a lot of work! Be prepared to be cheerful, even when you’re working hard and long and late… but it is a lot of fun too. It gives you many great opportunities to be an example for Christ, which makes everything worth it.
For more information, visit the Burns Family Studios website or order straight from Christian Book Distributors. But before you go…we have a copy of “Pendragon” to give away to one of you, the YLCF readers! See official entry rules below.
“‘Pendragon’ is a thrilling drama set in the Dark Ages. It tells the story of Artos, a young man, determined to fulfill his father’s dying vision and free a people from tyranny. This film is a challenge to never give up, no matter the obstacles, but to work to accomplish the vision that God has given you. Throughout ‘Pendragon’ we follow Artos, as he faces slavery, betrayal, false accusations, and even the sword, in man’s attempts to thwart him from achieving his father’s vision. In the end, God gives Artos the strength to persevere and ultimately accomplish what God called him to do. From my dad to my 2-year old brother, this is our family’s favorite film (though my younger siblings do not watch the intense scenes of burning villages, etc.).”
-YLCF Reader Sarah Ferraro
Official YLCF Giveaway Entry Rules:
- To enter the drawing, please comment on this post with the title of your favorite family movie.
- Don’t forget to include your name and email address in the space provided (your email address will not be published, but we need a way to contact you if you win!).
- This drawing open to readers with U.S. mailing addresses only, please.
- Drawing ends Sunday, June 29, 2009 at midnight.
- Winner will be chosen randomly and notified by email.
P.S. Congratulations to Hannah and Susanna and family–winners of YLCF’s “Pendragon” giveaway!
Pendragon is such a great movie! One of our favorites is Facing the Giants. Though we haven’t watched it as a family, I love the movie Bella and Pride and Prejudice, and I should stop there! 🙂
i’d love to see this movie! one of our favorites is Fireproof.
Thanks for this giveaway! It’s a great movie!
One of our favorite films is Pride and Prejudice, the newer version. 🙂
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. One of the best movies ever made. Classic, timeless, inspiring… quintessential Capra. And you’ve gotta love Jimmy Stewart and Jean Arthur.
Thanks for hosting this drawing. We saw Pendragon at the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival. Great movie.
Fiddler on the Roof is one of my favorites! 🙂
Right now, with young boys, the most commonly watched family film is Curious George =)
I would love to see this movie! My personal favorite family movie is still “The Sound of Music” — I LOVE that movie!
Jeannie (Castleberry)
My family’s longtime favorite has been Sheffey.
i have a few favorites that are good wholesome movies..:)
It’s a wonderful life, Cars*cartoon*, and “Wizard of Oz”….those 3 were amazing, and i have other favorites too…just can’t remember all their names!
thank you for having this nice giveaway!! 🙂
Blessings always!
In His Love, Jane.
Our family truly enjoy Come What May. The Pendragon seems very interesting- especially since it was put on by homeschoolers!
Thank you for this opportunity! A family favorite film would have to be Bolt. 🙂
Thank you for the oppurtunity to win a family movie. My favorite family movie is “The Buttercream Gang,” but my family has seen it so many times that they don’t like it anymore. I still love it, though. As a family, we love “It’s a Wonderful Life” (all year, not just at Christmas).
I think the one movie that we watch the most as a family is The Incredibles. But my Mom, sisters, and I love the Anne movies. 🙂
Thanks for making this opportunity available. One of our favorite family films is “A Dog of Flanders” about a boy with a gift for painting.
One of my favorite family films is “The Widow’s Might.” Also love “Anne of Green Gables,” “Fireproof,” and “Pollyanna” (Masterpiece Theatre version, as someone else mentioned), “The Sound of Music,” etc.
I have never heard of this movie before,but it sounds exciting! A huge thanks to everyone who makes YLCF possible; it is blessing. Two of my favorite family films would be Facing The Giants and Anne of Green Gables.
I haven’t heard much about this movie, but it sounds interesting. Yay for Marilyn’s example. Our family loves many movies, but Facing the Giants is a great one.
Thanks for doing this! I am interested in seeing this movie and it was so fun to read that interview. 🙂 One of our favorite family movies is “Fiddler on the Roof.”
Heidi~
What a neat opportunity to win such a great film! Thank you YLCF for doing this.
One of my favorite family films is – The Widow’s Might by John Moore (www.heumoore.com)
if you are not familiar with this film, I would encourage you to take some time and watch it!
God bless!
Thank you so much for the opportunity to win a wonderful Christian movie for the whole family!
We love many of the movies already mentioned above, but to keep from being too repetitious I’ll mention a few new ones… Pride and Prejudice (A&E version), I am David, The Inheritance, and Truce In The Forest.
That sounds like such a cool movie! Our family loves “The Sound of Music.” 🙂
The Princess Bride!
One of my favorite family movies is “Around the World in 80 Days”…super funny and it is so cool to see all the different cultures they experience in the movie!
I would love to see “Pendragon”…it sounds so good!
Thank you!
~Lily
Ohhh, please enter me!! All my friends are raving about this movie but I still haven’t seen it…I’d love to win a copy. ^_^ My favorite movies are “Fireproof”, “Facing the Giants”, and the “Anne of Green Gables” series.
Blessings!
Miss Toria
My favorite family movie is Fireproof.
Most of the videos we love have already been listed except for Faith Like Potatoes. That is an AMAZING true story!
Our absolute favorite movies are Fireproof, Facing the Giants, and Flywheel. All three display God’s truth for all viewers to see and hear.
Facing the Giants. 🙂
A favorite movie of mine is “Come What May.”
Thanks!
Ruth Ann
So many of the already mentioned movies are my family and my favorites, so I’ll just add to the list, “Inn of the Sixth Happiness” and “The Christmas Box”. “Heidi” has also been high on my list of favorites since I was a little girl. 🙂
Favourites of my family include all the Pixar films, Bella, Faith Like Potatoes, Sense and Sensibility, Cranford, Amazing Grace, and Gods and Generals.
We’ve borrowed Pendragon from friends and it’s great. Interestingly, we have friends from Michigan who know everybody that acted in it except the Burns.
Oooh…it’s rather difficult to pick THE favorite family movie…many mentioned here are favorites…One we’ve watched several times recently is Disney’s, The Game Plan – really cute, but kept my football-loving husband interested!
FireProof is our newest favorite!!
I like “Time Changer”.
My favorite family movie is the 1990s version of Little Women! I adore the costumes, the music, the themes…Little Women is also my favorite book. 🙂
That’s a tough one. We love all of the BBC mini series like Little Dorrit, Cranford, North & South, etc.
It’s hard to choose a family favorite since we have 12 distinct opinions, but “Walking Across Egypt” from Feature Films for Families is right up there. The Christian theme of following Christ’s command to love the least of these is central, and there are plenty of humorous parts as well. (For anyone who’s not familiar with Feature Films, they movies they sell are either their originals or cleaned up for familiy viewing.)
Thanks for hosting the giveaway!
Our favorite family movie right now is ” Fireproof “… we have literally watched it over and over again. : )
Thanks for holding the contest!
Blessings!
~*~Courtney~*~
Our favorite movie would be “Though None Go With Me.”
I’d say one of my favorite family movies would definitely have to be Bella, starring Eduardo Verástegui… Thanks for hosting this giveaway! 🙂
I have to say The Sound of Music. And oldie, but a goodie, for sure.
My family greatly enjoys The Railway Children (either version) and The Winslow Boy; all of them are older.
For the younger members of our family, it’s probably Time Changer. For the older ones, I think Facing the Giants is at the top of the list.
One of our favorites is Fireproof, and Little Lord Fauntleroy is good.
Fav. family movie has got to be Fireproof!!!
Anna Kalinyuk
My favorite family movie is “Facing The Giants.”
We love the Waltons, Five Mile Creek, Pollyanna, and The Princess Bride.
Our family favorite is Follow Me, Boys! a late-sixties movie about a boy scout troop and their leader who changes their lives and impacts them forever. We also like Roy Rogers and The Lone Ranger. 🙂
Our favorite family movie is Fireproof. We all love it, from my Dad down to my 4 year old sister!!
We also like old shows, like I Love Lucy and Hogan’s Heroes.
Thanks for the give-away!
Well, our family always has a favorite movie, but long standing ones have been “Sgt York” (with Gary Cooper) and “Time Changer”. Great films!
We like the Love Comes Softly series.
Hmm, it’s difficult to say. I love the Pixar film “The Incredibles”–there are a couple of swearing incidents & some mild action but it is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen.
Well, one of my favorites is already Pendragon! The one who gets the giveaway is in for a treat! Those of you who don’t win, go ahead and buy Pendragon yourself! I’ve been following the films participating in the SAICFF ever since I worked on Never Be Shaken and it is exciting to see the quality of Pendragon and my other favorite, The Widow’s Might.
Thank you, Gretchen, for posting the interview! It makes one realize all the hard work and prayer put into this truely private Christian production!
Cranford and Bleak House are two of my family’s favorites!
My family really likes FIREPROOF and it has a wonderful message!
I suppose “Facing the Giants” is my very favorite family movie because of its message of striving for Christian excellence.
Maybe “A Series of Unfortunate Events.”
one of my favorite family movies is Bambi. thanks for a chance to win! this movie looks exciting.
My family recently discovered the Masterpiece Theatre version of Pollyanna and it has quickly become one of our favorites! It has beautiful photography, fun English accents, and is very close to the original book. Best of all – no swearing!
My family’s favorite movie at the moment is Flywheel!
We love The Andy Griffith Show and Hogan’s Heroes (although there are a few minor things in the latter that we fast-forward). The old 50’s and 60’s TV shows seem to be so much funnier than ones now-days…not to mention cleaner! 🙁
Wow……I guess our family favorites are popular – Facing the Giants and Fireproof. But another new favorite is Come What May.
Our family enjoys the Sarah Plain and Tall trilogy!
Our family ADORES the complete 8-season Andy Griffith Show! There are very few that aren’t good, and you can find us almost every night relaxing and laughing with it!:-)
Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea are two of our favorites!
We like ‘Iron Will’ and ‘The Young Pioneers’ 🙂
The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit.
We love “Finding Nemo”. I know it’s “kids” movie, but who can resist those little fish? 🙂
Our favorite movies are Flywheel, Facing the Giants, and Fireproof.
favorite family movie: currently Facing the Giants.