BEAUTY AND TRUTH
Movies,Culture & More
 |
Little Flower on the Big Screen
by Tim Drake
How a Quaker came to play the part of St. Thérèse in a
major motion picture release. |
July 16, 2003 / Lindsay Younce never
expected to play Thérèse of Lisieux in a major motion picture.
Twenty-one-year-old Younce grew up in Vancouver,
Wash., in the Society of Friends (Quakers). In May 2001 she
entered the Catholic Church.
A graduate of Oregon’s
George Fox University, Younce has performed in approximately
15 plays. Her most recent role is as the star of St. Luke
Production’s motion picture Thérèse. The film will open in
theaters in October.
Younce spoke to Register features
correspondent Tim Drake about what it was like to portray a
saint.
Tell me about your family.
I have
two older sisters and a younger brother. My father is a
carpenter and my mother is a high school teacher.
What first led you to the Church?
I never
had any intention of becoming Catholic. When I was in high
school one of my friends was Catholic and he took me to Mass
once. We studied the Bible together and so I heard the
Catholic perspective from his point of view. It always
frustrated me and we got into arguments about it.
In
reading the history of the Society of Friends I was led to
read writings from the early Church Fathers. From there, I
continued to study Church history. I decided that if I were to
belong to a church, I was going to belong to a church that had
the same teachings as the early Church.
I was really
trying not to look into the Catholic Church, but oddly enough
I started reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church and to
my surprise — and somewhat dismay — I learned that the
Catechism had the same teachings as the early Church. Theology
hooked me first, but tradition and the Catholic culture
quickly roped me in after that.
How did your family
react to your conversion?
Oh my. Fortunately my family
is very supportive of the decisions I make. They were upset
and asked me to wait until I had graduated from high school
and moved away from the house to convert. So I honored that
and waited. I came into the Church in May 2001.
How
did you first come to learn of St. Thérèse?
In January
2000, St. Thérèse’s relics came to Vancouver, Wash. I knew
nothing about her before this. I was a senior in high school
and every morning before school I would attend Mass at St.
Joseph’s Catholic Church in Vancouver. One morning as I went
to Mass, I saw all these police cars and traffic.
When
I asked a police officer what was going on, he told me,
“Thérèse’s relics are here.”
I walked into the Church and
it was packed. I got into a back pew and an older man named
Concepcion saw that I didn’t know what I was doing and coached
me through. When he saw that I wasn’t going up for Communion
he said, “You know that you can get a blessing, right?” He
stood by me and made sure that I went up to touch or kiss the
case that held Thérèse’s relics.
I remember walking
away and feeling something different. I wondered if this is
what people meant when they said that you receive graces from
coming into contact with relics. After that encounter, I
picked up a book on the wisdom of the saints that I had
purchased at a garage sale, and I read an excerpt from St.
Thérèse’s Story of a Soul. I was very struck by her wisdom.
Then I forgot about her until I auditioned for the film, but
she didn’t forget about me.
Originally, you
auditioned to play Thérèse’s sister Celine, didn’t you? How
did you end up getting the lead?
I had been performing
a one-woman show at my high school about women in the life of
Jesus for my senior project. A man there suggested that I
contact St. Luke Productions. “They are doing a film and you
should see if you can get some experience,” he told me. So, I
called with the idea of helping out on the set. In April 2000,
they scheduled an audition.
Originally, I read the
part of Celine. A week after the audition, the casting
director called to say that they had lost the actress who was
going to play Thérèse and they wanted me to come back in and
read for the part of Thérèse. A few days after the audition
they gave me the role.
Was there an especially
memorable moment for you during filming?
Most of the
crew did not profess to be religious in any way, so they went
about their business. On the day we filmed St. Thérèse’s death
scene, the set was silent. As she was dying she rose up in her
bed effortlessly and saw something. She said, “God, I love
you,” and fell back in the bed and died.
The script of
her death was written from her last conversations and so
everything that we were saying came from her mouth. She said
the most profound things. I will never forget how her words of
the Gospel and of God’s love impacted everyone.
What message do you think Thérèse has for the
young?
Thérèse embodies the Scripture that speaks
about not allowing others to not take you seriously because
you are young. For Thérèse, no one believed she had a calling
to be a nun, except for her father. She knew at age 15 and she
died at age 24. She was young all of her life and yet had an
incredible devotion to God. She is a doctor of the Church.
The young feel as if they have no responsibilities.
They are given reasons for not having a lack of direction, and
when they do have a dream or a sense of God’s will they are
not taken seriously. That happened to Thérèse as well, but she
never gave up. At 17, I knew that I wanted to be Catholic but
was being told that I was too young to make that decision.
Thérèse, too, was told to wait to enter the convent, and the
wait was worth it. She waited patiently and didn’t get
discouraged.
In what ways has your portrayal of St.
Thérèse impacted your own faith?
I knew a lot about
Catholic theology and Church history, but I didn’t know a lot
about saints, how Catholics perceive the relationship aspect
between God and man or how Catholics perceive the love of God.
Everything celestial that I understood came from my
Protestant background, but it has come to a fulfillment in
becoming Catholic. In reading what Thérèse wrote and
understanding her I came to a different understanding of how
we are to love others and how we are to love God. It’s been
very gradual, but I can see how my perception has changed
because of her.
Given your background, do you have
the sense that you were handpicked for the role?
Yes,
increasingly more and more. All of us who were involved were
chosen. That’s a humbling feeling. Thérèse chose me to tell
her story and I realize that only God alone could give me the
grace to do so. No matter how much acting training one has,
it’s still a challenge to portray the life of such a woman.
The grace of God covers those moments.
What do you
have planned next?
I acted throughout college and am
taking a short break. I’m beginning a master’s program for
teaching.
Tim Drake is editor of Catholic.net and
writes from St. Cloud, Minnesota.
*Reprinted with
permission
|
|
Act One Program
Courses in screenwriting with a Christian
focus.
American Society of Classical
Realism
Non-profit organization dedicated to
preserving and promoting New American impressionist
painting.
Apostle Music
Offers the best in contemporary Christian music
by many of the best independent Catholic
artists.
Art Renewal Center
An online art museum which aims to promote a
return to standards and excellence in the visual
arts.
Canada Catholic Radio
Daily broadcasts of the Mass, rosary, Scripture
readings as well as family-oriented radio programs via the
Internet.
Catholic Film Review
A resource for Catholics that provides
information about the Motion picture industry.
Catholic Music Network
Your home for the best music by today's top
Catholic artists.
Catholic Musicians Online
A free service for all Catholic musicians which
aims to promote Catholic music. Includes classified ads, aids to
locate a band or solo artist and more.
City of the Lord
Pope John Paul II's Letter to Artists. A message
concerning the human connection to God our
Creator.
Decent Films.com
Online film guide which aims to recommend
entertaining, artistic, morally and spiritually fulfilling movies
that meet standards informed by the Christian
faith.
Eastern Catholic Liturgical
Music
Listen to music from the Eastern Catholic
churches, including music from the Carpathian Mountain region,
Melkite chants and chants of the Armenian, Ukrainian and Maronite
and Romanian Rites online.
Focus on the Family
Information about TV and Movies provided by the
Focus on the Family Christian Ministry
Gilbert! Magazine
The magazine of the American Chesterton Society,
devoted to G.K. Chesterton, the brilliant early 20th century
English-Catholic writer and thinker.
Gregorian Chant On the Net
Comprehensive site covering everything you ever
wanted to know about this ancient music. Includes links to groups
which perform Gregorian chant.
Image: A Journal pf the Arts
and Religion
Edited by a Catholic, but ecumenical
in its scope.
Rock for Life
Information and rankings about popular
bands.
Saint Luke's Productions
Produces Catholic films, videos and
plays.
Selected Marian Hymns
The words to various Marian hymns,
including
St. Michael Institute of Sacred
Art
A Connecticut retreat center dedicated to
creating a new renaissance in the sacred arts through classes in
architecture, drama, the culinary arts, illumination and gilding,
poetry and literature, wood carving, stained glass and metal work
among others.
Therese: The Movie
First full-length feature film on Saint Therese
of the Little Flower.
U.S. Catholic Bishops Movie
& TV Ratings
The U.S. Catholic Conference
Office for Film and Broadcasting's ratings for the latest
movies.
Vatican Art
A site where artifacts from the Vatican Museum
can be purchased.
Catholic Artists for Relief
Catholic artists join forces to help those
affected by the Sept. 11 attacks. All proceeds from the sale of
their song,
Catholic Television and Radio
Network
Specializes in production and
distribution of religious programming via radio, television and the
Internet.
|
.gif)
