‘Tis the season for a new Christmas movie: This one with actor Chad L. Coleman

He has been a zombie apocalypse survivor, a villain and even a 25th-century traveler from another world, but starting Dec. 11, versatile actor Chad L. Coleman is a pastor – of sorts. His latest project is in the lead role of “A Christmas Prayer,” premiering at 7 p.m. on TV One.

Coleman’s resume is a lengthy one, with roles on stage and in film and television. He is widely known for his roles as Tyreese in “The Walking Dead,” Cutty in “The Wire,” and Klyden in “The Orville,” among others.

Coleman’s first holiday movie is personal and it is one that he hopes will bring families together this season. In it, he plays a pastor who fights to save himself and his church, right before Christmas.

“The project appeals to me because first of all, Christmas movies are always classic, and Christmas movies can be about hope and redemption, and promoting togetherness and family and community, and that's what we need right now,” Coleman said.

“In these polarizing, divisive times, we need substance – content that encourages us to nurture each other, to be our best selves to one another, in spite of the challenges that we face," he added. "If you don't put it before people, sometimes they don't realize the options and other ways of relating to another human being. The other thing that's deeply personal for me, having grown up in the church, is my brother is a minister in Richmond, Virginia, where I'm from. My brother was a beacon of light and very much an inspiration to me, helping to shape the man I've become.”

Coleman said families can engage with the movie together.

“I think this offers up an opportunity for family members from 8 to 80 to sit together and enjoy it and talk about it and nurture each other,” he said.

Looking ahead to 2023 and past the holidays, Coleman can be seen as Bruno Mannheim on the CW’s “Superman & Lois.” Coleman was in the CW’s “Arrow” in its fifth season, and in two seasons of “All American.”

“Those are Greg's (Greg Berlanti) productions, and he's gracious enough to offer up this titan of a man,” he said of his role as Bruno Mannheim. “I haven’t played someone with this scale and scope before … someone who's creating schools and hospitals, transforming the city.”

The character is “filthy rich,” according to Coleman.

“There are aspects of other roles that I’ve played, of course, but to put it all together in this one, I have to say that I really believe that it’s the most amazing role I’ve ever played,” he said.

The fate of Seth MacFarlane’s “The Orville” is still unknown, as is Coleman’s character, Klyden. Klyden has been on an emotional – yet often hilarious – path through the show’s first three seasons.

“You know, we're continuing tradition and kind of doubling down on what sci-fi has always been able to do successfully: take on really serious issues, and find a landing place for folks that, you know, is uncomfortable, but you want to take the journey with us,” he said.

No matter who he plays on-screen, Coleman’s favorite real-life role is that of father to his adult daughter. He puts that front and center as the national celebrity spokesperson for “Date with Dad,” a program of the Virginia-based nonprofit Girls For A Change that promotes the relationship between fathers and daughters through a variety of opportunities. Coleman was quick to help when given the chance to promote a dance that brings girls together with their fathers who are incarcerated. For him, it’s all about family.

“On so many different levels, you're changing the narrative, and you're empowering people and giving people hope – and you are fostering the relationship, right? Just because people make certain mistakes -- yes, you have to pay for those -- but it doesn't mean that’s the end of family, the end of the nurturing,” he said. “That’s an incredible organization.”

“A Christmas Prayer” is available beginning Dec. 11 on TV One. For details, visit tvone.tv/show/a-christmas-prayer. TV One is available as an app on most Internet-connected TVs and as a channel on providers such as Spectrum,  ATT&T and DirectTV.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: ‘Tis the season for a new Christmas movie with actor Chad L. Coleman