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William Wallace, the Musketeers, Lt. Col. Hal Moore. What do these men all have in common that we can learn from?

Wallace: The fictional Musketeers, and the non-fiction characters William Wallace and Hal Moore, all shared a commitment that gave them identity and shaped their choices. All these men believed in something Higher; we all become what we believe in.

What role do women play in your creative world?

Wallace: As I do with male characters, I try to portray the kind of woman who exudes and inspires love and faith, courage and hope. And as my mother would say, "There would be more gentlemen, if there were more ladies."

What draws you to the heroic?

Wallace: Doesn't everybody love stories about heroes? They grab our attention, they make our hearts pound—but only if we believe them, only if we can identify with them in some way and hope that to some extent we can become more like them.

Tell us how were you influenced by the other films you chose for the festival—A Man for All Seasons and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly?

Wallace: These two films are radically different, of course; I love them for their passion and their exuberance.Neither film was trying to copy another; they were both trying to be true to their own vision.

How do the two films' characters embody heroism for you?

Wallace: Both show men who were willing to embrace exactly who they were.

What do heroic films do to you? How do they change you?

Wallace: I want to walk out of a theater and think, Because of what I just experienced, my life will never be the same. I think everybody wants that.

How does the life of Jesus fit into this kind of hero figure for you?

Wallace: Jesus is the ultimate hero. His message in the face of unspeakable suffering—spiritual, physical and mental—was, "You can try to kill my body, but I will never deny who I am."

© Eric David and Christianity Today International. Click for reprint information.

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