Une Minute avec Marie
Faire connaître et aimer Marie
“Back in 1997, I had auditioned for a role that every big name in Hollywood wanted. A role in Terrance Malick’s upcoming role The Thin Red Line. The odds were against me, but I at least got a meeting with Malick.
I pulled up to his house for my 6:00 meeting, but I couldn’t leave the car. I was plagued by self-doubt. I had made a decision: if this didn’t pan out—if this didn’t go through–I was going to have to hang it up.
It is 6 pm, I was still in the car. I was an emotional mess, self-sabotage at full-fury. So I started to pray the rosary.
It is 6:05 pm, and I’m still in the middle of the 4th Glorious Mystery. You see, six months earlier, my manager, who is a bit like a Catholic mystic, said that I should start praying the rosary on a daily basis. My wife, Kerri, taught me how to pray it. I started running the beads through my fingers and praying, without even really knowing the mysteries.
I’m already 5 minutes late for this meeting with the most sought-after director in Hollywood, and I’ve not finished the decade, so I decided to press on.
Hail Mary, full of grace…Hail Mary, full of grace…
When I finally finished the ‘Hail, Holy Queen,’ it is 6:10 pm. I jump out of the car, dash up to the house, but I realize I’ve got the rosary beads in my hand. I knew if put them in my pocket, I would start fiddling around with them in front of the director, so I turned and raced back to the car to dispose of those beads. I opened the car door and made a deliberate move to drop off this rosary, when I get a feeling, right here in my heart that I should take this rosary with me.
So back on the curb in front of Terrance Malick’s house—I decided to take this rosary with me and make my way to the front door. This little maid answers the bell, and on her neck is a miraculous medal.
And without thinking, I reached for the rosary in my pocket, and I say, ‘This is for you, ma’am.’ She’s startled and says, ‘Why did you do that?’ Tears are now welling up in her eyes, and I say, ‘I don’t know.’ She says, ‘O My God! The woman who gave me this medal—the miraculous medal of the Virgin Mary—also gave me a rosary she got from Mother Teresa. But I lost it, and I prayed this morning that God would send me another one. Then you walk in.’
This woman is now collapsing in tears. I’m shell-shocked. There’s a rosary in between us and in walks the director, Terrance Malick, when he started with, ‘Honey, what’s wrong?’ And it occurs to me: ‘This ain’t the maid! This is Terrance Malick’s wife!
I believe that the intercession of Our Lady led to the first major role of my career in The Thin Red Line. We would be nominated for 7 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.”