Duck Dynasty's Willie Robertson Sees Hope and Redemption Through 'The Blind'



It has often been said that everyone has a story to tell. Whether it is a life filled with adventure, an event that is life-changing, or mundane day to day activities spread out over decades, there always seems to be something valuable and worthwhile to share with others.

Most people know Phil Robertson as the Duck Commander. As the patriarch of the highly entertaining reality television show Duck Dynasty, Robertson rose to prominence after inventing a hunting duck call that was unique to all the others. Why? Because it sounded exactly like a duck.

But long before Phil  invented the aforementioned duck call and became a reality TV star, he fell in love with Miss Kay and started a family. Sounds downright idyllic, but the truth of the matter is that they didn’t live happily ever after, at least for a long time. Instead, Phil’s demons threatened to tear their lives apart.  

In the movie, The Blind, now streaming on Great American Pure Flix, viewers get a glimpse of never-before-revealed moments in Phil and Miss Kay’s lives as he seeks to conquer the shame of his past. Working through the turmoil that handcuffed him in his early adult years, the biopic demonstrates a love story that persevered through the darkest of turbulent moments and rose to create a strong foundation for generations to come. 

Phil and Miss Kay’s son, Willie Robertson, has had a front row seat to watch Phil Robertson’s life as it has unfolded. As the executive producer of The Blind, he has worked diligently to craft a film that is not afraid to show the wrinkles and warts of what was once a troubled marriage but one that ultimately shows victory and finding redemption in an unlikely place.

I recently sat down with Willie to discuss the movie’s impact on thousands of people since its release last fall, how his parents' story has guided his own life, and how the power of movies can meet people where they are at in times of desperation and need.

How did the idea for making a movie about the pitfalls of your parents' life come about? And secondly, were Phil and Miss Kay receptive to the idea?

We had to get them on board to be able to do the movie. After all, it was their life. We knew that we would need their blessing on it. After we did Duck Dynasty, Korie (Willie’s wife) and I thought we should form a production company and make other TV stuff, maybe movies. We didn't really think that far down the line, but we just saw that there was such a need for positive entertainment and it wasn't necessarily going to be about our family. We felt like we'd kind of done that. And so we figured there were other stories to tell. The idea of movies came up and we had talked about doing this particular movie, The Blind. We were like, ‘Golly, is that what we start with? Right out of the gate is our own family story in our movie.’

But it's such a crazy story that we just felt like we had to tell it. If you understand how all this almost didn't happen, there's probably an appreciation for it. There certainly was for us, being in the family. So we decided that's the one we would start with. That was our first movie to make. So Korie and I, along with my cousin, Zach Dasher, who incidentally his mom is Aunt Jan … in the movie his mom is the one who got the preacher to go to the bar to talk to Phil. And so it was such a tribute to her. She's passed away but it was a tribute for her to my cousin, to see his mom kind of really be the hero in the movie.

We worked on it for a few years to get the story right. This was pretty easy because we had Mom and Dad there. They could tell us exactly what the story was. And others shared their part of the story too.

I told Dad, “This story will still be doing work (many years from now). People's lives will be changed decades after you're dead and gone.” That's the power of movies and that's why we wanted to use media to help tell stories and advance the Gospel. Those types of things are important to us.

Phil’s story is one of redemption. How has that impacted the way you live your own life? How has it shaped your family?

Pretty much everything in my life has been impacted by their story. I just wrote a book called Gospeller. It's an old word that means one who shares their faith publicly or personally. This type of person is not really pastoral, but more just kind of an everyday person. I was so moved by that story. I just traced it back and I just got really enamored with what if that wouldn't have happened (Phil’s tortured past)? My life would look completely different. I wouldn't have met my wife because I met her at church camp. And then I started sharing my faith at a young age. When Jase and I were in high school, we were sharing our faith because we saw Phil doing that. Almost every night of the week, somebody was down there in that living room around that table. And Phil was sharing the Gospel. Once he kind of got the knack and the word was out, people would bring people to him. They'd bring the roughest people you can imagine, people that were like him before. And they'd drag him up there to the house and he would get his Bible and he would just start speaking to them like that. Through that experience we really learned the Word.

So, you just kind of see how it's all gelling together, to come this way. We're all at the same church together and so pretty much every part of his life impacted every part of my life. I think for all of us as parents, you want your kids to find their faith, be happy, and work hard. I've been able to see that in our children as well. You see that generational growth from almost a broken link in the chain there. It was just going to end there. Thank God that that chain got even stronger. The stuff Sadie's (Willie’s daughter) done is beyond my capability. I've done a lot of things, but I didn't do it when I was 20. To see her have that courage and to do those things at such a young age, having a gift of communicating to giant groups of people and just how she leads. All of my kids have their different ways of serving and doing things.

I understand that many people have been saved and baptized as a result of seeing The Blind. Can you share any of these stories that really touched your heart?

We have stories where the whole theater left there and had a spontaneous baptism out in the parking lot. Another story is that it had been shown at churches where they had singing and people went crazy just watching, especially when Phil comes to the Lord at the end. Here is one of the coolest. This woman wrote in and said that during the movie, her husband reached over and grabbed her hand, and held her hand. He hadn't held her hand in 20 years. But that was the moment. I think he was an alcoholic. These kinds of stories just made it real. 

I think a movie is a different platform. I think it's safer for somebody. Maybe they're not comfortable going to a church building. Maybe they don't want to go to marriage counseling. But you can put a movie on.  People want to watch a movie. Let that movie do the work. Let the story spread the message that you want to tell them in a dramatic way. Or maybe people don't read their Bible or they're not willing to. Because that story's much like a lot of the stories in the book of Acts, where you read these stories of people who are converted and come from terrible backgrounds. We see this in the life of Paul. Phil's life was pretty similar to that, where he was going bad in one way, and then it started going the total opposite way. We're proud of that for sure. We have that avenue in a different way. And that's us as believers, just trying to think of different ways to get out the message

After audiences have seen the movie on streaming venues like Great American Pure Flix, what would you like to see people take away from The Blind? What’s your greatest hope for the film?

A lot of things. I think to show that there's hope and redemption, that people are not too far gone. I hope people can find some part of themselves in that movie. Maybe you need to forgive people that wronged you. Maybe you're like Pastor Bill. Maybe you need to go see someone. Maybe there's somebody in your life where you think, ‘God, I need to go talk to them. I kind of gave up, but man, after seeing this, maybe I should go talk to them.’ You might think that life hasn’t been fair to you. Or maybe you’re like Phil, you just need a wholesale change in life. That's kind of my hope, that people will see themselves in some part of the movie and then take action. I'm a big action guy. You can see something and think it’s pretty cool but proving it to me is the most important. I hope The Blind can prove to people that there is a better life out there if you just let God come into your life.

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    Chris Carpenter

    Chris Carpenter is the managing site editor for Crossmap.com. In addition to his regular duties, Chris writes extensively for the website. Over the years, the veteran journalist has interviewed many notable entertainers, athletes, and politicians including Oscar winners Matthew McConaughy and Reese Witherspoon, legendary entertainer Dolly Parton, evangelist Franklin Graham, author Max Lucado, Super Bowl winning coach Tony Dungy and former presidential hopefuls Sen. Rick Santorum and Gov. Mike Huckabee.

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