Jeffrey Atkins, best known by his stage name Ja Rule, is returning to acting after spending two years in prison for illegal gun possession.
Screenwriter Galley Molina helped the rap star land the lead role in I’m In Love With A Church Girl, debuting October 18. Molina said he empathized with Ja Rule since he served five years time in jail for drug trafficking. “People used to ask, ‘Well, you know he’s a felon?’ And I would say, ‘Well, so am I,'” Molina recalled to the Associated Press.
I’m In Love With A Church Girl is based on Molina’s life and is produced by Molina and Grammy-winning Christian singer Israel Houghton. Ja Rule stars as a high-level drug dealer who struggles to leave his illegal lifestyle behind after getting into a serious relationship with a church-going woman, played by Adrienne Bailon.
Ja Rule said, “this role was very different for me, I’ve done a lot of films that all have been pretty edgy. I played thug characters, but with this character, even though I play a thug somewhat, he’s really a guy going through a transition.”
While is prison the 37-year old rapper and actor put on 30 pounds, read a number of books and earned his high school GED. It seems like he is also going through a transition himself. Ja Rule said that while in jail, “I was more focused on getting my mind right, getting my body right, more thinking about my family. Those are the things you cherish.”
Ja Rule also stated that as he grows older, he finds himself leaning more towards acting, “Music is my heart, but I see television and more movies in the next stage of my life.”
Will you be going to see I’m In Love With A Church Girl when it releases October 18? Check out the trailer below!
