'Grey's Anatomy' Actress: Hollywood Recognizes 'Craving' for Family Films
Actress Sarah Drew, known for her role as Dr. April Kepner in the popular medical drama "Grey's Anatomy," recently said on the set of an upcoming movie that Hollywood is seeing a "craving" for family films that are attractive to Christians.
"I do think Hollywood is recognizing that there's a craving for it, that there's a huge audience in our country," Drew said in an interview with AL.com. "They want movies that they can bring their families to. They want movies that are going to speak to their heart, in a way that's refreshing to their hearts. And Hollywood is learning that there's money to be made there. I think more and more of these types of films are being made, and higher quality, which is exciting to see."
The 32-year-old actress is the daughter of Charles Drew, senior pastor of Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in New York City, and Jeannie Drew, who teaches biology at The Brearley School for girls in Manhattan. She spoke to AL.com in Birmingham, Ala., on the set of "Mom's Night Out," a family comedy that also features notable actors such as Sean Astin ("The Lord of the Rings" trilogy), Patricia Heaton ("Everybody Loves Raymond") and country music star Trace Adkins.
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"I'm excited to be a part of the group of women in a comedy that is reality for families everywhere," said Heaton, who is an executive producer of the film, in a press statement. "I've had so many people come up to me over the years and say, 'Your show got us through a very difficult time in our family and raised our spirits.' I think sometimes in a family the only way to diffuse a tense situation is to make a joke or mock yourself or the situation. At some point you just have to laugh about it. That's what we hope will happen with 'Mom's Night Out.'"
Drew says she believes the film, which wrapped up filming last week, will appeal to a broad audience.
"I don't look at this as a Christian film," she told AL.com. "I look as this as a family comedy. The lead characters happen to be Christians, happen to have this faith background, which I think is really refreshing. We don't have to explain why they are who they are, they just are. This is just a given, they all go to church on Sunday, they all treat each other the way that they are treating each other."
The film, co-directed by "October Baby" directors Jon and Andrew Erwin, focuses on a group of friends who are looking forward to a "mom's night out" involving dinner and conversation while their husbands watch their children, though the evening doesn't turn out like they had planned it. The movie also includes a love story between Allyson, Drew's character, and her husband, Sean, played by Sean Astin.
"We grew up watching great family comedies," said Andrew Erwin in a statement. "We felt it was time to bring the genre of clean family comedy back to the big screen, and we brought a powerful comedic cast with us to do it."
"Mom's Night Out" is expected to be released to theaters in 2014.
