Interview: Actor/Filmmaker Nathan Clarkson Talks “Bright Sky” Movie, Redemption, and the Faith-Based Industry

Nathan Clarkson has been active in the filmmaking world in various capacities for more than a decade. As an actor, he has appeared in hit TV shows like NBC’s Community and in films like Universal’s The Purge. He has also worked behind the camera for multiple indie films. Most recently, he can be found doing double-duty as both a filmmaker and the star of the recently released faith-based western romance, Bright Sky—a film about the power of love and faith to redeem two characters with dark pasts.  

Speaking of the inspiration for the story, Clarkson notes, “I love great stories about redemption, and I always have. I think they are meaningful and long lasting, and they’re ones that have a true effect on the human heart.”

Religion and faith play a central role in the film. According to Clarkson, these elements are the outpouring of his own Christian faith rather than something he forced into the story: “I was created to create. I want to make good art, and I want to tell good stories, and the faith element is always going to be there just because I am a person of faith.”

Through the years, he has worked on some large-scale Hollywood productions. Yet creating an independent film presents unique challenges for a Christian creative, as well as some exciting opportunities. While the process can be stressful and requires him to wear “many different hats,” he notes that “the one wonderful thing about indie films is that, because you don’t have anyone paying for everything, you also don’t have anyone dictating everything. So the creative in you is allowed to live a little more freely.” 

Clarkson hopes to make films that resonate with audiences in meaningful ways, but the process of portraying a broken character in need of God’s grace and redemption in his role in Bright Sky had an unexpected influence on his own life as well. Reflecting on the experience, Clarkson comments, “The thing that strikes me over and over again is how everyone is in need of redemption, not just the people who look like they need redemption. I didn’t know that was true about me at the beginning when I was a child until I grew up and realized how much I actually need redemption.”

Bright Sky is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime, AppleTV, and Google Play.