Mexican American recording artist and actress Moriah Smallbone made her theatrical debut as ‘Deborah’ in the Sony musical drama ‘Journey to Bethlehem’, a movie with a modern twist on the story of Mary, Joseph and the birth of Jesús.

Moriah recently spoke with Vida en el Valle about the musical – now in theaters – about why she wanted to be part of this project, filming in Spain, how her husband ended up working in the same movie, life as a Latina in Nashville, and also shared one of her favorite traditions during the holidays.

“The nativity story is a very powerful story, and it’s an ancient one. It’s an old, old story. What I loved about reading this script was the fresh take on the story. It’s it’s almost breathing life and creativity and color into what is a very short and simple and sweet story,” said Moriah, who plays the imagined older sister of Mary (a role filled by her friend, Fiona Palomo).

Palomo is the daughter of Mexican actress/singer Carina Ricco and the late Mexican actor Eduardo Palomo, who became famous across México and Latin America after his 1993 Juan del Diablo characterization in the soap opera ‘Corazón Salvaje.’ He died in Los Ángeles in 2003 from a heart attack at age 41.

Her character helps bring out Mary’s honest thoughts and feelings about her dreams and ambitions. Although Mary feels conflicted about becoming betrothed and pregnant, Deborah is a voice of positivity and helps Mary see that marriage can be beautiful in a modern context of the Virgin Mary story.

“I was so happy to read a version of this story where Mary is strong and opinionated and ambitious, and that in itself was the first thing that drew me to Mary, because I feel like it’s hard to relate to a version of Mary that is very quiet and demure and submissive,” Moriah said adding the musical shows a “version of her that’s a little spicy, you know, it’s like a spicy Mary.”

Moriah said there was a sense of family in the set with the two Spanish actors in the roles of the parents of Mary and her two sisters.

“I think we were all very lucky to play a role in bringing to life this version of Mary that is relatable, that is funny, that is smart, and that’s, like I said, a little spicy,” Moriah said.

Moriah said when you look at the historical context of when the Bible was written and when the stories were told “a lot of women were written out of history. They weren’t included in the narrative simply because they were women.”

“So, it’s not hard to imagine that it was certainly possible. It doesn’t say for sure,” Moriah said. “And this movie is not meant to change anybody’s mind about what the scriptures were saying. But it’s not impossible that Mary could have had sisters.”

To think there could have been a world where Mary had sisters who encouraged her and supported, made Moriah think about her older sister Bianca Peters, who is a morning anchor in New York City.

“She’s such a wonderful woman. She’s such a strong representation of what it is to be a Latin woman in New York right now. And she convinces me to do things all the time to this day,” said Moriah, who lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Moriah said it was nice to turn the tables and be the older sister, like her sister Bianca is to her, to Mary and their third youngest sister in the movie as well.

‘Outside of the box kind of story’

‘Journey to Bethlehem’ is a live-action Christmas musical adventure for the entire family that tells “the nativity story in a way that is different. And you can enjoy it,” Moriah said, adding that the movie “is not a sermon of the pastor” but it is meant to entertain, encourage, make you laugh, smile and dance.

“I love that we open the whole movie with ‘Mary’s Getting Married’, which is the song that I get to sing with my two sisters,” Moriah said.

In that scene the whole town is dancing and singing along and “it tells you right from the beginning what kind of movie this is,” Moriah said. “This is a colorful, imaginative, outside of the box kind of story.”

While Moriah was cast in the movie last December, it was not until she was in Spain that she discovered the role of Antipater, the son of Herod, was unfilled. Antonio Banderas had already been cast as Harod.

“Somebody had told the director that my husband was a singer,” Moriah said.

The director went to her mid-way through the shoot at the hotel in Almeria, in south Spain, knowing that her husband, Joel Smallbone, was on his way for a four-day visit.

“He was like ‘what do you think the chances are that your husband would want to play this role?’,” Moriah said, adding that she had a meeting with the director Adam Anders and producer Ryan Bessy at the hotel lobby and talked about the characteristics of the person who needed to play Antipater, which “pretty much described my husband.”

“So, it was actually very sweet. I got to offer the role to my husband over FaceTime and instead of staying for four days, he came and stayed for four weeks,” said Moriah.

While going to Spain was on her bucket list, Moriah said filming the movie there for two months allowed her “to go see family that I had never met before and just experience that part of the world.”

Not only Moriah has loved to travel, but she also said loves to go to countries where people speak Spanish because it is her mom’s first language and gives her the opportunity to practice her Spanish.

Bringing the Latin flavor to Nashville

Being a Latina in Nashville, Moriah said she has had the most wonderful experience because “I get to bring my culture to a place that is so excited to learn more about it.”

“There’s not a lot of people that look like me here,” said Moriah who was born in Pomona and grew up in nearby Chino.

“I think I’ve had to learn how to bring my culture wherever I go. And so instead of coming to a city and going, well, how are you going to meet me on my level? I think my mentality is much more, how can I teach you about one of the most beautiful cultures on this planet? The food, the family, the music, and the love of the Hispanic Latino community is a great gift.”

As for spending the holiday season in Nashville, Moriah said “we have an annual Tamale Day every year at my house since I moved here for the last 10 years” making tamales with her mother, dad, brother, friends and her husband. “I invite friends over to learn to make tamales too.”

“We celebrate every New Year with tamales,” Moriah said.

As for what Moriah has been working on after the movie, people can look out for her music in 2024 “that bridges the two cultures of country and mariachi.”

Besides Moriah, Banderas and Palomo, ‘Journey to Bethlehem’ also stars Milo Manheim (Disney Channel’s ‘ZOMBIES’), and Joel Smallbone (actor/singer, for ‘King & Country’).

At a Glance

‘Journey to Bethlehem’ (PG)

▪ Duration: 99 minutes

▪ Directed by: Adam Anders

▪ Written by: Adam Anders and Peter Barsocchini

▪ Cast: Antonio Banderas, Milo Manheim, Fiona Palomo, Joel Smallbone, Moriah, Stephanie Gil, Antonio Gil, Alicia Borrachero

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