John Schneider

Keepin' It Real-

John Schneider's Quest to Keep Faith Relatable in Film

By Lisa A. Rice

When Johnny Cash wanted to audition for a record label, he chose a simple ditty about Jesus saving his soul. Before the song was even finished, however, one of the label execs raised his hand, gesturing for the band to stop. "Quit singing about your newfound peace within," the man said. "That's not gonna save anyone's soul...  You got anything real in there?" Indeed, Johnny did. He began to sing "Folsom Prison Blues," a soulful tune about hearing the lonesome train whistle every night, hanging his head in shame over his crime and crying at night because he wasn't free. The executive loved it, signed him immediately and thus began a long and illustrious career for Johnny Cash.

As the years went by, Johnny and his wife, June Carter Cash, continued to live their lives on this balance beam of grit and gospel-showing  their humanity and foibles and yet letting their faith shine forth in the most real and relatable ways. It was into this atmosphere that the young actor, John Schneider, entered after he landed the role of Bo Duke in The Dukes of Hazard.  

 Soulful, Not Southern

It wasn't the fact that Johnny and June were southern that made them so relatable to John...because actually John wasn't southern at all! As a matter of fact, when he auditioned for Dukes he was living in his hometown in upstate New York. He heard about the role and set about dressing for the part. He showed up to the audition in a torn t-shirt, holding a six pack of beer in his hand. He put on his best country accent, and voila! He landed the role. "There are ‘good ole boys' in every small town," John says and laughs. It's not just a southern thing."

            The thing that did grab the young star about the Cashes was their genuineness, despite their often-rough circumstances, controversies and rather gritty exteriors. "I lived with Johnny and June for some time," John recalls, "and it was Johnny who led me to Christ. He was so different from many of the other Christians I'd seen, and he didn't fit the stereotypes I had of the guys in Argyle sweaters happily dancing through the flowers with big smiles on their faces because life was so perfect. I wanted to scream, ‘Get me away from the advancing Argyles!' Instead, I just watched as Johnny and June's lives were held together by the love of Christ."

John recalls that the Cashes didn't wear their religion on their sleeves, but rather just lived it out by example. "Johnny and I would be fishing," he says, "and suddenly he'd look at this watch and start heading back to the house... said something about needing to spend some time with the Lord. It intrigued me that this rough man's man would have these priorities, and pretty soon I was asking questions... wanting what he had. Johnny and June kept circling and trying to talk sense into me, without being sappy. And it worked. They understood that I had to be ready; so they waited patiently. That was very different from anything I'd seen before."

Judging "Hidden Secrets"

            This same theme of realness and relate-ability, so important to John, comes across hugely in the new DVD release, Hidden Secrets, a movie in which he stars as the agnostic and sarcastic Gary, a guy reacquainting with old friends at a Big Chill-type gathering. During their long weekend together, Gary questions everyone's beliefs, as his old buddies learn to stand firm in their faith despite differing world views, lifestyles and personal adversity.

            Hidden Secrets not only portrays fiery conversations between people of all walks of life, but it also lends itself to a fascinating character study worth careful examination by all believers. One lady in the film is a super-judgmental Christian, who uses scripture to bludgeon those around her... And it's quite painful to watch. "The movie will inspire people to have these conversations, to examine their approach and to learn how to use humor to open big cans of worms regarding their faith," John says. "Many Christian films I've seen have this ‘let's sit down now and have a serious conversation about your faith' thing.' I want to say, ‘No! Please, can we not? Can we just go have some pizza?'"

            John says the movie challenges Christians to open their lives to those with differing views. "We need to watch and enjoy company with people who believe and people who don't. It challenges our faith to be exposed to other opinions. If other beliefs tear down my faith, then my faith wasn't worth too much. If I'm afraid to have my sword sharpened, I need to put my sword away, you know? Put another way, if I can run with the football when no one's chasing me, so what?" 

The Goal of Hollywood Believers

            Not only does John like to involve himself in films that challenge people's faith, but so does his co-star, Tracy Melchior (who plays Sherry Hayden).Tracy's journey actually began when God used some New Agers to open her heart to spiritual matters without offending her (as she had long been offended by and fearful of the overly religious). Her continued hunger for God drew her away from New Age counterfeits and into Christianity. Several actress friends, with kid gloves, soon introduced her to the Lord and led her into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Tracy smiles as she remembers Billy Graham's quote that "It takes forty people to lead someone to Christ. The first thirty-nine think they did nothing; the last one thinks he did everything." Having been down that road, Tracy is now a great advocate for helping the Church become the non-judgmental, loving entity it was intended to be.

"We don't catch a cat by running after it, and likewise we don't win the lost by storming in and preaching," Tracy says. "We must use our lives and giftings to offer a compelling and gentle invitation to the lost, to plant curiosity and to be available when it's time to speak." John,  too, hopes  Hollywood will continue milling out great films that cause believers to examine their evangelism tactics and unbelievers to see Christians as the real, relate-able, love-centered people-like the Cashes-we're all called to be.

For more information about John Schneider and Hidden Secrets, please visit http://www.hiddensecrets-themovie.com