Based on the bestselling novel by Francine Rivers, REDEEMING LOVE follows Angel (Abigail Cowen), who as a child is sold into prostitution by the Duke (Eric Dane) and Duchess (Famke Janssen). As an adult, she works to overcome her upbringing and fall in love.
We spoke with the cast about their characters and their first impressions of the story. Cowen said, "I was just drawn to her tenacity. Her strength." She added, "Also the fact that she still had her inner child in her."
Co-star Nina Dobrev, who plays Angel’s mother Mae, shared a similar sentiment about her character. She told us, "she really did believe in love and believe that love would prevail in her case." Noting that the story takes place in the 1850s, she added, "[Mae] lived in a very difficult era that I would not like to go back to myself."
On the opposite end of the spectrum are Eric Dane and Famke Janssen, who play the film's antagonists. Dane said, "It’s always more fun to play the bad guy. The villain." He added, "You get to do all that stuff, and you don't have to worry about real-world consequences." Janssen added that, "For me, it’s really refreshing and interesting because it’s so not who I am in real life, so I enjoy playing characters like that. Going into the darker aspects of the psyche of a person."
We ended our conversation by speaking about the film's theme, and Nina Dobrev told us, "Life is difficult and love will ultimately prevail but it won’t be a straight shot and it won’t be an easy path." She added, "You have to make a choice, and it’s to choose love, and who you want to go through those difficult times with."
Check out our full interview with the cast of REDEEMING LOVE:
REDEEMING LOVE is in theatres now!
All images courtesy of Universal Pictures.