Standing by Principles to Create Films of Value—Interview With Camy Arnett | Crossroads

🎵 We're here at the Content 2020 Film Festival in Texas, and we're sitting down with Cameron Arnett. He is a director, he's a filmmaker, he's an actor, and he also runs Caps Productions, which is making films with value. So Cameron, real pleasure having you on. Well, thanks for having me. I really appreciate being here. And appreciate what you guys do. Thank you, appreciate it. Yeah, so to start off a bit, I mean, you've been all around Hollywood. You were on Star Trek, you were in some pretty big productions. I mean, you've been around. I mean, why don't you tell us a bit about how you got into it, first of all. Well, you know, if you wanna go way back, my goodness, I was a pre-med, pre-law student in college. I never thought that this was the kind of thing that I'd be doing. And while trying to find something fun for the summer, I had entered some competitions, ended up winning like eight out of 10, and my life just took a via turn, and ended up going from Miami to New York, from New York to California. Things just started escalating on the media perspective. Like you said, Miami Vice, Doogie Howser, and China Beach, and all these kind of things, movies of the week. And I ended up finding myself in Toronto, Canada, doing a movie of the week. And my manager then called me and he said, hey, they want you to, when you come back to LA, they want you for your own series. They're putting this thing together, and they're really high on you for it. So I end up going, I do do the audition, all kind of well-known and the producer says, you're the one that I want. And so I get the role, everything's happy, we're gonna go ahead and sign on the dotted line, and right before I do that, my agent calls my manager and says, hey, by the way, they want him to do partial body nudity. And I was at that point in time a Christian. And so I said to my manager, I can't do that. And he said, I know, so we went back to them, and they said, well, you know, he doesn't have to do it, we'll give him a body double. And he won't have to do the nudity, he can do the acting, and everything will be fine. And I'm about to sign again, and I feel the Lord tap me on the shoulder and say, you have to shun even the appearance of evil, because people will think that that's you. And so I dropped everything. A lot of people would do that. Oh, you know, I think that's the crux of the matter, and that's why we came up with the Christ over career, in the sense of we have to understand that our job is to always choose Christ. And it's not like he says Christ or career, but you have to make sure that if you could only have one, you want to make sure that you pick Christ. Or if you're gonna have a career, you want to make sure that he's over it. And so the bottom line is that, you know, in the process of all hell breaking loose, me losing all of that, I finally came to realize with hindsight, you know, that God was actually giving me a life for the first time. And so before he did that, he had to just dismantle everything else that was there, it's kind of like a job experience, but mine took 25 years. And it ended up now on this side of Christian filmmaking and it's been mind blowing. And so you got offered pretty much what every actor wants. Yeah. Your own show, basically. And because it went against your values that they were asking, you walked away from that. Correct. Correct. You know, what you work for or your life, you know how it is as professional people, what you end up working for, what you have, you end up thinking that that's what you want, your name and license and everything else. And finally the offer comes, but it comes at a price. And the question becomes, do you want to pay that price? And for me, the obvious answer was no. It's not, for me, the answer was not hard to come by. It's the ability to go through what happens afterwards. That was really the issue, you know, at that point in time, then I had to really begin to trust God, to believe God, to stand with God and to go through all the, you know, the mess, the unraveling and still know that, you know, it was the right decision to make and still know that he was with me, you know, cause at that point in time, and it's lonely. And what Satan wants you to think is that, you know, God's not with you, man, you messed up. And everybody that you know saying, well, why did you make that decision? You know, so all the friends and family are thinking that you're crazy and you've lost your mind, but really for the first time, you've got, he's given you a life. And it took a good 20, 25 years for him to turn this back around and to put it on its right two feet now, whereas everything that I am belongs to him. And, um, and so what, what was the process of turning it around? How did this happen? I mean, you go through this crisis, you kind of walk away from every actor's dream and then what, what is the process you go through after that? Yeah, you know, again, the process, like I said, it's the unraveling, you know, there's all of what we build up as ourselves. We, we, we, it's, it's about me. It's about my name and lights. It's about me being the actor. If anybody had had a told me in those 25 years that I would not be an actor, I would have told them they were crazy because that was my identity. If I wasn't that, what was I, you know? And so it's the unraveling of that mindset and the putting back into rightful place that I belong to him. He belongs to me, that nothing is more important. Putting the priorities correct, allowing myself not to have the, the, the, you know, the big mansion on the, on, on the hill and, and, and the cars get taken away. And, you know, I, people, family leave, you know, and to end up in, it's just nothing but me and Jesus. That's the process, you know? And I think what happens with the saints sometimes, we don't want to go through the stripping because we want to hold on to so, to, to so many things that we think that, that is God, but it's not. God doesn't mind you having all those things, but he wants to be the one who gave them to you. Seek ye first the kingdom of God, right? And so it's not that he doesn't want to give you those things, but he wants them to be a gift from him, not something that you went and got on your own and now you have to maintain and now he's killing you. And so that was a process. And I ended up letting everything go and allowing myself to be by myself, have nothing. And I ended up from a big old house, Mercedes, big, you know, SUVs, that kind of stuff, finding myself living in the back room of a woman who was on welfare. The only thing I had left to my name was a couch, my desk, and my books. That's all I had. And so one day, I'm in the back room studying and the spirit of God said to me, you know, you haven't seen your Godson, I had a Godson in Atlanta that I hadn't seen in six years. He said, you haven't seen your Godson in six years. Why don't you try to find him? And I had a box of cards that, you know, you know, you network, right? You're getting people's cards. And I had a card that belonged to the makeup artist who was this, the mother's best friend. And I found the card, I found the card, calling her the mother to find my, my Godson, and it took a month for that to happen. And at the end of that month, finally got through to her and we're having a conversation on the phone and the spirit of the Lord said, that's your wife. And within five hours, we were getting married. I hadn't seen this person in six years, but it was the best decision that I ever allowed God to make for me other than him himself. And that's kind of the heart of the story of how God took everything away and gave everything back. I mean, 50 fold, what's happening now in my life. I can't begin to tell people how grateful I am and how it has nothing to do with me. It's not a marketing plan, it's not, you know, I don't even audition, I don't do any of that. I just, you know, I'm like, God, if you don't give it to me, I don't want it. And God has been so faithful that, it's sometimes embarrassing. You know what I'm saying? It's so good and so right and so effortless that sometimes when you're saying it to somebody, I'm trying not to deflate what's happening in their lives because I have no other answer for it. Interesting, so you went from being in Hollywood, having everything, losing everything because he wouldn't sacrifice your principles. Losing everything, hitting almost rock bottom. Getting pretty down there. Much close. And, end up randomly meeting this makeup artist. Turned out you got married within the same day, you said. Well, no, the makeup artist I had known for a long time, because like I said, I had a godson in Atlanta, Georgia, when I was in California. So I knew these people before, but I hadn't seen any of them in six years. But it was how God orchestrated the reoccurrence, the roundabout way of getting back to this woman who was eventually going to be my wife. One day, she had asked me to become the godson, the godfather to her son. And ever since that first thing happened, where we did the christening in Atlanta, I went back to New York, went back to California, never even spoke to them again. And I was done, and that's what God used, said, you haven't seen your godson. I'm like, okay, so I find him. But that's not really what God had intended. He wanted me to find my godson, but also my wife. Interesting. And from there now, you started building back this new film career, and one you've been incredibly successful with. How did you become successful? Well, you know, there's a whole span of time that happened between that, because when I left California, I left the industry, I left the business. I never thought I'd be doing this again. I started two different churches, I pastored two different churches for like 20 years in Atlanta, called as an apostle, prophet, and teacher, and love it, I absolutely have a passion for teaching God's word. And that's what film is to me still, is another way to preach God's word. And so that's really where the passion is. And so when that was going on, I thought that's what I was gonna be doing for the rest of my life, and I was totally content with that. One day, my wife was on, had been invited to a woman's tea by a lady, and she heard on the way there, she heard the Holy Spirit say to her, you don't need him, you need Cameron Arnett. And she didn't know what that was about. So they invited her to the woman's tea, and she gets there, and they're doing a Christian film. That's why they wanted, that's why they invited her. And they said to her, you know what, we're doing this Christian film, we have this role, it's this actor we want, and we know that you guys have ties to California, you can get to this guy, we want this guy. And she sees, he is coming out of her mouth, you don't need him, you need Cameron Arnett. And they said, would he come, would he come? And she came home and said to me, they want you to come in for this role. In my mind, all I had was Hollywood, California, the degradation of the industry, and I said, no. I was so vehemently opposed to it, that when she said it to me, all I did was turn around and walk away. But what was happening was that in the process of that time, God had been giving me a dream of this character that I would see every night, I'd have the same dream about this character, and I thought he wanted me to write it. And so I started writing this character that he was giving me in this dream. And so when this span happened, it was a week of having that dream. Another week went by, I'm still having the dream. And God says to me, go to this audition. I want you to go to this one. And I went on his say-so, the same way I got married to her, on his say-so. And when I got there, the character that I was writing was the character that they were casting. And so it was a confirmation, this is what God wanted me to do. And the audition was really kind of semantics. It was kind of like a given. And before I even walked out of there, I was reading with other actors because I had already gotten the role, and I was already moving on, and they had already said yes. And it was my first Christian role, and since, it's been 2013, and since then I've done maybe about 25, 26 films in seven years. That's a lot of films, yeah. You know, and I may have had to audition maybe twice. And all of those were a formality, and it was and coming out of that audition and getting that role, what I said to God, if this is you, I want you to give me what you want, because I know what it's like to chase. You know what I'm saying? I know what it's like to be eaten up by the industry. I'm not going after that anymore. And that's exactly what he's been doing. He gives me what he wants. We've seen some interesting shifts taking place in the film industry. Whereas, if we go back 20 years, you know, you hear of Faith Films. You know, it's usually like a church kind of producing it themselves. They looked like they were produced by a church. You know what I mean? But these days, you see Faith Films and stuff Kevin Sorbo and Sam Sorbo are doing. I mean, they are Hollywood-tier professional, really professional films, which aren't overly preachy. A lot of them focus more just on values that people can relate to. Well, you know, you have a lot of genres, if you would, within the faith-based film arena. You know, you have a lot of perspectives. I tell people it's kind of like this. You have apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. All of them handle a multifaceted God. All of them do a different thing with the body of Christ. You have Peter, you have Paul, they are called to different sectors of society. One is to the Jews, one is to the Gentiles. And so when you take a look at film, it's kind of the same way. You have people that are supposedly preachy. That's what they're called to. They're called to evangelize a society. They're people that disciple, they're people that give principles. So it's multifaceted and what we shouldn't do is not have esteem one for another. It's like education, we go to school to learn all of education. But when you go to school, sometimes in high school or in college, every professor thinks that their subject is the only one that you ought to know. Well, then you wouldn't be educated. You just know a subject. And it's the same way that we have to look at film. We have to understand that everybody is sent to a sector. So we ought to applaud the growth of that sector or God reaching a people through that sector and be a part of helping each other do that. When we understand that, we'll be what the Bible says about every joint supplying one to another and that's how we grow in love. Right now, we have a tendency to see a preaching message and say, well, that's too preachy. I don't wanna do that. You're not supposed to. Do what you're supposed to do but applaud them because that's what they're supposed to do. And that's part of what I think as CAPS, as an apostle, that's part of what my re-education process of the industry within Christianity is. I have a tendency to bring an understanding or a clarity to all the broad baseness of it all so that we can be one, because it's all about being one heart, one mind. We have to be able to promote Christ by being like him with each other, not just tell a good story. And that's part of the message and also the vision and the mission itself. And this new movement is interesting to watch because we're seeing a lot of people getting disenfranchised with Hollywood. I mean, you were one of the earlier folks to experience that, which is interesting. But people are starting to see Hollywood as being this big business that has a lot of practices that people may not agree with happening in it. And also that the trajectory of it is moving away from tradition, moving away from values, moving into a lot of political realms that people just don't feel comfortable with these days. They're too tired of it. And we see now the faith film industry getting a lot more professional, making really good films sometimes. And also making films that talk to us with meaning. Not even per se, getting preachy, but just having meaning. What do you think the value of that meaning is in film? It's extremely important because people are seeking and they're not finding. We talked a little while ago about the frivolity of the internet and all these kinds of things. And I think people seek that frivolity. They seek that escape because they're afraid of what the answer that they may not be able to find, or they're afraid of the answer that they are finding. And so they're looking for a way to give them a hope or to kind of give their brains a shock into thinking, I won't have to deal with it, I can grin and bear it. I can go ahead, it's not really happening because they're watching all, that's why they're getting involved in all this stuff. And so the value sector of filmmaking is extremely important because people may not know of Christ yet, they may not even be prepared. But there's a precursor to that word. There is a value, there's a principle centeredness, there's a understanding of family, there's an understanding of marriage, there's an understanding of just humans, one to another, brotherhood, right? There are so many values that civility, my God, what would we, where would we be if we would just be civil with each other before we're talking about being born again, we're talking about all these other things, just if we had some kind of respect, just so we can disagree and yet love one another and just still be able, be like children that they disagree, they're fighting one more and the next day they're good and ice cream, if we can turn back to that, that in itself would change the landscape of what's happening in America and around the world. And so I think it's crucial that these people are empowered to make those films. And that we understand that we even those who are making the faith based and Christian films have an understanding of the value of those films. And that we don't cast them out like, you know, in church, we have a tendency to make certain people feel like second class citizens and we make those filmmakers that are doing value centered, principle centered work as second class filmmakers, Christian filmmakers. We put them on the outskirts, they're paraministry kind of a thing and we shouldn't do that. Interesting, now, I was reading some of your materials before you talk about a lot of values that you try to represent with caps specifically, integrity, ingenuity. You talk about a lot of standards of personal value and responsibility. How do you bring that into a film, showing these types of principles and values? Well, first of all, I think that one thing that God said to me was that don't make a film that has a great message, but you're not living a great life. So the principles that we're talking with caps are principles of my own, of my own humanity. And they are the principles that I exude and I teach and I train the people that are with me. They're not just people behind the camera that are expertise in their camera. They don't just take a good picture. They don't just get good footage. They are people of God that have the integrity of God. And so they have holy hands that handle a holy thing. And so you bring that first of all, to the understanding of the humans that are around you, your team, your church, your business, ought to be a principle centered business, a principle centered church. My God, how terrible when Jesus says that I'm gonna come to you, I'm gonna say, I never knew you. That is heart wrenching because you did a God thing, but you didn't do it God way. You did a God thing, but you weren't a God person doing the God thing. So basically you actually have sabotaged God's thing and made a name for yourself out of it, but you weren't about God. Well, that's scary. And so those principles are how we live first of all. And then we deal with making a film by those principles. And then we make sure that what is written, are we able to identify those principles in the characters, if not in this one, but in that one. There is a through line that's supposed to bring us closer to a God state regardless of what we do. But it starts with the people that are living the life coming together to do it a certain way so that what they show on the film is exactly what they're living. And it's a replica of who they are. I never wanna do a film that gives a good message, but then when you walk with me, you don't see that message. It's not my intent. Now, of course, you're also a pastor. And through your work, I assume you get a lot of people coming to you who struggle with different things. And I would assume you start seeing common patterns in terms of what people face. What are some of the most common issues you see people facing? And I'm curious if you've tried to address these issues as well through film. You know, it's kind of like, because there are so many churches in any geographical location here in America, you never have to stick with something that's telling you the truth. You can pop into the next one, pop into the next one, pop into the next one. And that's really a demise that happens in the heart of people. That's a problem that I see. Lordship is the key to it all. And most people want to have Jesus as savior, but not as Lord. That's a problem that I see. And he can't be savior unless he's Lord. And so it is bringing the truth in such a way that people can see and at least identify themselves and say, I can do it however way I want. But that's not how God said it. You see, my job is not to make somebody do it his way. My job is to let you know what his way is. And then it's on you. But what's on me is did I tell you the truth? We are now in a society where grace is everything. And we all know that we're saved by grace. We all know that grace is important. We all know that if it's not grace, forget it. But he's full of grace and truth. And we leave truth behind as if it doesn't matter. And I think that's a problem. And so we end up living quote unquote born again, but we don't bring a people from A to Z. You know. You mean in terms of like transforming your life. Transforming life so that you can actually have a transformed product, which is the film. So that also within the film, what you have is something that can transform a life. Not just giving them a life that they can get born again, get saved, but a life that understands there is a entrance. Jesus says, I am the door. He's not the room. And so the revelation is that when we, as the church, we stop at Jesus. And when we talk that people look at you like, wait a minute, but Jesus, no, no, no. Jesus is the door. He's the way, but you have to come into the door, into the room. He came to introduce you to the father. So if you only, if you only know about Jesus, you've missed the whole thing. He is, he is the king of the kingdom, but you have to come into and now live out the lifestyle from the king of the kingdom. Seeking first the kingdom of righteousness. There's a way of not only being right, but now living the rightness that you are. And those are the problems I think, because they, they, it involves correction. It involves discipline. It involves being told that that's wrong and that's right. And people want to be affirmed and affirmed only. And that's not the way of God. And it's also something when you take it to film that creates stories people can relate to. If we look, we think of the hero's journey, right? It is never about a hero facing a trial and just being like, oh yeah, this is just the trial I just live with. No, it's, it's them overcoming trials by changing themselves through the process of overcoming it. And that, and that is what makes, I think an engaging story. Of course, you know, you are matriculating through a process and you're not being condemned along the way, but you are understanding that you're going from A to Z. If you're not, if you, if you don't have a destination in mind, it's like the Bible says it was for the joy that was set before the cross, the end of the cross. So there was something in front of him that there was an intention to get to. And so if you don't understand that, and now live a life that takes you there, then you're missing the whole journey. You're missing the whole, the whole point. And so when it comes to, to, to being able to make a film and to, to touch people's lives and to cause them to be able to identify with what they see, you have to be able to touch every area of life. One of the things that I love about working with the Kendrick brothers, and I don't know if you really know their films, but the Kendrick brothers are master storytellers and, and, you know, you talk about, you know, shifting my goodness from the time of Flywheel to now Overcomer, they have grown leaps and bounds. But what I loved about doing Overcomer was that at every given point in time, I could find a piece of myself in every character. And so when you're watching that movie, you can identify with everyone at a different point in time of your life. I remember when I thought that and I was this way, I remember what, what happened to me there. And, and, and, and maybe I, I may be over here with this character, I might still be over here with that one. So it allows you to see it in visual form, but it also allows you to see how they overcome it in visual form. Ah, that's how that works. So sometimes we don't have a way to correlate the word, we read it, but we don't have a way to, you know, pictorially to see it. And, and, and what we learn out of scripture is what you put before the people is what they become. And so that's what these, these films are about. It's about putting life being lived, living an incorrect life correctly, the way that God intended for you to do, going from A to Z, not being found the same that you were last year, but here's how you get there. Seeing it in a pictorial form and now we can sit back and say, okay, I can do that. I can, I can see that. And that's the importance of these films. And I'm extremely grateful to be a part of it. I guess just last question, if you were to tell me one thing about your work and the value you see in it in terms of you choosing this path, what would you tell them? Changed lives. The most important thing to me in the process of having, or being a part of this is working amongst people that their lives have changed and I'm able to change people's lives knowing that I'm doing it in the arena that God has called me to. There's nothing more satisfying than watching God illuminate someone, bring a revelation to someone, cause someone to see and to shift and to become, there's nothing, and that's why I love teaching the word. And that's why I say this is a continuation of that for me, because it is the entrance of God's word that brings light. And so when you see people in that moment, and also be able to pinpoint what to do and how to do it based on a film that they saw, how they could actually emulate a life that they saw happening and find God's answer. I'm thrilled. Hey Cameron Arnett, thanks again for being on Crossroads. Thank you so much, appreciate it.