By Andy Hale
This week on the CBF Podcast Conversation, we welcome acclaimed actors Michael Shannon and Judy Greer to discuss their powerful new film, Eric LaRue. Making his directorial debut, Shannon brings Brett Neveu’s searing stage play to life with emotional honesty and cinematic restraint. The film centers around Janice LaRue, portrayed masterfully by Greer, as she grapples with the unthinkable reality that her teenage son has committed a school shooting. Rather than focusing on the act itself, Eric LaRue bravely explores the aftermath—grief, guilt, silence, and the struggle to find meaning in unspeakable tragedy. In our conversation, Shannon and Greer open up about the emotional depth of the project, the responsibility of portraying such intimate pain, and the challenge of telling a story that asks more questions than it answers.
Shannon shares how adapting a deeply personal play for the screen required careful attention to nuance and unspoken emotion, while Greer reflects on portraying a mother society often overlooks—the parent of the perpetrator. Together, they explore the complexity of trauma, the ways faith and isolation shape our responses, and the courage it takes to sit with discomfort. As mass shootings continue to haunt our nation, Eric LaRue doesn’t offer easy solutions—it invites us into the silence, into the sorrow, and into the small, difficult steps toward empathy. This is a conversation that lingers—don’t miss it.
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- The Baptist House of Studies at Union Presbyterian Seminary: Exists by God’s grace to educate, inspire, and support generations of bold, faithful servant leaders as they seek actively to participate in God’s mission in the world.
- Community Transformation Center: Through educational opportunities, community conversations, and research initiatives in collaboration with universities and local leaders, PBACTC is at the forefront of integrating spiritual care into holistic community development.
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Andy Hale is the creator and host of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Podcast. Hale is the Associate Executive Coordinator of CBF North Carolina. He’s also served as CBF’s Church Start Specialist, the founding pastor of Mosaic Church of Clayton, and the senior pastor of University Baptist Church of Baton Rouge. Follow on Twitter @haleandy.