This Is Us actress Chrissy Metz stars in faith-based Breakthrough movie -- Here's what we know about the plot, premiere date and more

Marcel Ruiz and Chrissy Metz in Breakthrough. Pic credit: Twentieth Century Fox.

Chrissy Metz, best known for her role as Kate Pearson on NBC’s This is us, is the latest star to appear in a faith-based movie. Breakthrough is being produced by DeVon Franklin who also worked with Jennifer Garner in Miracles from Heaven.

Based on a true story, Metz plays Joyce Smith, the mother of John Smith who at the age of 14, fell through the ice of a Missouri lake. He was trapped under the water for 15 minutes and even after he was rescued, had no pulse for 43 minutes.

There was no hope for his recovery but Joyce wasn’t going to just accept that. She prayed, asking for a miracle and she got it.

“It’s hard to believe. You know, I’m a part of this story, telling this story, and it’s hard for me to believe,” says Metz in a new short film about the movie released by Twentieth Century Fox this week.

“When Joyce finally gave that complete surrender to God and said, like you know, ‘You have to take this,’ there’s no question that something miraculous happened.”

Both the real Joyce and John also appear in the promotional video to share a bit about their story, which Joyce wrote about in her book, The Impossible: The Miraculous Story of a Mother’s Faith and Her Child’s Resurrection. The story is something that Metz can relate to.

“I’ve had some hardships myself, obviously, not to this degree but things that were really trying,” says Metz in an interview with The Christian Post. “And the only thing that sort of kept me going was my faith.”

Up until recently, Metz hasn’t spoken much about religion, but make no mistake, Metz is unashamed about her faith.

“It is hard I think, now, to just be really vocal about your faith, or what you believe in because people want to think ‘it’s not cool,’ but I’m like, I don’t care!” Metz shared.

“I have to do what I have to do for me, and I know that the only person that shows up for me time and time again, is God, and is that higher power that’s greater than myself.”

“So I have to honor that. Not because I have to, because I want to, even though people might think it’s the uncool thing to do. For me, there’s no question about it.”

Josh Lucas, Chrissy Metz and Marcel Ruiz gathered around the table in prayer in Breakthrough. — Josh Lucas, Chrissy Metz and Marcel Ruiz in Breakthrough. Pic. credit: Twentieth Century Fox.

Directed by Roxann Dawson, Breakthrough also stars Josh Lucas, Topher Grace, Mike Colter, Marcel Ruiz, Sam Trammell and Dennis Haysbert.

Breakthrough premieres in theaters on April 17, 2019.