‘The Baxters’ Exclusive Interview: Roma Downey

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Actress and Producer Roma Downey Talks Prime Video’s ‘The Baxters’

Premiering on Prime Video March 28th is the new series ‘The Baxters,’ which is based on the best-selling book series by author Karen Kingsbury and stars Roma Downey (‘Son of God’), and Ted McGinley (‘Revenge of the Nerds’).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with producer and actress Roma Downey about her work on the new series, the books it is based on, her character, and why she wanted to adapt the books into a series instead of a movie.

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(L to R) Roma Downey and Ted McGinley în ‘The Baxters’. Credit: Prime Video/Patrick McElhenney. Copyright: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).

Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about your work as a producer and why you wanted to adapt these books into a series?

Roma Downey: We know that nothing is ever easy, right? But it’s always worth it. I came to ‘The Baxters’ series as a fan of the books. As you know, they’re based on a bestselling book series by a wonderful, amazing, talented author, Karen Kingsbury. A friend gave me the first book, which is called ‘Redemption,’ and I just couldn’t put it down. I thought, “Oh my gosh, this is amazing. It needs to be a TV series.” So, I reached out to Karen and said, “Please trust me with your beloved book series and let me bring it to life on the screen.” Thankfully, she agreed, and here we are. So, I just felt these stories were so compelling, the characters so well-rounded, and we rarely get to see a family of faith on television. They’re not a perfect family by any means. They’re dealing with crises and situations that would bring anybody to their knees. But the difference is when they’re being brought to their knees, they pray. With their love of each other, and their love of God, they’re able to raise each other up and make their way through some emotional situations. But I gathered a great cast. I had fun casting the kids. Elizabeth and John Baxter are the matriarch and patriarch, and they have five grown kids. At the center, you have this loving, committed, anchoring relationship of the mother and father, and then the chaos and the mess of family. But listen, my family is messy. I’m sure everybody’s family is a bit messy, and so I think that’s what’s so lovable about them. They don’t always get it right, but they’re well-intended and it’s going to be on at Easter, which I think is the perfect launch time for a series filled with hope. It plays out like a hope opera. I’m hoping that families will gather for Easter and that they’ll curl up on the couch together and that they’ll check out ‘The Baxters,’ which will be screening on Amazon Prime Video. I think it’s been a long time coming, but we’re so glad it’s finally here.

(L to R) Roma Downey and Ali Cobrin in ‘The Baxters’. Credit: Prime Video/Joshua Applegate. Copyright: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).

MF: Why did you decide to adapt the books into a series rather than a movie?

RD: Well, because Karen Kingsbury has 27 of these books in this family series. So, in success, ‘The Baxters’ TV Series could run forever. There was just too much story to put in a film. Honestly, I’m really encouraged by what I see in the film industry in terms of inspirational, uplifting content. In the last few years, we’ve seen some amazing faith movies really hit home. I don’t know that we’ve seen as many faith TV series do so well. Since my days on ‘Touched by an Angel’, people have been saying, “Let’s get a show like that back on TV.” I really feel that ‘The Baxters’ has themes and an essence like ‘Touched by an Angel’ did, and not since ‘Touched by an Angel’ have I stepped in front of the camera into a series. So, I’m excited to play Elizabeth Baxter myself and my own daughter, Riley, is playing one of the Baxter daughters. So, it’s been a lovely family experience in this family-made drama.

(L to R) Ted McGinley, Roma Downey and Ali Cobrin în ‘The Baxters’. Credit: Prime Video/Joshua Applegate. Copyright: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).

MF: Finally, how would you describe your character Elizabeth Baxter and what were some of the aspects of the character you were most excited to explore on screen?

RD: I think what I liked most about her was just her mother’s heart. She’s got five kids. She loves fiercely. She loves with passion and compassion. She’s the mom that they’re quick to call when there’s crises on the horizon. She’s defensive of her kids in that loving, mother-lion way. She’s also a little bit of a prayer warrior, which I really appreciate. I don’t think we often get to see a family that prays together in a TV series. In the first episode, you’ll see Elizabeth and John Baxter hold hands and they’ll call in prayer for their daughter in the name of Jesus and it’s really touching.

(L to R) Ali Cobrin and Brandon Hirsch in ‘The Baxters’. Credit: Prime Video/Joshua Applegate. Copyright: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).

What is the Plot of ‘The Baxters’?

Based on the Redemption literary series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury, ‘The Baxters’ is a riveting family drama that follows Elizabeth (Roma Downey) and John Baxter (Ted McGinley) and their five adult children. Season One of The Baxters centers on Elizabeth and John’s daughter, Kari (Ali Cobrin), who learns the shocking truth that her professor husband, Tim (Brandon Hirsch), has been secretly having an affair with one of his college students. As her relationship is tested, Kari must seek comfort in her faith and family to discover if love is truly a choice and if her marriage can be redeemed. In this deeply moving faith-based journey, The Baxters must come together as a family to work through the challenges of life.