Fantasia Barrino and Tank are set to star in Tyler Perry’s The Gospel of Christmas on Netflix.
The film also stars gospel music legends CeCe Winans, Yolanda Adams, Shirley Caesar, The Clark Sisters, Fred Hammond, Smokie Norful, Jekalyn Carr, and Vanessa Bell Armstrong. Also, the music is produced by Kirk Franklin.
According to the synopsis, “as the preacher faces doubt, temptation, and a sinister adversary, he must rediscover his faith and the power of prayer to save his church, his family, and his community in time for Christmas.”
“This is not my dream. I’m not a good preacher. This place is going into foreclosure. We’re going to lose it,” Isaac says at the beginning of the clip. “I prayed for our son to speak, and I also prayed for my father to live. See how my prayers are working out?”
Barrino spoke with PEOPLE about how the role resonated with her. The characters reminded her of her grandmother, Apostle Addie Collins.
“Rebecca reminds me of so many strong women that I’ve seen growing up,” Barrino said.
The characters reminded her of her grandmother, Apostle Addie Collins, who passed in 2015.
“Her birthday was on Christmas, and she was my biggest fan who I could call at any time, and she would lift my spirits with wise and kind words from her heart and from the good book, the Word of God. This movie made me recall and appreciate all of those special Christmas memories.”
THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS
Tank said that the film gets back to the true spirit of Christmas.
“The thing that makes this holiday movie special is that we get back to the reason,” Tank said. “We always center Christmas around gifts, but we often forget about the gift. This story of restoration gets us all back to the source. Giving God his just due while sharing with others makes this movie top tier.”
“The most fun thing about doing a Tyler Perry movie is the grind,” he says. “It was one of the best experiences ever,” Tank added. “I love to work with speed, precision, and execution. We meet in the perfect place when it comes to the work. Him being a great man outside of the entertainment is just the icing on the cake.”
Tyler Perry’s The Gospel of Christmas premieres on Wednesday, Nov. 11 on Netflix.