Based on the bestselling novel by Francine Rivers, Redeeming Love is a sweeping romance story set against the backdrop of the California Gold Rush. Coming to theaters January 21, the film explores the obstacles one couple face on their way to each other. Thanks to her perseverance and his patience, they rise above the circumstances against them and prove love always prevails.
Before Angel (Abigail Cowen, Fate: The Winx Saga) met the earnest and kindhearted Michael (Tom Lewis, Gentleman Jack), her life was a truly difficult one. After her mother Mae's (Nina Dobrev, Love Hard) untimely demise, Angel was forced into prostitution and hardened her heart to survive. But Michael isn't one to give up on love, and he won't stop until he's melted the ice queen's heart and healed her wounds.
Cowen and Dobrev spoke to Screen Rant about the difficulties their characters face in the world of Redeeming Love, and how they find strength through their bond.
Screen Rant: How familiar were either of you with Francine Rivers' novel or the story of Hosea and Gomer when you were cast in the film?
Nina Dobrev: I had not read the book prior to reading the script; I read it after. But I thought that the screenplay was really well adapted, and it will hopefully be rewarding for fans of the book to see it on the big screen for the first time. It's been a long time coming now.
But I thought that, D.J. [Caruso], our director, did such a beautiful job both with the storytelling and the filmmaking. It's so cinematic and beautiful, and you really do feel the pain and the heartache and the struggle throughout the story. But you also are left with that feeling of hope and love - and the fact that love does always prevail, even if it's a bumpy ride to get there.
Abigail Cowen: I also had not read the book, but I had a lot of people in my life who had. Wen I got the script, my mom had read it and I had friends that had read it. So, they were very excited.
I read the script, and I was so in awe of the story. It led me right to reading the book, and I loved that too. The script was like what Nina said. D.J. just did a really wonderful job adopting it. I really hope that the fans of the book feel that way as well. I feel like they will, and I feel like there are some added elements to this story that I hope excite them and surprise them as well.
You two didn't really get to work together on screen, but Angel carries her mother's story with her. Nina, what do you think is the most significant thing that Mae leaves for Sarah? And Abigail, did you ever go back to either Nina's performance or Mae herself when thinking of your character?
Nina Dobrev: Oh, my goodness. Unfortunately, initially, Mae didn't leave her with a lot of great things. But having that connection and having that pure love, which is what I truly believe Mae had for her daughter, [led to] good intentions and hope and a little naivete. Those formative years of the beginning of your life really do dictate the rest of your life.
Even though she got really hardened later on, once her mom passed away, I do think that you hold on to that. It is at the base, and it'll never leave you, Maybe you'll forget at times but, as you see in the film, it comes back in flashes and you just need someone to help remind you that love is possible and it can be pure.
You can kind of forget sometimes when things are really hard; you can you can really forget. All Angel needed was to be reminded of that, and she does get reminded of it [by Michael]. It's beautiful.
Abigail Cowen: Mae plays a huge part in Angel's development and story. I mean, there's the saying that you're grown up when you realize that your parents are human too, and I think that Angel in the beginning hadn't reached that. I think that she still kind of worshipped the ground that her mother walked on and was angry, deep down.
I think the inner child still looked at her mother as almost her God, that showed her what life is. And to her, it was brokenness. It was a ton of letdown and pain and misery. She took that, along with her abuse and along with the struggles that she had in her life. I mean, how could you have hope in that situation? Her mother played a huge, huge role in it.
It wasn't her mother, specifically. Her mother was a human as well, but I don't think she looked at it completely. I don't think she reached that point yet, until really towards the end. I think she realizes, "Oh my gosh, she's a human just like I'm a human. There's hope, and I can forgive myself." She was dealt a horrible hand, and I was dealt a horrible hand, but maybe life isn't as bad as I think it is or as painful. I think that's a really big moment for Angel.
So, to answer your question: yes, I did. I really thought about that a lot in her journey, and in the arc of her story and character as well.
Redeeming Love opens in theaters nationwide on January 21.