Actress Nika King is starring in a new movie, “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot,” based on a true story of adoption and foster care. King portrays Donna Martin, wife of Bishop W.C. Martin, who has inspired 22 families in her church to adopt 77 of the most difficult-to-place children. In an interview with CBN News, she shared that events depicted in the upcoming film are similar to her mother’s real-life story growing up.
“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.”
The actress noted that her maternal grandmother was murdered and that her mom never knew her, Faithwire reported. As a result, Nika’s mother ended up in foster care with her three brothers. All four were eventually adopted by the pastor and his wife, which is similar 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.
Although King initially had a different role in the film, she ended up being cast into the leading role.
“I was just so happy,” King said. “I said, ‘Yes’… all the way through.”
In connection to her mother’s experience, King also grew up in church, where she received a biblical foundation from her grandparents.
“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 in life, King said that church members took care of her and her siblings.
“My mom had her own journey,” King said. “She ran away at 15, then she became addicted to drugs.”
Today, King says her mother is 31 years clean. The actress added she appreciated the film’s honest representation of what occurred 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 impacted her life and career, and her life experiences and her mom’s story prepared her to take on the film.
“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.”
During filming scenes, King said she felt the Holy Spirit move in a powerful way.
“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.”
“This is a God movement,” King added.
The film, produced by Angel Studios, was released in theaters on July 4.
WATCH: Hollywood Actress' 'Real Connection with God,' On-Set Encounter with Holy Spirit
Related Articles:
- ‘Sound of Hope’ Earns A+ CinemaScore and Top 5 Spot Opening Day
- New Film ‘Sound of Hope’ Aims to Ignite Adoption Movement Within the Church
- 3 Things You Should Know before Watching ‘Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot’
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Jon Kopaloff/Stringer
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.