Though renowned for her roles in hit series like Haven and ER, actress Emily Rose initially had her sights set not on Hollywood, but on the farm during her formative years.
“I wanted to be a horse vet,” she told Crosswalk Headlines. Rose shadowed a real-life veterinarian for a day and went home that night, loving the experience. Eventually, though, she realized she didn’t want to be responsible for animals in pain. She also realized she was — in her words — not all that great at science.
In hindsight, she says, God had other plans for her life. A product of a Christian high school, Rose pulled out a copy of Campus Life magazine as a senior and chose a career path in the arts — specifically, as a theater student at Vanguard University, a Christian school in California. (Her professors told her: “If this is what God’s called you to do [then] He’s going to completely open doors where you need to go.”) She then earned her master’s degree at UCLA.
“I have just been working at integrating my faith in my art the entire time, and just asking the Lord, ‘Okay, where would you have me? And where would you send me?’ — just like a mission field,” Rose told Crosswalk Headlines.
From 2011 to 2015 Rose starred in Haven on the Syfy channel. She’s also had roles in ER and NCIS. Rose’s latest project is Destination Heaven, a new series on Great American Pure Flix that follows everyday people as they experience extraordinary events and come face to face with God. Harry Lennix (Batman vs. Superman, Man of Steel) portrays God.
At first, Rose says, she was hesitant to accept a role.
“I was like, ‘Wait, they’re talking to God? How are you going to do this? This can be kind of cheesy.’ But I was so thrilled when I saw that Harry was playing God, and it helped me want to join on because I knew it would be a really great anchored, grounded performance, which is so important when addressing this kind of material where you’re legit having conversations with God,” she said.
Executive producer Dean Batali wanted people of faith for the roles, she said.
In Episode 1, Rose portrays a busy businesswoman who interacts with a homeless person. It and the other episodes, she said, depict moments in which God “refines us and kind of matures us in a deeper way with our faith.”
Being a Christian in Hollywood, Rose said, has its challenges. She has turned down opportunities because of her desire to only take roles that align with her values.
“Choosing to live a little bit of a separate life and way in your art can have its financial consequences,” Rose said. “But it really helps with your spiritual formation. It’s like: What is this life about?”
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