How Stephen Lang Prepared for His Role as Samuel in ‘House of David’

The first three episodes of “House of David” slingshot their way to Prime Video this Thursday, Feb. 27.

The highly anticipated series from The Wonder Project, which depicts the life of the biblical figure David, is filled with intense battles with the Philistines, including David’s heroic battle against the giant Goliath.

The cast includes Stephen Lang (“Avatar,” “Don’t Breathe”) as Samuel, Michael Iskander as David, Ali Suliman (“Jack Ryan,” “Arthur the King”) as King Saul, Ayelet Zurer (“Angels and Demons,” “Man of Steel”) as Queen Ahinoam, and Martyn Ford (“Mortal Kombat 2,” “The Sandman”) as Goliath.

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“House of David” creator Jon Erwin (“Jesus Revolution,” “I Can Only Imagine,” “American Underdog”), who also co-directs the series alongside Jon Gunn (“Ordinary Angels,” “The Case for Christ,” “The Unbreakable Boy“), gives audiences the story of David, Saul, Jonathan, Samuel, and Goliath in eight episodes.

Lang spoke with ChurchLeaders and shared how he prepared for his role as Samuel.

“Obviously, one returns to the source material, which is a widely read, very popular book, called the Bible—specifically the Old Testament,” Lang said. “I really tried to absorb as much as I possibly could. Specifically from Samuel, 1 and 2, but also from Kings and Judges, and from Deuteronomy.”

“Soak up the entire thing,” he emphasized, “understanding that what you’re reading is history, a very special type of history.”

Lang described the story of David as “exciting” because the story is all “events that happened.”

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“In the end, you absorb everything you possibly can about the character,” Lang said, “and then when they call ‘action,’ you just make the leap of faith that is necessary and talk to God.”