“Tell The World” Actor Visits Southwestern

Actor Tim Corderre (right) shares the Wharton Auditorium stage with “Tell the World” Director Kyle Portbury on Oct. 19. Portbury now serves as associate professor of communication at Southwestern.

Southwestern Adventist University welcomed actor Timothy Paul Coderre onto the stage of Wharton Auditorium on Monday night, October 19. Corderre and his wife Annette are traveling across America in their RV and happened upon Keene, Texas where their friend Kyle Portbury now teaches film to the communication students as an associate professor. Before Portbury came to Southwestern he directed a $6 million film called “Tell the World” in which Tim plays the part of Joseph Bates.

During the Q & A session, Corderre reminisced his favorite moments on set as students and faculty previewed scenes from the movie, which Portbury said, “We know not the day nor the hour, but this movie is coming soon.” Portbury is hopeful that the movie will be released before Christmas.

Corderre retired after 27 years as a major in the Canadian Army and went straight into acting. He had never heard of Seventh-day Adventists and yet he is the face of Joseph Bates.

One of the questions asked was “How did you get the lead in ‘Tell the World’?” His answer: “I auditioned.” Corderre auditioned for the part of Doctor number three, but was brought back to try his hand at Joseph Bates and was selected to play this part.

“Joseph Bates was the hardest part I’ve ever played. I did not grow up an Adventist, nor am I one now, and when the nine producers showed up, they were very Adventist, Adventist historians and what not. I’ll never forget what one producer said to me, ‘For Generations, you will be Joseph Bates.’ That’s when the part became real to me.”

The movie was filmed in Canada with 95 cast members, 157 crew, and 1,000 extras. Through the past four years that Portbury, Corderre and their team have been working on this movie, Corderre says that he really enjoyed the filming process being spread out. It gave him an opportunity to reconnect with cast and crew throughout those years.

Students reacted very positively to the Q & A session. Scott Wallace, senior communication film emphasis student, said, “ I thought it was really great to see our Adventist heritage come to life in a movie! Also to have the director of that film now teaching at Southwestern is awesome!”

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