Our first date. Yeah. Well, probably was that the homemade? Oh, yeah, it was. Well, that's when that girl set us up that time. That's the story I heard growing up. Oh, yeah, the first day was you brought me off the football field. Yep, thank you. It was. That was the first day. That was. That was the beginning of the love affair between myself and the cheerleader. So the producers of the film, which of course is our family, including Cole, he's an honorary member.
they talked about filming the first date scene, and also they talked about filming the baptism scene, and just some of the difficulties involved in that. you I know girls are supposed to act like they don't eat nothing on these dates, but I'm absolutely starving. Hey, Rachel. Okay. Um, could I get two Muffy sandwiches and a large fry? What you want? I can pay. Hey, no, come on. You drove. I got this.
You know, I don't really eat after the games anyway, so I think I'm just going to get something first. You know what? I changed my mind. Could you just give me one of those single grilled cheeses? And Rachel, you owe me a fry from last week, so don't go cheating on me again. Okay. Fries are for skinny bones. Another location that I loved was Fertitta's, which is... The diner. Yeah, the diner, which they make a sandwich called a muffaletta. I thought most people, if you're not from Louisiana...
And she orders a month. What are they eating? It's a sandwich. Willie makes them, by the way, and they're delicious. But I love that because that place has been there for years and still operating, and it looks exactly like it looks. It's a true example of how, like,
You know, the community is giving to us and allowing us to be there and tell the story, but it was a great way that we could kind of, the production kind of gave back too because, you know, the neon sign at the top of the building that says Fertitta's has been there. you know, since, I mean, that restaurant's been open for, I don't know how many years, like 50 years or something like that. It's a lady and her son.
who still run it and her husband was the one who started it. Well, their sign on the top of the building hasn't worked in like 20 years. and so we wanted to shoot the outside of the building though because it's incredible and um so our yeah our production designer and his team they
brought someone in to fix the neon sign that hasn't been working in 20 years. So we got it all lit up for him. And what was really incredible is we had her, she came out and her and her son came out when we were shooting that scene that night and I parked him in front of the monitor. you know and let them listen and everything and when k orders a muffie she just started crying and it was just the sweetest moment and she was like you know
My husband started this so many years ago and just like, it's gonna be preserved forever now. Yeah, that was pretty cool. Yeah, that was special. This is Miss Kay. And Uncle Si. On the Blind on DVD today. Visit theblindmovie.com. A lot of people talk about the scene that the baptism scene and how powerful that was for you. And, you know, you think about it, I don't know how many you've baptized.
since even the movie's been out. It's been a while. How about last Sunday? He did seven, and then after church, that was after his class and all, and then after the big church, there were three more. Yeah. Ten. And that was just one Sunday. And it's happening all across America. It's not just here, obviously. I mean, there's been a lot of people. I was up there with girls, young girls. And I was up there.
I could have fell in the bedroom. I tried not to, but in the front of it, you know. It's better if you don't, Mom. Because I was trying to, you know, make them, some of them were so afraid, like he was going to drown them or something. They were afraid. A couple of them said. This is it. This is it for me. Yeah. And I said, we're going to raise you up out of the water. I said, look at him. He's strong enough to do that.
You're not going to drown. We love you. That's right. All your sins are going to be removed here. You love Jesus. He said, just relax. I told Dad it was part of our languaging, which is biblical. But we say, well, come on up here and we're going to put you to death. But if you're morbidly afraid of water, that's the ultimate thing to say to someone.
As they're walking into a pool of water, let me put you to death and let you be renewed. Well, that's why I went up there. A couple of them, when they went down under the water, they instantaneously thought, now I'm going to drown. Yeah, exactly. But I told them, I said. I got you. It was 1,000 and they're up. All right. Should we tell the baptism story?
um because that was like the greatest day and also kind of the worst day because it's the main part of it it's like it's the scene in the movie yes this is this is the thing right yes and and aaron So he's from England. You probably couldn't tell by watching the film.
We did a great job coaching him on his accent, you know, pat on the back. Yeah, I had to work with him. He called, it's Mallard. No, it's Mallard. That's what I said, Mallard. I said, no, no, Mallard. So he did not want to get in the water. And it was, I mean, this was like bayou water. Yes. But I thought it was clean looking. But being from Louisiana, I'm like.
it's black that's clean it's not like it's not like you know it's a beautiful had that black color to it but it but you couldn't see you know six inches deep and uh so he's like i'm not getting in that water who knows with pathogens and like we swim in this water we do it all the time it's not a big deal so finally we like work him up to it he's like okay i'm gonna get in but basically i gotta get in and get out
Well, really, you have one take anyway, because then he's going to be all wet, his hair is wet, you're going to have to blow dry, change clothes. I mean, it would have been a big thing to... Yeah, we'd have to completely reset him, send him back to hair and makeup. Yeah, to do this more than once. It's like, you got one take.
but they considered it a stunt which i'm like it's not a stunt but they considered it a stunt so then they had to build a platform that they submerged in the water for them to stand on Again, someone from California did that, not understanding that this is Louisiana. Beneath the water, there's this thing called gumbo mud that it's not going to work. There's no bottom to it. Yeah, there's no bottom to it.
So they get in the water, Pastor Bill and Phil's character, they get in the water for the baptism, and it's this beautiful scene, but they weren't deep enough. This was a critical mistake in baptizing somebody. Willie was like, if I would have been on set, I would have known because he's baptized a lot of people. And by the way, yeah, we got the baptizing the river shirt, which Willie, he made fun of me about wearing that.
this for a whole other discussion. But Willie said, I would have known that they were not deep enough in the water. You've got to be at least waist deep, I guess, to get somebody down and back up again. Yeah, you're taking their whole body. Underwater. pastor was baptizing somebody who's a lot bigger than him, you know, because Aaron was probably 6'4". Yeah, he's a tall guy. So John goes to baptize him, but he can't get him back up.
so he's like so so he gets him up finally but then they like then they they start stumbling and falling and they're like literally trying to get up they keep falling back down and there's i mean because they're sinking in the mud and then and then they had this embrace The embrace is more like, what the hell? I read it. They just played it off. But when we saw it, I was like. We're standing there watching it. We're just like, oh, no. Then I saw it on film.
corey and i both were like no well the problem was is like we didn't have a clean down and up You know what I mean? Because he didn't come back up really. But he wasn't going to go back in the water. So he's like, I'm not doing that again. And so we're like, what are we going to do? And Chris is like, our DP is like, no, we can fix this in post, which is what they said.
say right and I'm like i'm like there's no way you're fixing that in post yeah like no way so then it was like it's kind of funny and endearing i know it's creepy and weird so we're going back and forth on what this looks like and uh so then somewhere i don't remember when we were able to talk him into going back down there. But John had already left. The guy who played Pastor Bill. The guy who played Pastor Bill. So he's back in California. So I'm like, well, I'll baptize him.
and will just skip my arm, you know, kind of thing. And so in the film, when he goes down, it comes up. I think that's, is that still my arm? Yeah. yeah the close shots yeah yeah so i mean you can see the muscles but it's incredible it's my arm recognize that arm anywhere yeah but then y'all put back in we got the clean down and up that we needed
you know, and then, yeah, just the end where they kind of stumble and fall. They played it up so well. It looks so good. Fun and natural. That part is so endearing. It felt really joyful and just real in the moment. Yeah. From this day forth, who's going to be Lord in your life? Jesus Christ. With that confession, I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost for the forgiveness of your sins.
So a few people have asked, Dad, how long did it take once you became that new man? Was there a process involved? And I always tell people, sure. It's not like you snapped your fingers. and you come out of that watery grave, you do come out a renewed son of God, but it takes a while on a lifestyle. You know what's y'all's biggest...
scared thing was. We knew we did cuss again. Yeah, you said, well, I don't know who said it. They were like, well, what if he just says a big cuss word right in church? I said, well, people will forgive him and they'll understand. This is a new life. You brought it up. You know, I thought about it. And I told somebody the other day, I think it's my class. I said, you know, once you get to know Jesus, cursing.
disappears from your lifestyle. You mentioned this on the podcast recently. You'll get to where, you know, no matter what'll happen, you won't curse. He had a harder time with... You know, his jealousy. But this is a great text to remember. Hebrews 10, 14. When this priest, Jesus, the great high priest, had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, his death.
He sat down at the right hand of God. Forty days after Jesus was raised from the dead, 40 days, he made sure enough people saw him. By the hundreds, they saw him, a few thousand. Since that time, he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool because, and here's the greatest news ever, by one sacrifice, his death on the cross for our sins. He has made, now listen to this, perfect. By one sacrifice, he, Jesus, by his death on a cross, has made perfect.
forever those who are being made holy. It's one of the greatest texts in the Bible. You say, man alive, one sacrifice, he's not counting my sins against me. I said, he's not counting them against you. Get up. Get up. Get up. Keep following him. Get up. Get up. Don't stay down. Get up. Tell him you're struggling. Tell him you're going to be all right. But everybody makes mistakes, but this one priest, he's made us perfect forever. Look, those who are being made holy, it takes a while to...
be made holy because you're already perfect. That's to spur you on to love and good works, and it can be done. So you make a mistake, get up and say, Lord, my bad. Thank you for the blood, your blood you shed, and keep on going. Just keep going.