Truly living out one’s faith can be deeply transformational. That reality was affirmed for actress Masey McLain after she portrayed Columbine High School shooting victim Rachel Joy Scott in the Pure Flix film “I’m Not Ashamed” —a movie that recounts Scott’s life, faith and ministry to others before her tragic and untimely death in 1999.
“She was just a 17-year-old girl in the middle of Colorado. She wasn’t famous; she didn’t have a platform,” McLain said of Scott during a recent appearance on PureFlix.com‘s “Pure Talk.” “She really took the word of God seriously and became the hands and feet of Jesus to the people around her. She impacted so many people’s lives just because of her faithfulness.”
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One of the most intriguing parts of Scott’s story were the journals she left behind—pages filled with images and commentary about her life that indicated she had a premonition that she would die young.
Watch McLain speak about Rachel’s incredible story—and her journals—in the video.
On May 2, 1998, less than one year before her death, Scott wrote that it would be her last year on Earth and told God that she had received what she could from this world.
Perhaps most captivating was an image that she drew of two eyes crying 13 tears onto a flower. Scott reportedly drew that image right before two gunmen killed her and 12 others inside Columbine.
McLain found all of these elements both fascinating and moving, and revealed that she was deeply moved after reading Scott’s journals.
“It was a surreal experience reading her journals. I just cried the whole time, honestly,” she said. “One of the most eerie and shocking things, looking at her journals—she almost knew that she was going to die.”
McLain said she was initially nervous about playing the role of Scott, a beloved person whose intense faith and trust in God continue to inspire people across the world.
“[I] was just completely [humbled] and honored to be able to step into her shoes,” McLain said. “I didn’t want to be the one to mess it up … not do her justice.”
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In the end, though, McLain said that she had a wonderful director (Brian Baugh) and film team who supported her throughout the production process. Plus, Scott’s mother, Beth Nimmo, called McLain before shooting began to encourage her to go in with confidence.
“I had an incredible director and … team that just always said that they believed that God had called me to this,” she said, adding that she relied on God to help her portray Scott with accuracy. “I didn’t know Rachel, but I knew God did.”
McLain said that she continues to receive messages on social media from scores of people who continue to be impacted by Scott’s story.
Watch Rachel’s story come to life in the movie I’m Not Ashamed.
This article was originally published on Pure Flix Insider. Visit Pure Flix for access to thousands of faith and family friendly movies and TV shows. You can get a free, one-month trial here.
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