Over the past seven years with NewReleaseTuesday, I've had the opportunity to cover a few different VeggieTales releases, sometimes from the angle of the music, sometimes just the angle of being a parent, and sometimes both.

Now, worlds collide as I talk with CCM great Jaci Velasquez, who has a very special role in the latest VeggieTales film, Noah's Ark. I previously interviewed Jaci for her song "Give Them Jesus" in one of my Behind the Song Devotionals, and it was great to chat with her again.

I know my three daughters--ages 15, 11, and 8--all will enjoy watching the film with me, and I wondered if you wouldn't mind sharing a little bit about how you became part of the cast and what that experience is like for you.

I got a text from Mike Nawrocki--the voice of Larry the Cucumber, and basically he was Larry, saying, "Do you want to be a voice for the new VeggieTales movie?" I, of course without hesitating, said, "Yes, of course." I've gotten to do music and acting before, but there's never been something that I've gotten to do that I thought that my kids would like because they don't really care about this whole Jaci Velasquez thing. They go, "Why do people call you Jaci Velasquez? You're Mommy Gonzalez."

I said, "You're right. I am mommy Gonzalez." When they asked me to be a part of it, I said, "Absolutely. Please, I would love to."

I was trying to explain to my 5 year old that mommy is a vegetable on the VeggieTales movie. He goes, "No way. No mommy, you're not. That's silly." He watched it and afterwards he came up to me and he said, "Mommy, I'm so proud of you." I was like, "Thank you." It's the first time that my kids have ever been proud of anything I've ever gotten to do and I think that being a part of this new VeggieTales film is like a bucket list thing for me. A Grammy, a Dove Award--nothing can compete with this for me.
 
Did you actually get to be with Wayne Brady in any of the recording? (He plays Noah's son, Shem.)

No, he was in Los Angeles. I was recording in Nashville. It was funny being in the studio with Mike and Chris and all those guys. It's kind of intimidating because they do it all the time. They flip into character like that--it's just instant. For me it was having to do the same line 11 times where these guys could do it in one take. They're one take wonders because they are those characters.

I had a great time and laughed so hard because they were so funny. The stuff off the recording, they would say funny stuff and it kept me laughing the entire time. I was there for about five or six hours doing the voice for Sadie. I play Sadie, Shem's wife, and he's one of Noah's three sons. Shem is kind of the doubting Thomas, if you will. He's like, "Wait a second, Dad." 

In the story, Shem and Sadie just got married, and are coming back from their honeymoon. They're excited to start their new life, but God told Noah to build this boat, this giant ark, and they're supposed to be on that ark and they don't know for how long, but God has shown this to Noah.

They have to trust that he's hearing from God and they have to be obedient and it's all like the great lesson as parents that we want to impart into our kids and we do the best we can, but sometimes it takes animation and vegetables to do a job that we can't do because it's like -- I don't know what everybody else's kids are like, but my kids, they listen to other people far better than they listen to us.

Sometimes they'll go to people's homes and they'll come back from school and the teachers will be like, "He was great. He's got the best manners." I'm like, "Really? You're talking about my kids." Of course they act better with other people than they do with us, so sometimes it takes listening to vegetables, Larry and Bob, to make then really get the story and get the lesson.
 
That's a great point. Actually for me, I actually enjoy that you were playing a character you maybe don't know as much about from the Biblical account and as a dad of daughters, kind of having them see what Shem's wife's role could have been potentially and help them to see as young women trying to live a Biblical lifestyle and believe that this is a true story. This is not just a fairy tale. This is something that happened in history.

I wonder from your perspective, did you feel you learned anything from that role and in this particular portrayal of Noah?

It's interesting because Noah has been done by Hollywood and the story has been tampered with, so I think it was a big task for VeggieTales to take this and try to turn it into what the story was, turn it into an animation, turn it into a VeggieTales movie and when you know what happened in the Bible, all the death and the stuff that was going on that had to happen, that God wanted, that God allowed. They weren't straying from what the story is, but kept it on a lighter note that kids will understand, which I thought that was pretty ambitious, but they nailed it and the animals are super adorable.

As far as what I learned from the characters, I think Sadie, it's interesting. She's his wife. She's strong, but she also knows her place as I am his wife and Biblically I have to stand by whatever my husband wants to do and wherever he wants to go and I'm going to go with him, but yet still going I just don't feel like this is right. I don't agree with it necessarily, Shem, but I'm not going to not be with you and go with you and do what you're saying. It was a great lesson I think just across the board for females, for all of us.
 
What's next for Jaci Velasquez? Any new music in the works or any more acting in the works?

I have some other films coming out this year. I'm working on another film and then my husband and I start recording. We're writing for a new record, so I'm excited about that. Then I'm getting ready for the summertime with the boys and buying season passes to take them to the water park every day, trying to keep them busy over the summer, and then I have plans to teach my five year old how to roller skate because I already taught my seven year old and teaching the kids how to ride bikes and trying to keep it all balanced. Music, films, but family first.