‘Miraculous’ Story of How God Brought Famous Family From Rags to Riches

Imagine leaving your country with no money and very few possessions only to reach a foreign land and realize the job prospects you were expecting had evaporated. That’s the very situation the Smallbone family encountered when they left their native Australia and arrived in America. The large family had not much more than love, yet somehow survived — and thrived.

Today, audiences know the Smallbones for as famous singers. Joel and Luke Smallbone (for KING & COUNTRY) and Rebecca St. James have become faith-based household names. But what some might not know is the harrowing journey the family experienced — a story set to be told on the big screen in “Unsung Hero,” a feature film releasing April 26 in theaters nationwide.

Joel Smallbone told CBN News during a recent interview at the National Religious Broadcaster’s Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, that the idea for the film came from his brother and bandmate, Luke. “He had been sharing, as part of … a child sponsorship pitch, our family story,” he said. “And people come and say, ‘Hey, you know, it’s such a moving, miraculous story. You should write a book about it.'” While they opted not to write a book, the idea for a feature film was born.

“We spent two years on the screenplay,” Smallbone, who portrays his father, David, in the movie, said. “I was actually probably more keen to play that than I was to be involved on the other side of the camera, the directing, the co-directing.” Smallbone did step in to co-direct the movie, having the unique perspective of both playing his dad and helping craft the massive, real-life story into a movie-sized bite.

“We wanted it to be an honor project, but not a glory project,” Smallbone said. “And there’s a big difference. We’re not trying to glorify them. We’re trying to honor the hardship, and, from dad’s perspective… the humbling, the pride, and everything in between.” Ultimately, Smallbone said playing his father was “liberating” and gave him empathy for his dad — a compassion he’ll have for the rest of his life.

“Unsung Hero,” Smallbone said, provides more than a rags to riches story; instead, it shows how “hardship, and loss, and sacrifice” can help us understand our ascent in faith.