Randall Wallace Interview: Was William Wallace a Christ-Like Figure in ‘Braveheart’?

You know, there are certain films you can watch over and over again—and every time, they hit you a little differently. Braveheart is one of those.

It’s not just a great story. It’s something deeper. Something that stays with you long after the film ends.

This film, telling the story of Scottish hero William Wallace, won a staggering 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay. Behind it was the vision of Randall Wallace—the legendary screenwriter who also worked on films like The Man in the Iron Mask, Secretariat, and many others.

But what sets Randall apart isn’t just his talent, but his faith. Randall has a faith in Christ that permeates all he does. And in our recent podcast together, we talked about how Christianity found its way into Braveheart and Randall’s other work (plus, much more).  

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

Randall Wallace on How William Wallace Reflects Jesus Christ 

Greg Laurie:  I feel that William Wallace—and the way you were telling the story—my interpretation, was a Christ-like figure. 

Randall Wallace: Oh yeah.

Greg Laurie:  I mean, when he’s laying there and they’re torturing him, you can’t help but think of the cross. 

Randall Wallace: Right.

Greg Laurie:  And you look at this man who laid his life down and sacrificed his life for his nation.

… I’m sure all your films are like children to you. You probably love them all-

Randall Wallace: Yes, that’s right.

Greg Laurie: But if you were to look at all the Randall Wallace films that you’ve either directed or written the screenplay for, do you have a favorite, like, “This is my favorite”?

Randall Wallace: I don’t, honestly. And I think about that. I do think about that sometimes. 

… Your analogy of children is exactly right. You only have one oldest, you only have one youngest. You only have one in the middle. And they’re each special in their own way and you love all of them, absolutely.

Braveheart  was certainly special for me in that I was a completely unknown screenwriter.  And I went from that to working with Mel Gibson, who was, you know, the biggest star in the world, and a genius filmmaker. So it certainly has taken me a long distance.

 But it’s really funny when people will say, like your reference to a Christ-like figure, they’ll say, “Well, you must’ve done a lot of research.” And I say, “Yeah, I read the New Testament.”

And Mel [Gibson] recognized that right away.

…The prayer in prison when [William Wallace] says, ‘Every man dies…’ [is] right out of the Garden of Gethsemane. You know, praying to die well. And he prays before battle,  and even his dreams and the temptations to just fight for vengeance rather than to transcend all of that.

… So I didn’t see any of it coming. I didn’t have an outline, I didn’t have a historical record to follow.  just sat down and began to-

Greg Laurie: There’s not a lot about William Wallace. 

Randall Wallace:  That’s exactly right. There’s virtually nothing…

Randall Wallace on How Faith Works Into His Writing

Greg Laurie: It seems like faith works its way through most of what you write. Would it be all of what you write? 

Randall Wallace: I think so.

 And it’s one of the things I’m fascinated with about all that you have created and continue to create, and even the sort of seeker-friendly aspects of church, and there’s like I want to live in, and address, the middle ground.

It’s like, a general doesn’t want to win the fringes. He wants to take the center of the battle. And that’s where I want to be. So it’s not my own personal dogma that I believe in… The hymn, “I lean not on my own understanding”; it’s not my understanding that I depend upon. It’s faith. 

Jordan Petereson would say faith is a kind of courage. And I certainly believe that. And  that’s how I feel that I have to step into life every single minute…

Listen in to our full conversation on The Greg Laurie Show. Randall Wallace shares more about his love of theology, the best piece of advice that came from a pastor, his creative process, and much more.