I'm in Love with a Church Girl

I’M IN LOVE WITH A CHURCH GIRL - CAST

JA RULE as Miles Montego Born Jeffrey Atkins, he rose from a tough, drug-riddled neighborhood in Queens to become the international rapper and hip hop star “Ja Rule”, a name he created and that means “Jeffery Atkins Represents Unconditional Love Exists.” Under Irv Gotti’s Murder Inc. label, Ja Rule became a huge sensation, releasing Venni Vetti Vecci in 1999, Rule 3:36 in 2000 and The Last Temptation in 2003. His hardcore rap lyrics were often juxtaposed with melodic female backup voices such as Ashanti and Jennifer Lopez, creating a chart-topping sound. Since early in his music career, Ja Rule has become known as a resourceful and compelling actor, appearing in such popular films as The Fast and the Furious, Assault on Precinct 13, The Cookout and more.

ADRIENNE BAILON as Vanessa Leon Adrienne is an actress, singer-songwriter, dancer, and television personality. She was a member of the former girl groups 3LW and The Cheetah Girls. In the fall of 2002, Bailon was cast in the Disney channel original movie The Cheetah Girls. The movie was released in August 2003 and was a ratings success. Bailon then starred in the MTV film “All You’ve Got,” along with R&B singer Ciara. The movie was released to DVD in May 2006 and premiered on MTV. The group later returned to film the sequel “The Cheetah Girls 2.” The movie was released to DVD in May 2006 and brought a total of 8.1 million viewers, becoming the highest rated Disney Channel original movie. In 2008 Adrienne joined the cast in the comedy “Cuttin Da Mustard” about the lives of young aspiring actors who battle slings and arrows in the process of creating a community theater company. In 2010, Adrienne signed on to star opposite Ja Rule in “I’m In Love with a Church Girl.” This film will be Adrienne’s most dramatic film role to date.

STEPHEN BALDWIN as Jason McDaniels Actor, family man, born-again Christian. Stephen Baldwin makes his home in upstate New York with his wife and two young daughters. Through an impressive body of work, he is one of the most sought-after male talents in film and television today. Still, his family and new- found faith are most important to him. The youngest of the Baldwin brothers acting clan, Stephen is one of the few Hollywood actors versatile enough for key roles in everything from “The Usual Suspect” to “Bio-Dome.” A Massapequa, NY native, he gained notice in his teens as a successful opera singer before pursuing acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Before long, he was busy with roles in both film and television. Equally adept at drama and comedy, Baldwin has appeared in over 60 films and been featured on such top-rated television shows as “Fear Factor” and “Celebrity Mole.” He has his own production company that is developing projects for television and the big screen. He is active in charity work for the Carol M. Baldwin Cancer Research Fund, and still finds time for such varied hobbies as billiards, skydiving and superbike racing. These days, however, his role as director, co-producer and host of “Livin’ It,” is bringing out his passion for Evangelism.

TOBYMAC as T The ascension of TobyMac’s solo career has been nothing short of spectacular. In an era of declining music sales he has consistently defied the odds and has seen his sales increase with each new album release. This is no small feat. With his fourth studio album TONIGHT, he is poised to take things higher yet again. Having climbed the mountain once with the group dcTalk (4 Grammys, more than 8 million albums sold), TobyMac knows how difficult the journey can be and how much work the process actually takes. Rarely does an artist get to soar to great heights for a second time, but soar he has. He took home his first Grammy as a solo artist last year after receiving Grammy nominations for each of his first three solo projects (Momentum, Welcome To Diverse City, Portable Sounds). And last year TobyMac topped 2 million in total albums sold during his solo career. He has done it with a combination of talent, hard work and humility which has produced songs that resonate with people from all walks of life. Starting with dcTalk, and then going solo when the group disbanded in 2000, Toby still clings to such rootsy notions as hard work, persistence, patience and—perhaps most relevant of all—the power of music, which he insists is still what keeps him going.

T-BONE as Martin De LaFuente T-Bone was born and raised in the Mission District of San Francisco. His father is from Nicaragua and his mother is from El Salvador. Frequent visits to both homelands insured that he learned a lot about his culture. It wasn’t long, however, that in the midst of his immediate ghetto surroundings, T-Bone was caught up in the lure of rap. “When Hip-Hop started,” T-Bone shares, “I grew up listening to KRS-ONE, Public Enemy and LL Cool J. Then West Coast rap started to rise up with N.W.A. and 2Pac.” One wonders what a rapper of such inspirational rhymes today heard in the incendiary raps of ghetto thugs like N.W.A., but T-Bone found plenty. “Everything they were rapping about, I was living,” he testifies. “I was raised amongst the gangs, drug dealers and pimps. My life hasn’t always been positive. I had 15 gang members break into my spot at 3 in the morning and try to kill me. I know what it’s like to have a gun drawn on me, what it’s like to deal some stuff and to jump folks. I’m open about what I did, but I rap about how I changed my life for the better.” Reflecting on what made him rethink the direction of his rap “thematics,” T-Bone witnesses, “The turning point was when my friend Ralphie was shot to death in a drive-by, once in the chest and once in the back. As he was lying in the grass twitching, my friends tried, in vain, to make him get up. His last words were, “Just tell everyone to wear red at my funeral.” I thought, “What did he die for…this ignorant color?” My parents were pastors at the time, so I knew about the things of God. I decided to flip what I was rapping about, being as crafty as the best in the game and speaking in a language this generation can relate to.” “When I started out,” T- Bone continues, “I did regular street stuff at clubs and house parties. But as my life changed so did my story. There’s a scripture that says, ‘From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.’ Once I was filled with anger and madness. Now, I’m full of love, peace and joy. Hip Hop is the language of the streets. God is the language of Love. I mix the two together to see amazing results take place!”

MICHAEL MADSEN as Frank Harris Michael Madsen is most notably recognized for his role as the sadistic killer Mr. Blonde in Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs (1992). Although his career has leaned towards playing tough guys, partly because of his strong 6’2’’ stature and husky voice, Michael has been working to change that image. Most recently, he gave a remarkable performance in Strength and Honour (2007) as Sean Selleher, a boxer who promised his dying wife that he would never fight again. When their son becomes ill following her death, he returns to the ring to fight in order to pay for son’s costly medical treatment. Michael Madsen’s career spans over 25 years and over 170 films. He is also an accomplished poet, with over eight books released. Michael continues to turn in memorable performances and continues to stretch as an actor. Some believe his best work is yet to come.

VINCENT PASTORE as Nicholas Halston Vincent Pastore is an American Actor. Often cast as a mafioso, he is best known for his portrayal Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero on the television series, The Sopranos. Pastore has made a career of portraying Italian American mafiosi in film and television. He began with small parts in the 1990s, in films such as Good Fellas and Carlito’s Way. Pastore got a bigger role in the comedy/crime film The Jerky Boys (1995). In 1999, Pastore got his biggest role to date in The Sopranos.

MARTIN KOVE as Terry Edgemond New York born, strong featured, narrow eyed actor who has portrayed a mixed bag of both good and bad guys! First turned up on screen in several minor roles, and got himself noticed as the villainous “Nero The Hero” in the low budget road race Death Race 2000 (1975), and then as “Clem” the sadistic rigger, breaking Jan-Michael Vincent’s ribs in White Line Fever (1975). He cropped up in the hit TV series Cagney & Lacey (1981) as honest Police Detective Isbecki, and then got on the wrong side of rampaging Sylvester Stallone in Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985). Kove probably scored his greatest visibility to the public in the hugely successful The Karate Kid (1984) in which he played “John Kreese”, the head instructor of the Cobra Kai karate school, and he reprised the role in the two sequels, The Karate Kid, Part II (1986) and The Karate Kid, Part III (1989). Kove has since kept consistently busy, primarily in the action/thriller film genre, and has notched over 80 film appearances to date, as well as numerous TV guest roles.