When loving mom Christy Beam (Jennifer Garner) discovered her daughter Anna’s (Kylie Rogers) illness was hard-to-diagnose, her world came crashing in. Not only was her faith tested, but so was her tenacity, spirit and resilience. Director Patricia Riggen’s MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN chronicles the Beam’s struggles in their darkest hours – and also reminds audiences to take stock of the little miracles in their own daily lives.

At the film’s recent Los Angeles press day, the stars and filmmakers shared a handful of fun facts about the making of the film. And, I gotta say, the Beams story is bound to resonate with you regardless of your faith.

7. At its core, MIRACLES is a soul-stirring mother-daughter story. Director Patricia Riggen (GIRL IN PROGRESS) was quick to point out that this story is different from most film because it spotlights mother-daughter relationships. “This kind of story doesn’t happen too often because it’s about girls and moms. There’s something really special that’s happening with this movie – from the moment it was conceived until now.” The first thing that struck producer Bishop T.D. Jakes was how he could “relate to a mother’s love for her child. I thought it came from a place of heartfulness and hope. The story is at times painful and powerful and ultimately uplifting.” Producer Joe Roth said, “It felt like an authentic and relatable story.”

6. There’s dimension to the husband role. Martin Henderson plays Christy’s veterinarian husband Kevin – a role that held different facets of a fairly traditional character we’ve seen on screen before. “There’s always this quandary of how do I embody this person in spirit and mind. For me, it was what is the essence of this man? I think the script did a lot of it for me. Patricia felt really strongly the role of Kevin shouldn’t just be ‘the Dad.’ She made an effort to show aspects of his character that made him more than that. I felt a huge responsibility to honor these people and their story.”

5. Jennifer Garner collaborated with Christy Beam to portray her authentically. Jennifer Garner, who will jerk the tears from your eye balls in this movie, said she “took great license with texting and phone calls while we were shooting. I spent – and still do – a lot of time with Christy. The more time I spend with her, the more I like her. We had a long range of topics that covered are your nails long, short natural, to was your hair blown out all the time, to what’s your nicknames for your kids. I have a playlist in my phone of her favorite hymns and church songs that were definitely inspirational. She was an enormous cheat sheet for me.” Beam mentioned that Garner’s interest in portraying her perfectly was “genuine. I was on set and their hearts were very open to my thoughts and concerns and my additions. Jennifer and I got to be fast friends. She had so much to learn and just absorbed it like a sponge. We had so many good talks. We related as mothers. She had the book and had highlighted it and dog-eared it so many times. That’s when I knew it was going to be okay. She poured through the script and poured through the book and back through the script and back through the book.”

4. MIRACLES is so true-to-life, Christy Beam finds it difficult to watch. Writing the book proved to be a “cathartic” adventure for Beam. However, seeing this brought to life on screen and having to, in a sense, relive it again when watching it with audiences tends to be difficult for her. She said it brings up those same emotions again “everytime. It’s a struggle every time. Even though I know it’s a happy ending, I still watch how exact to what we endured that it still rips open old wounds.”

3. Kylie Rogers prosthetic belly got hot and her braids hurt. As Anna’s belly grew and swelled, Rogers was tasked to wear a prosthetic belly. “We have the wardrobe one for the scenes where you didn’t really see it – it was cloth and you didn’t see it. But then we had the prosthetic one, which was really thick and this rubbery texture. It was so hot in Atlanta. When I was climbing the tree, I had to wear it and it was kind of hard to get used to. I had like a pregnant belly.” Not only does Rogers exhibit a true connection with Garner, her sweet scenes with Queen Latifah, playing a friendly Bostonian, provide the movie with balance. “We bonded over music – some of the artists that we like that are the same. Like Sia. We had a whole Sia conversation. I was like, ‘This kid’s deep. I like her!’ When we did the scenes with her hair braided, we got to pick which ones were in there. I brought braids to her character. I know how to play play braid,” said Latifah. Rogers let slip that the braids “hurt,” but was surprised how big her hair was after they took the braids out. “I was like ‘Whoa!”

2. MIRACLES is about finding kindness and compassion in the everyday. Producer Joe Roth thinks this resonant story will “bring hope into their own lives and have a less cynical view of the world.” “Goodness around us also plays a part of what miracles are. I wanted to make sure we brought out that message,” said a resolute Riggen. Jakes hit it home, saying, “I hope this gives bus drivers, maids, checkout clerks recognize that their job is important whether or not other people count it as important.” Beam agreed, “That’s what I want people to walk away with – recognizing [the small miracles] that can propel them, that can give them the hope and inspiration that they need.”

1. MIRACLES is directed by a female and features a positive Latino portrayal. The emotional drama is an anomaly in so many senses of the word – in large part because it features a female director at the helm and a positive Latino portrayal. This was one of the reasons Eugenio Derbez, who plays Anna’s doctor (Dr. Nurko), chose to be a part of this project. “It’s very, very important to be part of it for our community. Every time you go to watch a movie and there’s a Latino, it’s always the drug lord, the narco, or the cook – stereotypes. Portraying an eminent doctor in that disease is a proud moment for us in the Latino community – not just for the Mexicans. For the entire Hispanic community. I feel blessed I had the opportunity.” Riggen concurred, “That’s really important to notice. We notice. They are very rare.” To the point that she is a formidable female director working in Hollywood, Riggen said, “It’s a tough battle to fight everyday. I feel very fortunate I work steadily and try to do my best because I have a huge responsibility to all the other ladies that come after me. The one that makes a mistake is enough to dismiss all the rest, because that’s how women are treated in the world, unfortunately still. I hope this movie will open doors to other women.”

MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN opens on March 16 and is rated PG.