Doing the Right Thing: An Interview with Madeline Carroll

Everybody Greg Laurie here. You're listening to the Greg Laurie Podcast and my objective is to deliver hopefully compelling practical insights and faith culture and current events. From a biblical perspective to find out more about our ministry. Just go to our website harvest.org so thanks for joining me for this podcast really interviewing very special young lady. She was not one of the stars of the smash hit film. I can only imagine.

Her name is Madeleine Carol Medlin wanted to come on up here. How are you good to see you again so Medline good to have you back again.

Last time you were here. We just kind of did it on the fly you here to sink the premiere of the film what you saw for the first time right now tell me I was like crying when it's not far from that. Right now on I actually came and did a really last-minute interview with Elio and it opened up so many doors for me when speaking to share my testimony. Not five minutes later they just blew open hole in their calling that God had on my life. Some thank you so much. That's good. So now this is not something you just started doing that you been acting since your hold since I was 3 1/2 and tell me how you were discovered. It's an incredible story so I announced the line when I say in half with my aunt and lady on the other side of me in the nail salon just heard me talk and thought I was like six or seven years old and she comes around the corner to see who I lives and I just let all let Madeleine Carol and she ended up giving a card to my aunt anyway. They know they don't expect kids six or seven until six or seven, and she saw me read for and just sign me so God literally like to pick up and put me on the path three and half years old and completely God dream not something you know I could've thought out at that age and I might as always, it was God's dream for me ever since God was so faithful unto me at a young age and I just was so used to God opening doors for me and being just good and then when I hit 15.

It got a lot harder, but up until that point I was so blessed to work with such amazing, wonderful people. Hollywood is painted out to be a dark place.

Which it can be. But God was really really good to me. Up until then I did a movie with Kevin Costner and he was just such a gentleman. He flew me out on his own dime nightmare big Kevin Costner fan ticket and enjoy the premiere and did the publicity tour and everything and so God is always kind Me in the safe circle. The struggle was more for my choices. What was I going to do when and now walking me to that. So you been in the Kevin Costner film was limited Phil Jensen about the swing vote in the new bill.

A lot of TV shows like my cousin Jonathan shall be a little clip of you on the show lost its front your group will hold you there. Oh my gosh, maybe 12, but you still look like you going on right now this is a younger version of your course which we tend to look like her younger versions of ourselves, but she looked almost identical to the way she looks now so you, the long-term use tell us some of the TV shows you been in and lied to me as an Grey's Anatomy private practice. Cold case. Try from one of the only people to be on that show. Twice I went to shows night stalker.

I did TV mostly my whole entire life and swing vote was my first ever like lead role in a film so but a big moment you for you when you were 10 years old you were offered a role she would become a big film in Hollywood and it was a really lucrative offer well over $1 million on the table you were offered this role and we will see would film it was, but you churned out roll down your 10 years old and you turn this role down.

Tell us why live actually live in it was right after going outside her much older, but I yeah got offered this amazing opportunity and everyone involved was still so amazing and kind and so is really hard to say no I'm not just for you know the material offers, but the people that I can get to work with, and there's some films that come along that you just know there can make you a star like their letter lay it how people painted out movies.

There are some parts that you just know artist can change your life and there's all these other aspects to it that you will never have to audition again, which is the worst process ever and I got this on the addition today. Yeah, I went to one today there terrible, but that I was like one of these life-changing moments and got glitter late you know currently everything out before me and I did feel like Daniel actually you know when when I asked him to eat the food in and he didn't want to eat it and I I didn't really know you know how bad it was just when it was resonating in my spirit I just had this feeling that it wasn't enough. Something I wanted to do when I'm I actually signed on to do the movie and was gonna go ahead and go for it and my mom didn't have a piece about it and she was continually praying and their moms here tonight here tonight.

My mom and dad's name so that Don Carol and Donna Carol. My brother here tail go on. By the way, you guys are awesome. Cerise young lady like this.

So God bless you for the info. I going to church that night after I signed on and in the pastor randomly called me up and asked me to pray for a little boy to receive hearing so I got up and I prayed for many came back to my seat and I said mom I can't do this movie and she said why and I said because it is, it's not gonna line up with where I think God is can it take me in the future and I'm really so crazy because the things that I you know the choices I made at that age and the things God walked me through it. 11 years old. He's like just bring the whole harvest of it this initiator was done in darkness. He's completely brought to so many. We love you. I looked out on the audio term is young girls you know and all the young boys to the rollout approach.

A lot of temptations compromise, you know the rules or do this other thing you're facing heavy duty compromise opportunities that would make you a lot of money that with a lot of young people. Many people in general.

Dream of being rich and famous and and this is literally in front of you and you said no to it and you've made a principled stand in the just applaud you for that and I know the Lord bless you for the know.

I just know it though, but because you been to many films but let's talk about. I can only imagine so John or wound our mutual friend is the director of that film that he just you told me immediately since I sorry Bill, this is the girl in front.

John told me we are smuggling to stay on the said for the whole filming because you had such a great affect on everybody else and I totally understand that, but just to be as good a funny thought films coming out you were what were you doing you were going to theaters and doing what okay so I really, really grateful when I got this movie in this opportunity because I had went to this whole. Where I didn't know if I was gonna act anymore and I been doing it my whole life and I just wasn't seeing God in it anymore and I had this whole moment with God where I just fell on the floor in my bathroom and lock myself in and he started crying out and I was like God I don't understand. Like I've made all of these choices for you.

I have made every decision.

Everything I have I have laid before you, and I just don't see you rewarding me or opening other opportunities for me inside like maybe I'm just not hearing you thought I was like maybe this isn't what you want of me anymore and I was like I just want you to know the Lord. I love you and I love your presence more than I love this and if this is no longer what you had for me. It breaks my heart but that's okay.

I would rather pursue you and do what you have me here for end and it was the hardest. It was it was so hard and I have thought my whole life and so I laid my dream before God and I just let it die literally and I said, here it is, and take it and I said to last sentence. As I say God if this is still where you have me and so were you called me then send me something and not only send me something but send me something that would edify you not tell all know that this is where you want me until then when imagine came God just showed up and showed out and that's why he saw me crying so hard that day that I thought that was all going through my head to give you some back story and so I went when it came out and bought a bunch of tickets on something that my friend from Wednesday went completely alone and I would pass out the ticket and a lot of people thought I was trying to sell them something. It was really awkward, but I would hide out in the shadows, don't judge me and always and it never seem to fail. There was always at least two or three people that would remain in their seats when the lights would come on and people would just be crying and just couldn't couldn't move and so awesome this one woman I went up and talk to her and Isaac, are you okay line theory. Okay she said you don't understand. Today I was writing a letter to my son and I'm a birth mother and I've never met my son or my grandkids and I've been lying like this letter for years and I sat down to write it and I just couldn't do it so I came to the movie theater to get away for an hour and 1/2 and just escape it, and I saw this movie and it is turned my life upside down and I'm to go home and I'm to reconnect with myself. That's amazing. So it seems to me you mentioned Daniel Shadrach me shack a bit ago and they were taken captive from Israel brought into the palace of Nebuchadnezzar, and they were out to eat from the king's table and they refused. We don't even really know why the baby is because the food was offered to false gods, but the meter principled stand and what we might call us a relatively small thing, but then the cube of the strength to make a much more difficult stand when they were us to bow down before the image and every one of the king was going down before they were just teenagers and you're just a young girl still watch your 20 to know your but you know you made a principled stand of the Lord bless you and know you're in the film the that this film is really cute should it's sold over $85 million in ticket sales this movie. I can only imagine how most of the visits will be outperformed all of the films that were nominated and won the Oscars this year at outperformed all of them and this is a film that is a beautifully crafted film well acted film featuring you do with in the course Dennis Quaid in the stellar performance and many others, but but the more important thing is this is based on the true story and it's impacting lives like that lady you met in the theater so you know my blinders folks will sleep, but especially maybe younger people, what would you say to them, like when women are faced with these temptations.

These challenges, the compromise to keep in to do it all the other kids are doing because that's the cool thing to do. You know, what would you say to them, to encourage them to follow the example you given I would just say more than anything. If I brought my Bible up here. I spend so much time in my word, just as viable as it is.

This is a well-worn Bible. I like that I think you and and I know a lot of you know you hear their story and just get it came so easy but there was so much I can't stress how much that was that I went through and God I just got into my quiet place with the Lord. Like it says in Matthew and I close the door behind me and it was just me and him walking through things and groping for the word of God and I love that word.

Someone told me the other day literally feeling around in the darkness and you don't know if you're doing the right thing. You think you're doing the right thing and I spent so much time with Dottie not to know him and his character and he just became the forefront of everything for me. Doesn't matter what is next in my career.

What matters is how can I serve you by thinking as you say in your word, find yourself a great find myself in the word and boring stories like Daniel and it seems you come across in your life that are similar thing okay how did they go through it and then applying that and just falling in love with the God who loves you so much and has plans for your life and God wants to make you testimony God wants to make you a forerunner and so just just standing. It groped for it and love him and God will do exceedingly abundantly above all else, we could ever think or imagine in my life is testament to that life everybody Greg Laurie here. Thanks for listening to your podcast the learn more about harvest ministries. Please subscribe and consider supporting the show. Just go to harvest.org. By the way, if you want to find out how to come into a personal relationship with God. Go to know God.org that's key NOW GOG.org