New film “Adams Testament” is truly a testament for actor Philip Moran
A year ago, when I first sat down with Philip Moran to talk about his starring role in the feature film Adams Testament, he said it felt like destiny. He was on a path, and starring in a movie was a part of that. At that time, the film was still in post-production, and was going to be submitted to film festivals. Now, the film will have its world premiere at a Special Cineplex event in heart of downtown Toronto. Moran will be walking down that red carpet, and he will be thinking he is exactly where he should be.
Moran has had no easy course to achieve his dreams. Like all actors, he has had missed opportunities, frustrating auditions, and industry issues, but he has always persevered. Acting in Toronto for over twenty-years, there were ample amounts of opportunities for him to give up on his dream, but he never did. Guided by teachers and special friends, he pushed through, and audiences everywhere are thankful he did.
“Adams Testament is the biggest role I have ever acted in. It was sowing and reaping leading up to everything I have ever studied and wanted,” he said. “It definitely justifies my many years of pursuing this career. You always hear people that are experts in this industry say that if you can make it in Toronto you can make it anywhere. Well, I guess I’ve made it to that place, anywhere.”
Adams Testament is premiering this year on April 18th at 7 p.m. at the Yonge and Dundas Cineplex Odeon Theatre in Downtown Toronto. The tickets for the showing initially sold out, and a larger theatre was then required. The film is making headlines across the border, as it is an Official Selection at the International Christian Film Festival (ICFF), the largest Christian Film Festival in the world, where it is nominated for four awards. The ICFF takes place in Orlando, Florida in early May. He and his family, business partners, and fans will be attending this glorious event situated in the beautiful park of Disney. Following this, Moran is also nominated for Media Artist of the year at the INFAME Awards, scheduled to take place in the fall of 2017. Rumours say the award show will take place in Los Angeles.
“All the recognition the film is receiving is good for everyone involved. As the star, I pulled off a good performance. Some people didn’t think I could do it. The truth is, I did it, and proved a lot to myself and to everyone. There are more well-known actors besides me in the film, like Nick Mancuso, who is great, but they taught me valuable lessons and enhanced my performance in the movie. I stepped up and played ball with them, and hit a home run” said Moran.
The film also stars Luke Bilyk (Degrassi), Zoe De Grand Maison (Orphan Black), and Art Hindle (Paradise Falls, Shoot the Messenger). It was written and directed by Jason Barbeck and Rafael Kalamat, who were also nominated at the ICFF, for best director.
“Part of the creative process for any director is being able to be a bridge between the script, the overall vision with the actor. With Philip, the process was unique, he was open minded to the point where he would take the character of Joseph Gable anywhere we wanted. His discipline and work ethic allowed us to deal with the arc of his character. I would certainly say his confidence translates to a misunderstood person on set, however that being said, he certainly is one of Canada’s best kept secrets,” said Kalamat.
He is a secret no more. Moran has thousands of Facebook followers, fans on Instagram and Twitter and an extremely wide fan base worldwide. Appearing in the 2012 blockbuster remake of Total Recall, starring Colin Farrell, Jessica Biel, and Kate Beckinsale, Moran sensed he was going to secure an actor role before he would be involved in the film. He had the same mindset for Adams Testament. It started with the filmmakers (Kalamat, Barbeck, and executive producer Todd Yuill) interviewing Moran for an actor role. They soon realized they noticed something special in Philip. All four met together without the idea for the film, but decided to try working together by creating the talk show In the Room. After the show’s success, they thought they would make a short film, and created Adams Testament, but after some thought, decided it would make a spectacular feature length movie. Moran knew he would be perfect for the part.
“It’s about branding. Joseph Gable is a detective. That is my brand. I involved myself in that from the very start. I just sort of convinced myself that it made sense to me. Joseph Gable was me. That is what is important, don’t settle,” he said. “People can look at what I am doing and get inspired. It is like a puzzle. I don’t have all the pieces to the puzzle. Some of the pieces come easy and some I have to work very hard to find. I can’t provide anyone with all the tools they need, but they can look through my example and discover that a kid from Toronto believed in himself so much so that the world started to as well.”
Moran has always looked up to actors like Scott Speedman, Rachel McAdams, and Keanu Reeves, who emerged from the Canadian film industry and became something to talk about. Now, he is on his way to manifesting the same as those he admires.
Moran’s performance in the film was even more elevated by the memory of the executive producer Elva Yuill, who suddenly passed away on August 9th of 2014.
“She would not leave before the movie was completed,” Moran said.
He feels assured that she would be so proud of what the film has now become. She always loved the message of the film; something to do with love, truth and self-awareness. Now, the film will raise funds and awareness for Alzeheimer’s charities in memory of the late Elva Yuill. Todd Yuill and his mother Elva were thrilled to have Moran as the star of Adams Testament.
“Trying to find Canadian talent is often not an easy task, and we are very proud of the way Philip Moran acted on set. He was the one person that was able to stay in character and work well with the rest of the cast, for the whole movie shoot,” said Todd Yuill.
There is no doubt that with the innate talent and sheer determination that Moran possesses, he will continue to be a star both in Canada, and the rest of the world.
“I had faith it was all going to work out. Now look at everything. You have to have faith,” Moran concluded.
You can purchase tickets to the Toronto premiere of Adams Testament here. The film will be released at theatres across Canada and the United States later this year.
