By Randall Murphree

(AgapePress) - Kirk Cameron collapses in a chair between scenes on the set where he’s starring as Buck Williams in Left Behind: The Movie. Exhausted, he slouches back, closes his eyes, and almost dozes off. He is soon interrupted by Chelsea Noble, wife and co-star, for a little family chit-chat. ("Honey, are you missing the kids as much as I am? Do you think they’re missing us?")

Then the publicity manager tugs at his arm. ("Kirk, I’m sorry, but I need you to go talk with the media. They’ve been waiting.")

With the very first question, Cameron’s tired eyes light up and he declares with a smile, "I am very excited about being a part of the Left Behind project." And you sense that he means it.

It seems like only yesterday that Kirk Cameron was a kid playing the wise-cracking, self-centered Mike Seaver on ABC’s situation comedy Growing Pains. The mid-’80s hit quickly made Cameron a teen heartthrob. His character’s mischievous, happy-go-lucky ways and winning smile endeared him to fans. Noble, too, played on Growing Pains, as well as Full House, another ABC sitcom.

In the decade after Growing Pains ran its course, Cameron became a scarce commodity in the entertainment arena. But now, his career is poised on the brink of what promises to be one of the film world’s biggest events ever. He is the star of Left Behind: The Movie. It’s a long way from the silly teenaged Seaver to the complex Williams in the dramatic screen adaptation of Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye’s hit novel Left Behind.

Real fans will recall that Growing Pains sometimes tackled tough issues, and when the script demanded it, Cameron’s Mike Seaver always delivered. Most sitcoms fail when they take on a hard issue, trivializing it in the process. But in April 1989 Growing Pains addressed teen alcohol abuse. A compelling climactic scene featured Mike having to tell his sister her boyfriend had died after drinking and driving. That episode and Cameron’s performance set the standard for sitcoms trying to talk to social issues.

Kirk Cameron has paid his dues, and he deserves the break he got when producers approached him about the role of Williams. He talks about how he and Chelsea grew interested in the 12-book series that Jenkins and LaHaye expect to produce. (The first seven titles have already sold 18 million copies.)

"A friend gave us the first four books," Kirk says, "and Chelsea was reading Left Behind. Being Christians in Hollywood, our hope is always that we’re able to do projects that honor the Lord."

"I was in the middle of reading it," Chelsea explains. "It was in the middle of the night. Kirk was falling asleep and I said, ‘Kirk, this has to be made into a movie. I would love to play Hattie.’ I had no idea they were making it into a movie at all, I was intrigued with the story, how it stuck so closely to Scripture."

A few days later, Cameron’s agent called to ask if they’d like to read the script for Left Behind. Kirk was soon the star, and Chelsea landed her choice role -- Hattie Durham, a hard-living airline attendant who, unlike Williams, just never seems to quite get her life together.

"I think this was a real gift from God," Chelsea says.

Many observers are excited to see the young couple back in the headlines, believing that Left Behind is the vehicle that will catapult the two committed Christians onto the A-list of Hollywood stars. But stardom is not their principal concern.

"I remember being in exactly the same spot Buck Williams was in," Kirk (shown at right in a scene from the movie) says. "And playing the lead character of a guy who goes from really not considering the existence of God to a guy who puts all the pieces of the puzzle together and...comes to surrender his life to God, that’s just a very exciting character to play."

Chelsea sees her character as critical because Hattie searches for truth, but never accepts it. "Hattie makes decisions that she thinks are wonderful and exciting, but which are empty," says Chelsea. "Like everyone in the story she’s searching. She’s being deceived and doesn’t know it. And I think you need to see life with God and life without [God], and where that takes you."

Being the parents of three young children -- ages one, two and three -- hasn’t made it easy on either Kirk or Chelsea.

"That’s the hardest part," she says. "If I didn’t have my mom and best friend available to keep them, I couldn’t do this. And I know that God is in it. I believe God has big plans for this movie. My hope is that it will move people to examine their own hearts."

Kirk agrees: "It’s just a great story that will make people consider their lives in light of the truth of the rapture. If the rapture were to happen tomorrow -- would they be left behind?"

Cameron became a Christian at age 17 when friends introduced him to the Lord. He had already been thinking, "There’s got to be more than just fame and fortune and popularity, and I finally realized that it was a relationship with God."

His interests today include speaking at pro-life rallies. "Jesus said don’t just listen to my words, but listen and then do them," he says. "That’s what it means to really follow Christ. I know that life is precious to God, so I want to share with people and get them to really start thinking about whether abortion is right."

When it comes to their careers, neither Kirk nor Chelsea wants to be left behind. But they realize that issue pales beside the importance of not being left behind in the rapture. "Movies and television and music are so powerful in getting messages out to people," Kirk says. They see Left Behind: The Movie not only as a superbly entertaining story, but also as a way to share the love of God.