Max Ehrich on the Profound Experience of Filming UPtv's "Southern Gospel"

"Still, throughout he kept that 'revolt energy' in terms of within the church," he continued. "So much of what was preached [at the time] was about shame, but his whole message was, 'No matter where you are, or what you're going through, you're still loved.' I think that that really applies, and I think that's what [discourages] a lot of people from religion and other spiritual practices, as people do feel very judged. That perpetuates a bad cycle, then makes people end up doing more self-harm as opposed to realizing, 'It's OK that you're going through that, and you're not a bad person.' There are a lot of stigmas around people that do drugs, and it's usually [from] pain.

"Samuel really stood for allowing people to feel they're in a safe space -- that they're still loved, accepted and deserve a new beginning," he added. "No matter where you are, if you slip up, you can have a fresh start."

It was his love of, and passion for, the script that set Ehrich's sights on landing the role. "It was a very intense audition process," he recalled. "I think they wanted to make sure someone could handle it in terms of [this] character going through so much. I had a few different rounds of callbacks, chemistry reads, playing the guitar, and singing, but I knew from the moment I read the script that this was mine. Some projects you read and just [know]. This was one of those. I was like, 'This is my role.' I loved that it's based on a true story. I loved the redemption story, but then also being a musician, I was able to combine music. All of that was very intriguing, but the emotional arc of the character was just so compelling, along with the fact that he thought it was okay for people to be human."

While the film's major through-line is redemption, Ehrich was thrilled that [through other characters] Samuel could eloquently tackle both wrath and envy and do so head-on. "Those are all human emotions," he reflected. "That's reality. A lot of times when someone's trying to do something against the norm or trying to break societal norms or make any sort of progress, they can be met with a lot of obstacles for sure."

While making the movie, Ehrich couldn't help but correlate much of what Allen endured to Elvis Presley, another very spiritual man who was chastised for the way he used rock 'n' roll to deliver his message. "I actually listened to a lot of Elvis while filming," he shared. "Just because someone makes a certain type of music doesn't necessarily mean a certain thing. There are specific cases where music has a big influence on society, especially on kids. I prefer to make music that gives people hope, and by sharing your pain, your truth, or your chaos, it can make people feel less alone."

With any biopic, portraying a living person brings a certain amount of responsibility, and Southern Gospelwas no exception. "Meeting Samuel was incredible," Ehrich said. "I didn't want to try and imitate anyone because I don't think that was really the way for it to go. It had to feel super authentic. But it was a beautiful experience getting to meet the man the story was based upon."

To say being a part of this project changed Ehrich's life is an understatement. He literally emerged from the movie a new man. "This movie made me closer to my faith," he admitted, adding that he believes the role will have "an everlasting impact. One really interesting experience was my character getting baptized. In preparation for the film, I read the Bible so much and immersed myself in what I thought the character would do. I felt very compelled, so I got baptized.

"I had some interesting things happen while filming," he added. "Like my engagement ended literally the day before my character got baptized in the film. For some reason, I wanted to kind of clear [that] energy. Afterward, it felt like a new beginning. It was a really beautiful transition into that new beginning of my life. I don't think most people get baptized the day after a very pivotal moment in their life, but I was lucky enough to be working on a project that was all about that. It was the most spiritual way to do it."

With the movie already doing well in theaters, Ehrich is delighted UPtv is bringing its uplifting message to even more people. "I was super-stoked when I heard UPtv had the world broadcast premiere," he said. "This could not be more perfect. I know a lot of people just either can't afford a ticket or just post-COVID were not able to go to a theater. I'm really excited for the movie to have more of a platform.

"I love that people can now have easier access to this story," he added in closing. "It has a really good message and not in a cheesy way. It's a very authentic story. My deepest life mission is to have a positive impact on people, and on society, and this project definitely correlates with all of that."

Southern Gospel will be telecast on Easter Sunday, April 9, at 7 p.m. ET on UPtv as a part of their Bring the Spring programming event.

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