Actress Nika King, who plays a pastor’s wife in “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot,” is helping bring to light the movie’s powerful, real-life story about adoption and foster care.
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But King’s personal connection to the issue and her role in portraying Donna Martin, wife of Bishop W.C. Martin, is truly a story only God could write. See, King’s character, Martin, is a preacher’s wife who inspired 22 families in her church to adopt 77 of the most difficult-to-place children.
As it turns out, King’s own mother’s story is strikingly similar to the events depicted in “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot.”
“It’s my mom’s story,” King told CBN News of the movie. “She was fostered by a pastor and his wife. And I knew I had to be in this film some kind of way.”
Inside Her Mom’s Story
The actress said her maternal grandma was murdered and that her mom never knew her.
“It’s still a cold case,” King said. “We don’t know who did it.”
Her mom ended up in foster care with her three brothers. All four were adopted by the pastor and his wife, a similar dynamic to what happened in Possum Trot, Texas — the town that inspired the film.
“It kind of unfolded just like this movie … the ups and downs of being traumatized, being left alone, kind of to fend for yourself,” King said.
Watch her tell the story:
Decades later, King said she was fascinated by the opportunity to appear in “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot.” At first, King had a different role, but, as it came time to film, the cast shifted and she was thrown into the leading role — one she was overjoyed to play.
“I was just so happy,” King said. “I said, ‘Yes’ … all the way through.”
In addition to the connections with her mother’s experience, King also grew up in the church, with her adoptive grandparents giving her a biblical foundation.
“My mom was adopted by a pastor,” she said. “So, we were in church three, four days a week.”
When King’s mother faced her own struggles later in life, King said she and her siblings were cared for by people in the church. The experience and the stunning mirrors to the role she was fortunate enough to land aren’t lost on the actress.
“I’m so glad I’m able to just be a part of a faith-based film and also have that real connection with God,” King said. “Because it only makes the project more powerful, and it makes my purpose more cemented in what God has called me to do.”
Drawn to the Story
The performer said she was immediately drawn to the script and story at the heart of “Sound of Hope.”
“As an actor, you’re always looking for projects that, for me, tell a story, amplify light,” King said. “So, I was immediately drawn to the script.”
One of the most powerful facets of the film is the difficulties the children and adoptive families face — real-life struggles that are relatable for those who adopt or foster. The filmmakers didn’t shy away from these elements, which King could relate to in her mother’s own story. Children in foster care and adoption often face unthinkable circumstances.
“My mom had her own journey,” King said. “She ran away at 15, then she became addicted to drugs.”
But King said her mom has now been 31 years clean, shedding light on a happy ending that could have turned out quite differently.
King said she appreciated the film’s candid and honest representation of what unfolded in Possum Trot.
“The reality is: a lot of these kids are coming from horrible, horrible situations,” she said. “And, so, if you’re thinking about adopting or fostering, or being a respite — a parent — you want to see those things.”
King said “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot” has positively inspired her life and career, with all of her experiences in life — and her mom’s story — preparing her to take it on.
“Everything that I’ve gone through has prepared me for this moment,” she said. “God don’t waste nothing. He uses everything down to the last drop. And I’m so grateful that I was obedient.”
Feeling the Holy Spirit
King said she felt the Holy Spirit while filming scenes — and experienced an unparalleled on-set dynamic.
“It was so captivating because there were times and scenes where the Spirit was … in the room, and they would yell, ‘Cut!’ and I’m like, ‘You can’t cut on this!'” she said. “This is the spirit of God moving, not only in our performances, in our words, and in our thoughts, and in the messaging, because this film is meant to really fix this problem that we have in this country, with 400,000 kids being in foster care.”
King added, “This is a God movement.”
Watch the rest of the conversation here.
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