WERP AND JOINING ME IS THE

BURPO FAMILY, TODD, HIS

WIFE, AND THEIR SON,

COLTON.

THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.

Wendy: FIRST A BOOK,

AND NOW A MOVIE.

HOW DOES IT FEEL, TODD TO

SEE YOUR STORY HAVING THAT

MUCH INFLUENCE.

IT IS GOOD TO SEE THE

RESPONSE TO IT.

BECAUSE WE ORIGINALLY TOOK A

RISK BECAUSE WE SAID IF THE

PEACE AND HOPE IT DID FOR

US, IT IS WORTH TAKING A

RISK.

BUT TO SEE IT GO SO FAR AND

SO BROAD, YOU SIT BACK AND

SAY, GOD SAW THINGS WE

DIDN'T SEE.

AND WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR

THAT.

Wendy: SONYA, THOUSANDS

HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY THE

BOOK AND THE STORY AND NOW

THE MOVIE COMING OUT.

HOW HAS THIS CHANGED YOUR

OWN LIVES?

WELL, I THINK

SPIRITUALLY, FOR US, IT

DEFINITELY -- WE BELIEVED IN

HEAVEN BEFORE, BUT NOW WE

KIND OF HAVE A BETTER

PICTURE OF WHAT HEAVEN IS.

WE'RE NOT HOME, BUT WE'RE

GOING HOME.

Wendy: TELL US, TODD,

HOW THE BOOK BECAME A MOVIE,

AND NOT JUST ANY MOVIE.

GREG KINNEAR, ONE OF MY

FAVORITE ACTORS, PLAYS YOU.

HOW DID THE BOOK BECOME A

MOVIE?

THEY ACTUALLY APPROACHED

ME.

WE NEVER SOUGHT HOLLYWOOD.

HOLLYWOOD SOUGHT US.

WE SAID NO, NO, NO.

WERP WHO IS "THEY?"

PRODUCERS FROM PRODUCTION

COMPANIES.

MANY OF THEM CALLED MY

AGENT.

THERE WAS A DISCUSSION WITH

T.D. JAKES, AND IN THAT

MOMENT I HAD TO GUARANTEE

THEY WOULD BE TRUE TO

COLTON'S STORY.

UNTIL I HAD THAT CONFIDENCE,

GOING FORWARD WAS NOT EVEN

AN OPTION.

MY WIFE WAS, LIKE, I WOULD

NEVER MAKE A MOVIE.

SO I TRY NOT TO USE THAT

WORD ANYMORE.

THAT WAS THE THING THAT

STARTED IT.

IF WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT

CONFIDENCE, WE WOULDN'T HAVE

DONE IT.

RANDALL WALLACE WAS SELECTED

TO BE THE DIRECTOR, AND HE

SELECTED GREG KINNEAR TO

PLAY ME.

THOSE ARE THINGS YOU DON'T

KNOW AT THE BEGINNING WHEN

YOU MAKE THESE DECISIONS.

BUT GOD SHOWED ME AT THE

VERY BEGINNING.

HE WAS, LIKE, I'M GOING TO

SHOW YOU I'M BIGGER THAN

HOLLYWOOD.

AND HE HAS DONE THAT.

WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE IN

THEATERS TODAY, YOU'RE GOING

TO SIT THERE AND GO, WOW!

GOD HAD TO SHOW HIMSELF IN

MANY, MANY, MANY STEPS.

AND RANDALL IS ONE OF THE

BIGGEST ONES, TO TAKE A

REAL-LIFE STORY AND DEPICT

IT ON THE FILM, WITH GREG

KINNEAR -- THIS IS "A" PLUS

QUALITY.

Wendy: I'VE SEEN THE

FILM.

AND THE LITTLE GUY WHO PLAYS

YOU, COLTON, IS THE CUTEST

THING.

LOOKS A LOT LIKE YOU, BUT

YOU'RE NOW ALMOST 14 --

I AM 14.

Wendy: 14 AND HOW MANY

MONTHS.

MY BIRTHDAY IS NEXT

MONTH.

Wendy: YOUR MOM TOLD ME

YOU LIKE TO BE VERY EXACT.

WHAT DID YOU THINK WHEN YOU

SAW THIS MOVIE?

WELL, I THINK THAT A LOT

OF PEOPLE ARE GOING TO FIND

HEALING WITH IT.

EVERYBODY HAS A HURT.

SO I THINK THAT THIS FILM

WILL JUST GIVE THEM HOPE

THAT THERE IS SOMETHING

BETTER.

Wendy: YEAH.

NOW, THE WAY THEY DEPICTED

HEAVEN IN THE MOVIE, OF

COURSE, WAS VERY CREATIVE.

WE WON'T GIVE IT AWAY, BUT

WHAT WAS YOUR TAKE ON THAT.

IT IS HARD TO DEPICT

SOMETHING YOU'VE NEVER SEEN

OR EXPERIENCE BEFORE.

I THINK EVEN THOUGH THEY

HAVE NEVER SEEN IT OR

EXPERIENCED, I THOUGHT THEY

DID A PRETTY GOOD JOB, AND

THEY'LL BE ABLE TO SHOW

PEOPLE, HEY, THIS IS A

GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN.

BUT HEAVEN IS MUCH, MUCH

BETTER THAN THAT.

Wendy: OF COURSE, YOU

HAVE SEEN IT, AND YOU'VE

BEEN THERE.

AND YOU WERE ONLY THREE,

ALMOST FOUR, WHEN YOU TOOK

THAT TRIP TO HEAVEN.

DO YOU STILL REMEMBER IT,

RECALL IT AS VIVIDLY NOW AS

YOU DID THEN?

YES, I CAN STILL REMEMBER

MY TRIP TO HEAVEN VERY

VIVIDLY.

Wendy: WOW, WHAT A

GREAT MEMORY.

TODD, WHAT DO YOU WANT

PEOPLE TO TAKE AWAY FROM THE

MOVIE "HEAVEN IS FOR REAL."

I THINK THE MOVIE IS VERY

HONEST.

IT SHOWS A REAL FAMILY WITH

REAL ISSUES.

THEY'LL SEE THAT PASTORS ARE

REAL PEOPLE, TOO.

I THINK HOPEFULLY THEY'LL

SEE COLTON IS NOT SPECIAL.

WE'RE NOT SPECIAL.

WHAT JESUS DID FOR US, HE

WANTS TO DO FOR YOU, TOO.

HE WANTS TO DO THE SAME

THING FOR EVERYONE.

IF YOU WOULD JUST LET JESUS

INTO YOUR LIFE AND LET JESUS

DO FOR YOU WHAT HE WANTS TO,

IT'S A GREAT THING.

THAT'S WHAT I HOPE AWAY FROM

THOSE THEATERS REALIZING,

THAT WE CAN EXPERIENCE WHAT

COLTON DID.

Wendy: FINALLY, LET ME

ASK YOU THIS, WHAT WAS, WHEN

YOU'RE WATCHING THE MOVIE,

THE EMOTIONALLY CHARGED

SCENE FOR YOU, OR MAYBE

THERE IS MORE THAN ONE?

I THINK THE WHOLE MOVIE

IS EMOTIONALLY CHARGED.

AND THEN SEEING YOUR FAMILY

LIFE PLAYED OUT IS HARD TO

WATCH.

BUT I THINK THE MOST

EMOTIONALLY CHARGED IS

PROBABLY WHEN COLTON COMES

IN AND HE ANNOUNCES HE HAS

TWO SISTERS.

MISCARRIAGE IS A SILENT,

QUIET HURT THAT A LOT OF

PEOPLE GO TO THE GRAVE

WITH.

WE HAVE NOW GIVEN A VOICE OR

PLATFORM FOR PEOPLE TO TALK

ABOUT IT AND GET SOME

HEALING.

Wendy: OF COURSE,

COLTON WAS ONLY THREE.

YOU HAD NEVER TOLD HIM THAT

HE HAD A SISTER THAT DIED IN

YOUR WOMB.

HE WAS TOO YOUNG TO

UNDERSTAND WHAT A

MISCARRIAGE WAS.

HE CAME AND SAID HE MET HIS

SISTER IN HEAVEN.

YEAH.

HE THOUGHT HE WAS ANNOUNCING

SOME OTHER NEWS, MATTER OF

FACT, HEY, I HAVE A SISTER,

AND HE DID NOT REALIZE HOW

EMOTIONALLY CHARGED HIS

SENTENCE WAS.

WE THOUGHT WE HAD GOTTEN

HEALING, BUT HE HAD BROUGHT

MORE HEALING TO US BY

TELLING US SHE IS OKAY, SHE

IS OKAY.

AND WHAT A BETTER PLACE TO

BE TAKEN CARE OF THEN

HEAVEN.

Wendy: TODD, LET ME ASK

YOU THE SAME THING, WHAT

SCENE WAS THE MOST EMOTIONAL

FOR YOU TO WATCH?

WATCHING MY SON BE

WHEELED DOWN TO THAT

SURGERY.

THAT PRECEDED MY YELLING AT

GOD.

I STILL REMEMBER THAT.

AS A MATTER OF FACT, AND

FORTUNATELY FOR US, WE

TALKED ABOUT IT, AND THEY'RE

REMODELING THAT HOSPITAL

NOW.

AS A PASTOR, I'VE AVOIDED

THAT HALLWAY, AND I'VE HAD

TO WALK DOWN IT BEFORE.

AND TO SEE THAT DEPICTED,

THAT IS TOUGH.

Wendy: THAT SCENE IS

HARD TO WATCH.

BUT YOU'RE STILL PASTORING.

YES.

Wendy: IN THE MOVIE,

YOU GO THROUGH -- GREG

KINNEAR IS PLAYING YOU, AND

HE GOES THROUGH A CRISIS OF

FAITH.

DID THAT REALLY HAPPEN?

I THINK THE BIGGEST

CRISIS FOR ME IS NOT THE

REALITY OF HEAVEN, BUT WHAT

DID I BELIEVE ABOUT

NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES.

THAT WAS A STRUGGLE FOR ME.

BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I

BELIEVED ABOUT THAT.

OBVIOUSLY I HAD A SON, AND A

4-YEAR-OLD CAN'T FOOL YOU.

YOU REALIZED IT WAS TRUE.

AND I HAD THE BACKDROP OF

SCRIPTURE TO TEST AGAINST

IT.

I KNOW MY SON SAW WHAT HE

SAW AND HE IS NOT MAKING IT

UP.

BUT I'M AMAZED THAT GOD USED

A CHILD TO DESCRIBE HEAVEN.

Wendy: THE LITTLE ACTOR

WHO PLAYS COLTON IS SO

BELIEVE.

HE IS AWESOME.

YOU'RE GOING TO SEE ON

SCREEN THE CLOSEST

REPUTATION OF WHAT I COULD

HAVE IMAGINED OF WHAT I SAW

11 YEARS AGO.

Wendy: THAT'S THE BEST

ENDORSEMENT ANYONE COULD ASK

FOR.

Wendy: TODD, SONYA,

COLTON, IT'S A PLEASURE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING

HERE AND SHARING YOUR

THOUGHTS.