Frankie Faison and Rob Sayegh talk ‘Beyond the Rush'

Yahoo

19-03-2025

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – What started as a short story in 1992, 'Beyond the Rush' has blossomed into a full-length feature film based on director Rob Sayegh's personal experience with loss and addiction.
'Over the 30 years that it took to really get this film out, I've had to go through some of my own demons getting sober,' Sayegh said. 'I had fallen in love with a girl who was unfortunately addicted to the opiate world. Unfortunately, we lost her a few years ago. Right after I lost her, I wrote the first version of this script.
Mark your calender: Film industry meetup at Robinson Film Center
Rob says he poured a lot of his love, anger, and depression into the script's first draft back in 2017. He was still drinking during that time, but he was able to get sober in May of 2018 and has been ever since.
'It's all about never giving up and knowing that we have choices to make,' Sayegh said. 'We've all made some bad choices in our lives, but you can sometimes make up for them. Don't get too down on yourself if you make the wrong one because there's a way out.'
Veteran actor Frankie Faison, known for roles in Coming to America and The Wire, plays a preacher in the film, but the character is not rooted in Rob's life. Rob felt the main character, Samuel, needed a counselor or savior. Coming from a strong religious background, Faison powerfully delivered that and more.
'I really connected to it from the very beginning,' Faison said. 'It was something that I felt I would be happy to be part of and share my talent in telling this amazing story. It touches upon a lot of things that I really believe in as a person and as an artist.
More Entertainment News
'Sometimes it's very easy to let things come out of you that are already in you. A belief, a conviction, that sort of thing. I had some great mentors when I was growing up, so for me to be in a position to be able to do that now means the world.'
Faison has worked with countless directors but says Sayegh is his new favorite. Faison highlighted how Rob's approach to telling this story permeates the film.
'I've always been a collaborator,' Faison said. 'That's part of my DNA. Rob was very embracing and welcoming of any ideas that I had. After seeing the film, I think he had that collaborative spirit with everyone. All the performances seemed to emulate and radiate from the kind of person that Rob is. There were no egos. We were all there together to tell this story.'
Faison added that bringing human stories to life and helping people with their problems and lives drives his engine.
'It's done so quietly,' Faison said. 'They look like normal individuals, but when you look deep into their souls and into their lives, you see that there are a lot of demons there. These demons will eat you up from the inside out. No one knows about it until they open the paper one day and say, 'Oh, this person is gone because of this and that. Well, I never even had any idea.''
When looking back on his life, Sayegh says he might not be alive today if he did not seek out the help he needed. He emphasized the importance of consciously making choices toward a better path for yourself and others.
'I hope that the message of this movie dealing with such tough issues and some dark commentary is that we're all in this together and that we're here for each other,' Sayegh said. 'We're all sharing this human experience.
'For those struggling: know that there's people like us out here that you can talk to. I got through it in the worst of times, losing people I loved and thinking there was nowhere to go. To hear other people's stories and hear that you're not alone and that there is hope is what I think can help people get through.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.