Why ‘Forever My Girl’ Is Different from Its Hollywood Competition

“I didn’t want a movie that felt like homework,” producer Mickey Liddell (shown in upper righthand corner) told LifeZette in an exclusive interview about his upcoming film “Forever My Girl,” which hits theaters on Friday.

The movie is in the vein of Liddell’s earlier work, through his company LD Entertainment, in that it harkens back to old-school Hollywood work that aims to entertain and inspire. Liddell’s filmography includes everything from the biblical epic “Risen” to true-story dramas like “The Zookeeper’s Wife.”

“Forever My Girl” is a little lighter than those films — hence the “homework” comment. However, despite being a lighter adventure, it’s a film that strives to be as positive and relatable as the rest of Liddell’s content.

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“Forever My Girl” follows Liam Page (Alex Roe, pictured above left), a young country star who walked away from the love of his life, Josie (Jessica Rothe), when he first achieved stardom. It’s a decision he’s wrestled with for years — and one he may have a chance to redo when circumstances bring him back to his hometown, where he finds Josie living with his daughter, a young girl he never knew existed.

“We had worked on a lot of stories that were really, really amazing true-life stories, redemption stories, historical [stories], some biblical [stories], really tough, tough movies that were shot in Europe and all over the world,” said Liddell, who lives in the Los Angeles area, about his company’s work prior to his latest film.

“Forever My Girl” was an opportunity for Liddell and his company to “push ourselves to do something that is normally cheesy and light and make it fun and good and something that [still] fit into our brand.”

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The final product is filled to the brim with original country songs. Some, surprisingly, are sung by lead actor Alex Roe, a man Liddell did not know was British until the actor’s audition was over.

“He came into [the audition] in character,” said Liddell. “It was so smart of him to do that … I’m from Oklahoma, so I [normally] hate Southern accents.”

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“He had never played music before or sang in front of people,” added the producer. He revealed Roe prepared for his role by playing small clubs around Los Angeles.

The crux of the film is the relationship Roe’s character has with his daughter (played by Abby Ryder-Fortson, pictured above right).

“If we had not found Alex and Abby, we would not have made the film,” said Liddell.

LifeZette got a first look at “Forever My Girl” — and Alex Roe and Abby Ryder-Fortson pulled off that father-daughter relationship. Featuring memorable country tunes (including a cameo for musician Travis Tritt), the film is also a non-ironic look at Middle America and folks who value church, values, and family — something ultra-rare from Hollywood.

The movie is a a fun, relatable picture that is sure to warm the hearts of even the coldest souls and put smiles on the faces of grumpy customers.

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Does Liddell receive any pushback in Hollywood for the pictures he chooses to do — positive films with often old-school values? He told LifeZette, “If there is pushback, obviously nobody tells me. I’ve found that people don’t tell you much in Hollywood.”

The producer finds it’s unproductive to focus on what the rest of Hollywood is up to, anyway. He prefers to keep his focus on the work and the types of films that appeal to him and many audience members who may normally be ignored by a lot of today’s Hollywood content.

Of “Forever My Girl,” Liddell added, “It’s fun, it’s light, it’s got great music. There shouldn’t be anyone you can’t take.”

“Forever My Girl” hits theaters this Friday.

PopZette editor Zachary Leeman can be reached at [email protected].