British American actress and singer Minnie Driver says taking on the biblical role of “Sarah” in the upcoming FOX miniseries “The Faithful: Women of the Bible” required a personal and professional leap of faith.
“Throughout my career, I’ve been drawn to playing women who take big leaps of faith — whether romantically, spiritually or morally,” Driver said before the show’s world premiere at London’s National Portrait Gallery on Wednesday.
“Stepping into the role of Sarah required embracing all three and more, as Sarah is an extraordinary human, having a deeply spiritual experience,” the actress said.
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The miniseries is set to premiere on March 22, with additional episodes airing at 8 p.m. EST on March 29 and Easter Sunday, April 5.
The show dramatizes the Book of Genesis, told through the perspectives of several prominent women in the Bible.
In the miniseries, Driver portrays Sarah, the wife of Abraham, played by Jeffery Donovan, and explores the couple’s struggle to conceive a child.
The storyline includes Abraham’s relationship with maidservant Hagar, played by Natacha Karam, in an effort to produce an heir.
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“Her path to faith was a really interesting and difficult journey and, as with all great storytelling, Sarah’s life and predicament is both relatable and fascinating,” Driver said. “It is a great pleasure, and not before time, to bring Sarah’s story and the stories of all these remarkable, biblical matriarchs into the light.”
The show is produced by Fox Entertainment Studios, with Carol Mendelsohn, known for “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” serving as one of its executive producers.
According to its IMDB description, the series follows “Women from Genesis” who “navigate love, marriage, motherhood, and faith as their descendants establish Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Their personal journeys reveal struggles with relationships, children, and belief.”
Christian Toto, host of The Hollywood in Toto Podcast, said that individuals like Driver becoming involved in series like “The Faithful: Women of the Bible” signal a new era in entertainment.
“Faith-based content used to mean Kirk Cameron and a sea of unfamiliar faces,” Toto said. “Now? Bigger names like Ben Kingsley, Dennis Quaid, Kelsey Grammer, Minnie Driver and more are scrambling to add spiritual movies and TV shows to their resumes. Why? Bigger budgets. Higher quality. Better backers — streamers like Prime Video and Netflix are getting into the faith-based business, and they’re not shortchanging their projects.”
Toto added, “The biggest reason, though, is simple. Many of these projects are successful. Think ‘The Chosen,’ ‘Jesus Revolution,’ ‘House of David’ and the recent ‘David’ animated film. They all drew a big crowd, and that matters even to an industry less than keen on telling a spiritual story.”
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