Phil Wickham has released 14 Christian worship albums, been certified Platinum, and been nominated for American Music Awards, Dove Awards, Billboard Music Awards, and Grammys, but all his vocal training and performances couldn't prepare him to step into the shoes of one of his biblical heroes with the upcoming animated musical film “David.”
Directed by Phil Cunningham and Brent Dawes, “David” marks the second animated film this year for Angel Studios. April's “The King of Kings” grossed $60 million and is the studio's second-highest-grossing film after “Sound of Freedom,” which grossed $184 million. The film hits theaters on Friday. If the release date sounds familiar, it could be because the third installment of the multi-billion-dollar “Avatar” franchise, “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” releases on the same day. Pre-sale numbers for “David” are $15 million on 3,100 screens, but with “Avatar” set to open between $135 million and $165 million, and “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie” also set to open between $13 million and $20 million, it would seem to be a veritable David versus Goliath in terms of ticket sales.
That in itself could be daunting, but for Wickham, the biggest hurdles came long before release dates were decided. Despite playing in stadiums with thousands of fans, he had the “secret dream” of voicing a character in an animated film. A character “who carried courage and faith and lived a great adventure.” But since he had never pursued that dream, he realistically put a limit on that particular goal. Even when the opportunity arose, he hesitated to attend a casting meeting.
“I am harmless. [I said to producers]If I suck, then tell me because I don't want to waste anyone's time. And also, I don't want to be bad in a movie as much as you don't want to make a bad movie,” Wickham says.
The contemporary Christian artist, who recently wrapped up sold-out concerts at Downey Calvary Chapel and Wiltern, had never tried his hand at voice acting. Not only did he get the role, but he also had to help bring one of the Bible's best-known stories to life (animated). The story of David, the boy who was anointed to become king and along the way felled the giant Philistine warrior Goliath with a stone and a sling, has become synonymous with the most famous of the Bible's depictions of the underdog and tests of faith. The character and story are also one of Wickham's favorites.
Phil Wickham always wanted to voice an animated character, especially after watching “The Lion King.”
(Colton Dall)
“When this came across my desk, so to speak, I thought, man, I could tell you that story, but I didn't know if I had it in me. I didn't know if I was a good actor. I didn't know if I could voice a character, but I knew I wanted a chance,” Wickham said.
A curious revelation for Wickham was discovering that the singing he had been doing most of his life wouldn't work on screen, at least not for this project. He was asked to tone it down, sometimes “speak” the lyrics, and generally make the music more dramatic for the screen.
“I thought, okay, I get it. That's why they hired me, because I'm a singer. But that ended up being the hardest part because they didn't want me to sound like me,” Wickham said.
“Singing became a background to just being the character, which, honestly, in some ways, was the hardest thing. Maybe even for my ego as an artist.”
It was definitely a process that required a lot of adjustment and considering David not just as the king and hero that Wickham had grown up reading about at home and in the churches of Southern California. Sitting in the Downey pews, the singer reflected on why he got into music and why Christian entertainment is on the rise.
“I discovered very quickly that I loved being a part of moments where people found the same hope and faith that I found alone in my room,” Wickham said of songwriting and performing. He grew up surrounded by Christianity, but has seen a rise in the popularity of music and movies dealing with faith-based fandom.
“For this movie 'David' to come out at this time… I think the world is looking for things to have hope in. I think people are just looking and discovering more and more the truth that if we look around us, in man's world, we're not going to find real solutions. So maybe if we look up, we will find them.”
