Christians in Cinema: Brieanne Jansen

Eleven-year-old Brieanne Jansen surprised her whole family when she decided to audition for the film. Ever since she was taken hostage with her family in their home seven years ago, she’s lived in what she describes as a shell, afraid to come out.

But Brieanne is a huge fan of American Girl dolls, and checks out their website every day. When she saw the producers were looking for kids to be in the movie, she begged her parents for a chance to give it a try.

“I was picked for this role because I didn’t try to be something that I’m not. I learned that I can dream as big as possible because dreams do come true.” Her dream came true when she was selected to play the part of Frances Stone, a member of Kit’s Secret Club.

CC.com:    What was it like to be in your first movie?

Brieanne:    It was really fun. Abigail Breslin is a really nice girl, and Julia Ormond and Chris O’Donnell were great. It was an amazing cast, and they did an awesome job. It was an incredible experience, and one I don’t want to forget.

CC.com:    What’s one of your favorite memories from the film?

Brieanne:    Some of my favorite memories were playing two-hand games with Madison and some of the other girls in the movie in between takes. That was a lot of fun. “Concentration” was one of my favorites.

CC.com:    It sounds like you became friends with the other kids, and didn’t just work together. Do you still keep in touch?

Brieanne:    Yes. We spent a lot of time together.

CC.com:    You’re a big American Girl fan, and saw the announcement on their website. How did your parents respond when you told them you wanted to audition?

Brieanne:    My dad was out of town on a business trip in Phoenix, so he wasn’t there when I asked my mom if I could audition. They were really surprised I wanted to do it.

CC.com:    You’ve said before that you were kind of in a shell after being held hostage as a young child. Can you talk about what the time between that event and doing the movie has been like?

Brieanne:    When I was taken hostage, I suffered from Post-Traumatic-Stress Disorder for 5 years and I got terrible migraine headaches. The guy played the court system. Every time it came up to trial, he would fire his lawyer so they would have to wait.

He finally got convicted, and on the day of that hearing, June 28, 2006, was the last time I suffered a migraine headache.

CC.com:    You’re a Christian. When did you make the decision to live for Jesus?

Brieanne:    Well, my mom was born and raised Catholic, and I went to her church when she was younger, but I never really understood any of it. And up until the time we lived in Milpitas, which is where my home church is, my dad wasn’t really a believer.

Had it not been for the hostage-taking and everything that occurred, my dad probably wouldn’t believe in God to this day. He is very thankful that he was able to be baptized. So I go to a Presbyterian church in Milpitas every week with my parents and my brother. It’s about an hour away, but we’ve made so many friends there that you can’t believe it.

CC.com:    Why do you think the hostage situation caused your dad to turn to God?

Brieanne:    My family on my dad’s side isn’t Christian at all. I think seeing that everything that happens for a reason let my dad see that everything is set in place by God. And I’m very grateful, in a way, that the hostage situation did happen, because my dad probably wouldn’t be going to church with us every Sunday.

CC.com:    One of the themes that comes out during the movie is forgiveness. Stirling’s mom is kind of mean, but then she needs to receive help from others, so she has a change of heart toward people. Have you been able to forgive the man who held you hostage?

Brieanne:    I want to fully forgive him for what he did, and I do to a point.

CC.com:    You’re only eleven, but you’ve had a very full life already. When you look at other kids your age, do you feel like you’re able to fit in as a normal kid, or do you feel really different?

Brieanne:    Well, being in the movie made me a little different right now. It kind of brought me out, and I don’t think people really look at me as “normal.” I’m one of the only ones in my church who’s ever been in a movie like this, so I stand out in the church.

People come up to me and say, “Oh, you’re that girl in the movie. You’re so lucky!”

I consider myself normal, though.

CC.com:    You’re also taking on a really big problem; the problem of hunger, with food and fundraising drives. What inspired you to do that?

Brieanne:    When we got home from filming the movie, pretty much every other house on our block had a foreclosure sign on it, and in February of this year, we lost our own rental house to foreclosure. So I decided that I wanted to do something about it.

My mom helped me, and we found America's Second Harvest. We got in touch with them, and they were really excited to meet me. Ever since then, we’ve been in close contact with them. Second Harvest, the food bank, is like a second home to me.

They are a food bank, so they provide food to more than 240 non-profit organizations. They supply the food to all of San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties.

CC.com:    It’s amazing that you’re making that kind of difference with your life. When you dream about the future, what do you see yourself doing?

Brieanne:    I’d like to act some more. We’re trying to look for agents that understand Christian morals and values right now. We don’t want to do anything that would be inappropriate and go against our faith, so we’ve been trying to find some people who might get me involved with directors like Michael Landon, Jr., because he’s an amazing man, and that would be a dream come true to work with someone like that.

CC.com:    What are you doing this summer besides raising money and collecting food?

Brieanne:    I hope to get a chance to hang out with my two best friends, and I’d really like to go Great America this summer. Or I’d like to go to any sort of theme park I haven’t been to in a while. The last time I went was in July of last year, so I’m hoping I’ll get to do some cool stuff with my friends this summer.

CC.com:    If the kids at your church told you they want to be in a film, what would you say to encourage them to be ready for that?

Brieanne:    To be yourself and never let go of your faith. Keep your feet on the ground, and to never let anything go to your head.

©2008 ChristianCinema.com