'Average Joe' Movie a Family Affair for Robert, Stephanie Katz

LOS ANGELES – It is not every day that a father and daughter get to work together on a project that matters. It is even more rarefied air when a family duo joins forces to make movies that matter. But that is exactly what movie producer Robert Katz and his daughter Stephanie Katz are doing.

Robert has made his mark over the last ten plus years shepherding such faith-inspired movies as the Phil Robertson biopic The Blind, the first three God’s Not Dead films, and his latest project, Average Joe, releasing in theaters nationwide this weekend. Stephanie, an actress, has recently displayed her talents as a writer, penning the screenplay for her father’s aforementioned movies The Blind and Average Joe.

Starring Eric Close (Without a Trace) and Amy Acker (Person of Interest), Average Joe is based on the true story of a Marine turned high school football coach (Joe Kennedy) who takes a legal stand to defend freedom and religious liberty for all Americans.

I recently caught up with the Katz family in Hollywood at the red carpet premiere for Average Joe. We discussed the importance of a film like this in the fight for religious freedom and why they didn’t shy away from such a potentially volatile topic.

This is an important watershed film in that it tackles a subject that a lot of people of faith have been beaten up over the last few decades. That subject is prayer in the public square. This is such an important film to be releasing right now. Why is this such a key film at this moment in our nation’s history?

Robert Katz: It's a key film for a lot of reasons. One, it's not a political film. This is not conservative, liberal, Republican, or Democrat. This is our First Amendment. This is what made this the greatest country in the world. It gave us the freedom to pray, whether you're a Muslim, a Jew, or a Christian. It gives us the freedom of speech no matter where we are. And those rights have slowly eroded. And one average Joe (Kennedy), decided that he didn't fight in the Marine Corps for 20 years to lose all these rights. And one average guy took a stand and changed everything for all of us. And that is why this is a watershed film. 

Stephanie Katz: I agree. It's important to realize that the legislation that was trying to be passed was to make it a fireable offense for people of all faiths to have religious expression. And what Coach Joe Kennedy did was beyond just the Judeo-Christian religion that applies to people of all religions and has repealed laws that for 50 years have limited our First Amendment rights. And so, it was just one man who realized, you know, I fought and risked my life for the Bill of Rights, for the Constitution, for the things that are inherent to every American. Why are they being stripped away from me? Why am I being terminated from my position because of my personal beliefs? And so he fought for not just his own job, for his own beliefs, but for every American. His case is groundbreaking and it's given us more religious liberties than we have had in the last 50 to 70 years.  

For every producer, for every screenwriter, there always seems to be a trigger, a tipping point, a moment, where you say to yourself, “I have to be part of this movie!”. No questions asked. For Average Joe, what was that moment for you both?

Robert Katz: I'm also a Marine. Joe was a Marine. I was in the Marine Corps 50 years ago in Vietnam. I knew what was going through his head that, no, we need to take a stand. I may be just Joe, but I need to take a stand because we're headed in the wrong direction as a country. And I could relate to that. And then, when I heard his story about when he was young, the abusive childhood that he had, the difficulties he had, and the way he dug in and fought, I just knew this is an underdog story. This is a story that says to Americans, take a stand for what's right and prevail. That is what did it for me. 

Stephanie Katz: I just loved that he was a fighter from a young age and how he went from fighting for things that were not in his best interest to then fighting for the love of his life, fighting for his country, and then ultimately fighting for what he believed in. And just on a very personal and fundamental level, it was just a great story that I wanted to tell.

After people have had a chance to go see Average Joe in theaters, from your perspective what would you like to see people take away from the viewing experience? What is your greatest hope for the film?

Stephanie Katz: I would love to see it unite the country. That it's not about Republicans or Democrats and it’s not going to get heated. I don't think it's good for this nation. And hopefully, the bigger message will be that God can use anyone for His purposes. As an example, He healed this young boy (Joe Kennedy) from so much harm as a youth, then used him, and gave him such a great purpose. The giftings that he put in that man, the strength, that will to fight. And so I hope everyone walks away and realizes this is not just an underdog story. This is about human beings and our potential and how God can heal all wounds and give us that great purpose.

Robert Katz: I think she summed it up. I will say just one thing. You have to have healing. There's a great scene where, and this really happened, where Joe has been trolled by somebody on social media and he says, ‘Wait a minute. Come meet me for coffee.’ And they sit across from each other and just talk. They don't agree at the end, but they have this incredibly powerful talk. That's what I'd like to see take place in this country. Just an open and honest dialogue about the issues that matter.

Average Joe opens in theaters nationwide this weekend

WATCH A TRAILER FOR AVERAGE JOE: