Earlier today, Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson joined me on a special podcast interview to discuss her new film, Persecuted, which opens on July 18. This is her first feature-film role, and Gretchen tells me how the opportunity came about and why she decided to join this particular effort.  “It was a wonderful opportunity to branch out,” Gretchen says, and explains why this was “a totally different experience” for her. The film touches on important issues about liberty and constitutional rights, she explains, and why that especially resonates now with the echoes of the Hobby Lobby decision still reverberating in the political sphere:

Gretchen jokes about going back into makeup when she returns to The Real Story next week, and gives us a fun inside look at Persecuted.  She gets serious when talking about Hobby Lobby and the regulatory pressures on the freedom of religious expression and other constitutionally-protected freedoms.  “This is really what the movie is about,” Gretchen says. “I hope … when people go to see it, that they will take a moment after the film and think to themselves, Wow, do I take this Bill of Rights for granted?”

Earlier this year at CPAC, I also spoke with Fred Thompson about Persecuted:

If you missed the trailer earlier, here it is again.

Persecuted opens on July 18. Be sure to check out the official website for the film, too.