George Vincent: Heavenly Deposit

Today’s Person Who Inspires truly fits the title. George Vincent is transparent about his struggles so that God’s grace and awesomeness can shine through him. George has worked on some big-name Hollywood films and television shows, but his true spirit can be seen through his work on his own film, Heavenly Deposit. This movie, based on George’s personal testimony, will leave you feeling blessed and in awe of God’s grace and provision.

Stephanie Kelley: Please introduce yourself to our readers.
George Vincent:  Hello to all your wonderful readers… I’m George Vincent. I have been an actor for over 25 years. I was born in The Bronx, NY into a loving, Greek family that honored God. A few years later our family moved to Oradell, New Jersey. My parents taught my older brother, Ted and I the value of working hard, and going after your dreams. And yes, my mom cooked and baked a ton of delicious Greek food and pastries. I’m married to my beautiful wife Christina. We’ve been by each other’s side since October 1995. You know you’ve fallen head over heels when you’re deathly afraid of heights and you get engaged in a hot air balloon! Today we live in LA, CA and have 2 cats named Apollo and Atlas.

SK: Please share your testimony.
GV: Growing up, God was important in our lives. Praying together as a family and going to church was routine in our household. But that all changed when my father suddenly got sick and passed away. An inoperable brain tumor suddenly changed our lives and that included my faith in God. We had prayed hard for his healing but that never happened. So, I began to believe that God was too busy for me and my family and began to rely only on myself to get things done. I adopted a philosophy of “if it’s to be it’s up to me.” I didn’t know but one day this philosophy would come back to haunt me. I became very prideful, never asking for any help from anyone especially God. In 2006 my wife and I bought a home in CA. In 2007 the housing crisis hit and by 2009 we were struggling financially. I was unemployed and we were on the verge of losing our home, like many others. And things only got worse. Unexpectedly, I had to rush my wife to the hospital for a life-threatening issue. The weight I was under was overwhelming and I had nowhere to turn; at least that’s what I thought.

In order to stave off foreclosure, my wife and I had decided to sell all our jewelry. So I rounded up what we had and went to a jewelry store in downtown LA. Unfortunately the money wasn’t enough – we were very short. Devastated, I started heading home knowing I failed us. I was putting the money away in a drawer in my home office and suddenly I heard a voice say “go to the bank.” I did not move. Then I heard the voice again, “Go to the bank now.” Eventually, I got in my car and sped off to the bank. It was after hours and the bank was closed but there was one car in the parking lot. I opened the bank door using my credit card and entered. The main part of the bank was closed off except for a small part of the lobby with a deposit desk and a couple of ATMS. Standing next to the deposit table was an older man with his back to me. He wore a suit and donned a baseball cap. I didn’t want to scare him so I said “Hi. How are you?” He turned around, looked me dead in the eyes and said “better now that you’re here.” I chuckled and said, “Thanks no one’s ever greeted me like that before” and he blurts out “well, if you can’t be nice to someone now, when can you be? There’s always Heaven.” For the sake of not giving away the whole story, I will leave out some incredible details. But what ensued was mind-blowing. He introduces himself as Tony and says that he was at home minding his own business and God told him to come here and tell the man that everything is going to be okay. Instantly, I mention that I was at home and I heard a voice tell me to go to the bank. Then he says “This is no coincidence” and proceeds to ask me why don’t I believe in God? I was floored! This man knows things about me and I don’t know him, let alone ever seen him before. He proceeds to say “forget it … none of my business” and tells me that God loves me and that He wants to take my burdens. And that all I have to do, is open my heart and accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Well, that evening I did accept Christ into my heart. He took me by the hands and we prayed and then said that everything would work out for me. I remember I began to cry and when I looked up he was gone… his car was gone. The moment was so powerful that it changed my life forever. And he was right, things did work out. But you’ll have to watch the movie to find out.

SK: How did you break into the movie/entertainment business?
GV: As a child I had an uncle who would always call me his “little actor” and somehow that stuck with me. When I began college I took some acting courses and fell in-love with the craft. But what solidified it for me was running into a gentleman named Ken who ran a bar called, Jimmy Reeds in Ramsey NJ. I had recognized him from a TV show called The Equalizer. He had a recurring role on the show. We became friends and I told him I had burning desire to pursue the acting business. He was kind and caring and he began to share his knowledge with me. Then one day he took me and introduced me to his acting coach in West Nyack, NY named Flo Greenberg. She was a sweet lady and yet so tough! She started molding me and sharpening my skills. She said stage acting is a good training ground and so I started doing children’s theater in NYC. That led to Off-Off-Broadway productions and eventually Off Broadway shows. Flo was right, theater gave me the confidence and skills needed to land a 2 year recurring role on the soap opera “One Life to Live” as Kip the Bartender at Rodi’s Tavern.

SK: Tell us about your film, “Heavenly Deposit.”
GV: The movie Heavenly Deposit is my testimony of coming to Christ and asking Him to lead my life. After I experienced God’s amazing hope and love, I wanted everyone to experience that as well. So, I started sharing my testimony with people wherever I was… gas station, coffee shop, anywhere. The reaction was always the same, teary-eyed and thanking me for sharing the story. Then one day I told this gentleman who turned out to be a minister, who said my testimony is so powerful that it should be made into a film and shared with the world. That moment started me on my journey to make Heavenly Deposit.

I had never made a feature film in my life, nor had I ever written a script before, but I just put all my faith in God and trusted that He would lead me every step of the way … and He did! He guided us on the making of the film from start to finish by opening all the right doors and keeping the wrong ones shut. God led me to a screenwriting book called “Save the Cat” which was paramount in writing the script, linked me up with my producing/ co-directing partner Rick Irvin who I met on a film set one day; he was tired of doing horror films and said he was looking to produce faith films. He also led me to the right people to raise the funding, helped us bring on named actors like John Savage, Ella Joyce, Peter Jason and Barry Van Dyke, and eventually led us to Vertical Entertainment – a well-respected distribution company for our 2019 domestic release. (Our DVD was in over 3000 Walmart & Target stores in US and Canada, and available for download and streaming on over 11 platforms.) And in February of 2021 Heavenly Deposit received international release through APL FILMS. The film also won film festival awards for Best Narrative Feature Film in Argentina and also Most Inspirational Feature Film in PA.

Looking back this was such an incredible journey but I’ve learned with God nothing is impossible. To see the movie trailer and learn more visit www.heavenlydeposit.com Here’s a quick story about how God answered our prayers and helped us bring on renown actor John Savage to our cast. It‘s an incredible story. Well, one day I was looking for a named actor to play this vital role and help bring star power to our cast, while at the same time finding one we could afford. I began using IMDB and searching actors with certain parameters. I put in males actors between the ages of 60 to 75, with a low ranking – (the lower the ranking – closer to 1, the more recognizable they are and of course more expensive.) As I got to John Savage — just his face lit-up on the page. I remember instantly looking up towards God and saying, “John Savage? How can we afford… “ And I stopped myself. Then I said, “Okay God, if this is from You, I will know. So I looked-up John’s manger and called him. I started off by saying, “Hi Allen my name is George Vincent and I wrote a film and I have a role for one of your actors.” Without skipping a beat he utters, “Oh hi, George. My wife and I have been following your career since NY.” It was at that moment, I smiled and knew this was all God. He said to send him all the info – script, John’s sides and the amount I am offering to pay. A few hours later he calls back and tells me he can’t send this over to John, that the money is too low. I told him I will do what I can but to please send him the script and let him turn me down if he’s not interested. Reluctantly, he agreed and hung-up. Three days later I get a phone call from the manger and his opening words were, “Savage is in!” There are many more behind-the-scenes stories of how God guided us on the making of our film Heavenly Deposit. Please visit our Heavenly Deposit YouTube Channel to watch them along with interviews from Atlanta Live and many others.

SK: Please tell us about your involvement in the secular and Christian entertainment industry. What do you feel is the biggest difference between the Christian entertainment industry and the secular counterpart?
GV: Acting and entertainment is my passion and calling. I believe that God gives us all certain skills and talents and that we can and should use them to lead people to Christ. If I were to say that I knew this when I first started out my career… I’d be lying. This truly has been a journey for me. This is who I am now, and I’m grateful that God has changed my heart and is allowing me to do my part for His kingdom.

Heavenly Deposit is my first faith film, however my secular work is very important and essential because it’s helped me to be a part of the industry and get recognition. And having a bigger following allows for a bigger reach. Now please don’t misunderstand. I am very selective when it comes to choosing roles or even auditioning for them. I have my boundaries of what I will and will not do or be a part of, and you have to know that as an actor and yes, as especially as Christian actor. For instance, if the script uses the Lord’s name in vain, I will change it or ask to change it. To this day, I have never had anyone tell me “no.” And scenes that require nudity, I avoid. But playing bad guys, that’s acting… so bring it on. Now, some of my other work includes roles on the TV shows E.R., Michael’s Bay’s, The Last Ship, Comedy Central’s, Time Traveling Bong and most recently a voice in Pixar’s Award-Winning animated feature film, Soul. For the full list of credits please visit imdb.me/georgevincent

SK: Can you share a story of a funny/embarrassing moment that stands out to you from your time as an actor?
GV: When you overcome embarrassing moments you will grow! And yes, I have done a lot of growth. I recall one time while on E.R., I had a scene where I’m eating jalapenos and I had dialogue. Well, they were so hot, my eyes started watering and I was choking. However, I plowed thought the scene and wouldn’t stop. As soon as I finished they yelled “cut” and everyone burst out laughing. They brought me over a tall glass of cold water and I guzzled that baby down. I took about 5 minutes and we did it again. They loved the fact that I never stropped the scene!

Another time while filming New York’s Most Wanted, I played a guy who shot an elderly couple and took their money. Well, every time I went to reach for my gun, it would fall deeper into my pocket and I would have to hop around until I was able to pull it out. After a few takes, they told me to put it in my waist line of my pants. So, I did and when we went to film it, as I went to grab the gun, it slid down my pant leg! Talk about embarrassing. Thank goodness they laughed and eventually we got the shot. And yes there are more! Overall acting is not life and death. Get on set, enjoy every moment and keep moving forward. And don’t forget to celebrate every little victory.

SK: How have your movies and testimony been used by the Lord?
GV: There is no greater feeling than knowing that our testimony film Heavenly Deposit has helped someone on their walk with God. That has been a recurring comment that we have been receiving. The film is real, relatable and honest. It shows how difficult life can be if we try to handle it on our own; but with God’s help, we can overcome the challenges. One couple wrote us and told us that their son was on the fence about God for many years but after watching the film, he related to it and he accepted Christ into his heart that evening. A few weeks later we received a short video of him and his 7 year old daughter getting baptized. This brought tears to our eyes. The Dove Foundation said “Depositing a little time to see this film will result in heavenly and spiritual dividends. This is a must-see movie.” The huge faith website, Beliefnet.com said, “Heavenly Deposit is more than just your typical Christian film. The story, which is based on true events, captures audiences in such a brilliant way and reminds us all of the power of letting God into our lives.” Other personal examples have been attached below.

SK: You have worked with some famous Hollywood celebrities and those who are high-up in the entertainment industry. What has surprised you the most about meeting these seemingly unapproachable celebrities?
GV: In all my years, only one time I can remember someone being a bit rude. The truth is, celebrities are people and they have good and bad days. You never know what is going on through anyone’s mind at any given time. But you can feel if someone is open to you or if they are closed off. On set, actors are constantly working on their character or a scene that is coming up and the majority of the time, they want to focus and not chat. You have to be aware and feel them out. If you smile and you don’t get a response that’s a pretty good gauge that they want to be left alone. Use your discretion.

SK: What would you tell someone who is interested in breaking into the Christian movie industry? How would they start this journey?
GV: First of all, Christian movies nowadays are being made better and better, with bigger budgets and bigger names. I would say, just keep it simple and be an actor. You don’t have to label yourself solely as, Christian. Keep who you are to yourself. People will know you by your work take on and do and also by how you live. That said, know your limitations; what you are willing to do and not do as an actor. If your agent gets you an audition, and you don’t see any red flags in the material, then audition. It will help you overall in your process to become a better actor by getting auditions under your belt, being on set and ultimately being on camera and filming. Now if you book an audition and it’s a stage play, you’ll be asked to read the whole script. This holds mostly true for booking a movie as well – asked to read the script before you sign the contract. It may not be possible on films with larger budgets where they are trying to keep things quiet. But generally, you will know from the audition sides you get if the material passes your sniff test. And if it doesn’t, then you can politely decline to audition or even take on the role, once you book it. I’ve done that with a play. I booked the audition, asked to read the play and it wasn’t something I was comfortable with doing, so I passed on it. I also had an audition for an HBO show but I didn’t like the content so I politely declined to audition. Funny how I was told I’d probably never get another chance to audition for this big show but that was not the case. About a month later I got another audition; one that was right up my alley.

SK: How can our readers get in touch with you?
GV: Stephanie, thank you for giving me this opportunity and allowing me to share some of myself, my career and words of wisdom. If anyone would like to get in touch with me, feel free to contact me on IG and Facebook at g.vincent13 or at George Vincent on LinkedIn. Also feel free to friend us on our Heavenly Deposit IG and Facebook. Stay blessed!

I have really enjoyed bringing George Vincent’s story to the readers of Christian Women Living Magazine. Thank you, George, for your transparency and obedience.