Actor Charles Esten on Bringing Faith & Forgiveness to Life in 'Drummer Boy'

Charles Esten, Beth Easdown, Joel Smallbone in 'Drummer Boy' | Photo image courtesy Angel Studios
In the forthcoming Revolutionary War musical Drummer Boy, veteran actor Charles Esten takes on a darker role as the film’s villain, bringing a compelling new dimension to a story of courage, faith, and freedom.

Starring Joel Smallbone of for KING & COUNTRY, the epic follows two brothers caught on opposite sides of the American Revolution, exploring the powerful bonds of family, the cost of sacrifice, and the possibility of forgiveness amid a nation at war.

With original music from for KING & COUNTRY woven throughout, Drummer Boy promises a stirring blend of history, heart, and faith.

I recently sat down with Esten, who also counts key roles on Nashville and Outer Banks among his film credits, to talk about his role, stepping into the world of the American Revolution, and bringing this complex story of faith and forgiveness to life.

I must confess, I was a bit skeptical when I heard that Drummer Boy was going to be a musical. But after seeing it recently, I can honestly say it works, and it works well. What were your thoughts when you first learned it would be a musical?

Almost in the same breath, or at the same time that I heard it was a musical, I heard it was for KING & COUNTRY, who was going to be a part of it. And I knew, that in my estimation, they were great, so I imagined that the music would have a certain sort of level, and also a certain variety. Perhaps it was not your typical old school musical in the same way that obviously Hamilton was, and not your typical old school musical. It was bringing a different energy and a different drive to the songs. I figured that they would do that too. Almost at the same time that I received the script, I also received all the songs. And I started listening to them. And I was like, oh, okay, alright. You're talking to somebody who came here to Nashville to be on the show Nashville. So, it was already clear to me that when done right, music is a huge advantage. There are so many times where you'll be in a scene and you'll say basically all you can say in that scene. You'll get it all out. But with music, it pushes you a little bit over the top and allows you to go to another level, and another depth even. It just slips around the senses, whether it's the rhythm, or the melody of it, or the voice that you love. So, I'm already not one of those that maybe has my guard up against a musical, but I do understand the difficulties and how it's fraught, especially in a war film, where there's actual injury, loss, and damage suddenly. Then someone starts singing. I don't know why, but it didn't worry me, I really thought it went well.

This story takes place during the American Revolution, but at its heart it's about family, loyalty and forgiveness. What resonated most with you personally?

I think all of those things that you just pointed to and especially at a time with the synchronicity that it happens to be the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War, I think adds a little bit of magic and timing to it. I like anything that can take history or historical moments in time and make them human. And I really thought this movie did that. I was just drawn to the epicness of the story and the milieu of the war itself. And it's an interesting situation where people are arguing (from different sides), and they're both kind of right. One of the things that fascinates me is that both of the brothers (Joel Smallbone & Lucas Leach) have a claim to be doing what their father would have done. Both could make a case that their father was a British man, loyal to the throne, and he died on a ship defending a British ship from the French. And the other could say just as easily, ‘Yes, but he was on his way to this new land for a new life and for freedom.’ I love arguments on screen, in any drama, or in any piece of art where neither one is obviously wrong and no one is obviously right. But these two, they come at each other like this, and that reconciliation, we're in a moment now, obviously, maybe we always are in this country, where politically it can be a loggerhead and we forget who we are at heart and how much we care for each other at heart. And that this is what I guess forgiveness is all about. We have the same blood. I love that message. And we all need forgiveness.

There's obviously a lot of conflict and spectacle in a Revolutionary War story, but where do you think the emotional heart of Drummer Boy lies?

I think it's ultimately the two brothers. And then, of course, the two sisters as well. Throughout history, societies have set up these groupings, these tribal things where this group doesn't agree with that group and this group cannot mix with that group. And those things are obvious and everywhere. But you're right, the big battle moments with the guns and all that, that is the opposite of connection. And the connection is that we'll go back to the music. Two voices in song, three or four voices in song.

Moments of groups in battle are very obvious. They're what we see, and what we hear. The smaller moments, one-on-one, one-to-one, those heart-to-heart discussions, as hard as they sometimes may be, that's where we connect, and there's a lot of that in this movie.

Let's talk about your character for a moment, Lord Balfour. Who is he, and what did you find most interesting about stepping into his world?

I grew up in Alexandria, Virginia. A lot of our nation’s history is right there. We were steeped in the three-cornered hats, Washington Day parades, and Mount Vernon (George Washington’s home estate) is just down the river. Battles took place there. Jones Point is another flashpoint for the Revolutionary War, and of course I went to college at William and Mary which is just down the road in Williamsburg, Virginia. So I grew up in and around so much that had to do with the Revolutionary War. That was part of what enticed me. Now, to finally get asked to do something like that, and to get to play one of the Brits, that was exciting.

In this movie I play the villain but I'm just not out to be the bad guy, I'm here for other purposes. And that's what I saw in Lord Balfour. He was this person that had things that he cared about. Certainly, his country. And certainly, his daughter.

That's a classic thing. He was doing bad things for what he thought were good reasons. That's the old, do the ends justify the means? The answer being no, they don't. And what happens to a lot of these characters that I've been able to play is you start off in this one place, and then you do a few things that put you over the line, that if you were really challenged on, you might not do them. And that then becomes the moment. Do you back down from them? Do you ask forgiveness and ask for the grace that's available for these things? Or do you double down? Plant yourself. Dig in. And do the next thing that's required.

Those kinds of moments where you lose everything, they can break you, make you softer, make you more malleable, and make you more human. Or they can harden you and make you not feel any of this. And anger and rage feel a lot better than sadness, sadly. So, he chases those.

After audiences have had a chance to see Drummer Boy, what would you like people to take away from the viewing experience? What is your greatest hope for the film?

Once I become part of something, I just want to do my very, very, very best on it. But for all the reasons I've said, for these incredible brothers (Joel, Ben, Luke Smallbone) that have worked so hard, to bring this to screen, and to bring it in such a way is incredible. And I’m so happy for so many of these fantastic actors. For all of these reasons, and for the reasons of the message of the movie, especially near the holiday season, as we come near Thanksgiving, as we come near Christmas, and in this 250th year, I hope it spreads just like the Revolution spread. I hope the message of this movie spreads and blesses a whole lot of people.

Co-Directed by Ben Smallbone and Joel Smallbone, Drummer Boy opens in theaters nationwide this Friday.

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