Life has its ups and downs. Some people can overcome their struggles, and some do not have the mindset to get through the struggles. Andrew W. Walker stars as the lead male character Cody Jackson in God Bless the Broken Road. This film is centered around a widowed mother with a child who recently loses her husband in the Afghan war. Walker plays an aspiring NASCAR driver who helps them come to terms with life.

ATM: What does the title God Bless the Broken Road even mean to you?

AWW: It is about giving thanks for getting through difficult times. Things tend to work out when you persevere, do what is right, and live a life with integrity. You have to stay on the path through all the chaos and things we go right through life. You have to do it with a smile on your face.

ATM: Describe the questions you believe this film raises.

AWW: This film is about a hardworking mother who recently loses her husband in the Afghan war. How does a person get through great sorrow in their lives? How do you come to terms with it? How do you continue to live in happiness? You only get one life. It really drives home the fact that in great sorrow you can still obtain a goal. This happens once you know how to pivot and take the people who are staying alive to help.

ATM: Why do you feel this film handled death in such a good complex description?

AWW: It is one person’s story. Death effects people in different ways. This is a true description of how someone can be affected because of their husband’s life.

ATM: How do you get pass broken roads in your personal life?

AWW: I try to live a disciplined life. This consist of waking every day to put healthy food into my body. I also try to be honest and live in an authentic way. There is hope that comes with this way of living. There is a bit of a formula for living a healthy and nourished life. Then, there are things that happen without your control such as death, accidents, and health problems. You have put yourself in the position to move past these things. It is about prevention. You have to live a healthy life to set for achieving your goals. You have to go after them.

ATM: Why do you like even being an actor?

AWW: This is a great question. It helps me be a better person and raises questions. I have asked myself why am reacting to certain things. I pay attention to how am feeling. It is also like an exorcism of different things in your life. Acting is a great tool and a gift to give to other people. You are able to play a character and be emotional. You tap into things that affect lives. This helps you not want to be like certain people. Also, this helps you want to be like certain people and overcome what this person went through in their life. It is a very healing craft. Actors like Meryl Steep and Christian Bale are amazing actors who give their hearts and souls to play their roles. The amount of preparation for their roles is never seen. You never see what goes into an Oscar-winning performance. You only see the aftermath. I try to do my best work and put it out there. I like to learn about what makes me tick and affects me.

ATM: Playing an emotional character should help you understand emotional situations in your own life.

AWW: You can connect with it more and go deeper into it. This helps you not run from it and see why it affects you.

ATM: Do you receive characters on scripts that mirror situations in your real life? 

AWW: Multiple times. It is interesting how certain things come into my life when am going through an issue. I get characters that are living my same life. I can also get a character that is completely the opposite of what am going through in my life. This is also interesting.

ATM: It takes you on the other side of the spectrum.

AWW: Exactly.

ATM: When did you begin to realize it was therapeutic?

AWW: It was two years ago. I started acting at 14 in Montreal, Canada. I had taken it for granted. You do not pay attention to anything at this age. Acting started to affect me once getting older. It also became therapeutic once having a son. My son is now three years old. He makes me feel certain ways when being away and while being with him. It helps to handle the emotions of when am missing him.

ATM: Did once taking acting for grant hold you back from getting certain roles?

AWW: Yes, it did.

ATM:  Name a movie or scene when it became your turning point.

AWW: It was with a movie called Steel Toes. This film was about 8 years ago. This changed my idea about acting. You do not work a bunch of months as an actor. It could be a year or two before you receive another role. You never know when your next job will turn up. I had a two month break after this movie. I had not worked a year and a half before Steel Toes. This film came at a pivotal point. I had thought about quitting acting. Things started to snowball after this film. I have a much healthier approach to acting now.

ATM: How can acting emotionally affect you in your life?

AWW: It should not. I have played rugby, hockey, and football. I played a lot of physical sports while growing up. You have your emotions while playing the game, but you leave the field and go back to your life. You cannot let the things in the field effect you in real life. You carry things in acting. I am playing a rapist and it affects me on set, then I have to shake it. I leave to listen to some good music or go drink a latte. You cannot carry it over into your life. I can be happy and blessed am not this person. If you are playing a good guy in a film, then you grow from it. These are the roles that am playing a lot. I learn about being a better listener. This teaches me to ask more questions. You take the little things to help in real life.

ATM: How do you navigate through acting and being an entrepreneur?

AWW: This is a good question. I had a difficult time doing this for a few years. My wife and I have owned our juice bar for six years. I resented our business for a while because I felt the right roles were not booking me in the best way. We have come over the hump a little bit now. There has been difficult times and challenges. I try to balance it by forcing on an audition. I dedicate 95% to my craft and 100% to my business when not acting. I have grown exponentially as a person. I work with so many different personalities of people. I have also overcome challenges. These were challenges I’ve never thought about going through in my life. There were times of financial changes and cash flow. It is such a great tool and an asset.

ATM: You mentioned as an actor there is no set time on the next acting job. This helps you work while in this dry spell of no acting job. So, you are always working. You can go work at the juice bar when having in no work at a moment.

AWW: Exactly. I usually get a call from my agent. I send in stories to Hallmark and have pitched them many concepts. The big bulk of my week is to answer phone calls, emails, and send out pitches.

Jackson is a character that helps a woman and her child deal with life better. Walker puts on more facial hair and continues to have a good male role. God Bless the Broken Road will teach a person to not give up and to persevere through the sorrows of life. Rascal Flatt’s song Bless the Broken Road inspired this film. God Bless the Road  in theaters September 7, 2018