REEL FACE: | REAL FACE: |
KJ Apa
Born: June 16, 1997 Birthplace: Auckland, New Zealand | Jeremy Camp
Born: January 12, 1978 Birthplace: Lafayette, Indiana, USA |
Britt Robertson
Born: April 18, 1990 Birthplace: Charlotte, North Carolina, USA | Melissa Henning
Born: October 7, 1979 Birthplace: Long Beach, California, USA Death: February 5, 2001 (ovarian cancer) |
Gary Sinise
Born: March 17, 1955 Birthplace: Blue Island, Illinois, USA | Tom Camp
|
Shania Twain
Born: August 28, 1965 Birthplace: Windsor, Ontario, Canada | Terry Camp
|
Nathan Parsons
Born: June 16, 1988 Birthplace: Adelaide, Australia | Jean-Luc La Joie
|
Abigail Cowen
Born: March 18, 1998 Birthplace: Geneva, Florida, USA | Adrienne Liesching
Born: July 12, 1981 Birthplace: Port Elizabeth, South Africa |
Yes. While researching the I Still Believe true story, we discovered that singer/songwriter Jeremy Camp was closely involved in the making of the movie. In fact, the film is based on his memoir I Still Believe, published in 2011. The book offers a more in-depth look at Camp's life, including his childhood, the loss of his first wife Melissa Henning, and his relationship with God.
During an interview with WAY Nation, he described being present for the filming of some of the hospital scenes. "It was not easy," said Camp. "The hospital brings back bad memories for me. At one point, I literally was watching a hospital scene and I broke down. I left."
Yes. Despite some hesitation, KJ Apa recorded his own vocals for the film. Five of the songs he recorded are featured on the I Still Believe Soundtrack. "I'm super uncomfortable when I sing," Apa told People magazine. "I went into the studio in Nashville - I did that first before we shot anything - and I think that really gave me perspective on the film." It also helps that Apa has his own offscreen band, The Good Time Boys.
Of KJ Apa's versions of his songs, Jeremy Camp said on the red carpet, "It was so different because he sounds a lot different than I do, but I think because he did it in his style and his way, he put his whole heart into it. So you actually can feel it. I wasn't disappointed at all, because I felt like it was authentic to him, and it made it feel real. So the songs actually came out still feeling emotional, still feeling raw, and it was good."
Melissa Henning was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2000 during her time apart from Jeremy. By the time it was discovered, it had already spread throughout her whole abdomen, including all of her major organs and was in her liver.
Yes. The I Still Believe true story reveals that Jeremy's father, Tom Camp, who is portrayed by Gary Sinise in the film, is the pastor at Harvest Chapel in Lafayette, Indiana, the city where Jeremy was born. Tom is the one who taught Jeremy how to play guitar. He is also the one who married Jeremy and Melissa.
Married on October 21, 2000, Melissa Lynn Henning-Camp succumbed to cancer three-and-a-half months later on February 5, 2001. She was 21.
Yes. For example, KJ Apa's character throwing his Bible is taken directly from the I Still Believe real story. "I would read about how God healed in the Gospels and I would throw my Bible across the room," Camp told CCM Magazine. "I questioned whether God is a loving God. In frustration I would say, 'I don't want to share in your faithfulness because I don't think you are faithful.'" Camp says that he held his belief in Jesus close to him, but he also had unbelief too. "It was a journey, for sure," says Camp. "It wasn't easy - a lot of grieving, a lot of anger, a lot of just, confusion, but God was there every single step" (WAY Nation).
"That was two weeks after she went to be with Jesus," Camp said of when he penned his hit song "I Still Believe". He said that he wrote the song "Walk by Faith" while Melissa was sick, when they were on their honeymoon, which is depicted in the movie. Actor KJ Apa does his own singing in the film, including the song after which the film is titled. The songs sung by KJ Apa are featured on the I Still Believe Soundtrack, including "Find Me In The River", which was also featured in the movie's trailer.
Yes. After graduating from high school, Camp went to Bible college for two years at Calvary Chapel Bible College in Murrieta, California, earning an associate degree in theology. He would later become an ordained minister.
Yes. South-African born Adrienne Liesching (pictured below) had been the frontwoman of the Christian pop-rock band The Benjamin Gate. She met Jeremy while on tour in 2002. According to Jeremy, Adrienne approached him and told him how much his story had affected her. She reminded him of what his late wife Melissa said after being diagnosed with cancer, that if she was able to bring at least one person into the arms of Jesus, then everything she had gone through was worth it. Adrienne told him that she was one of those people who had been touched by Melissa and his story. "She had been struggling and not doing well," Jeremy said of Adrienne, "just really having a hard time, and God used our story to minister to her. So that's how we, in the film, kinda like, we meet." -WAY Nation
Learn more about the I Still Believe movie true story by watching the interviews, music video, and behind-the-scenes featurette listed below.