The Breakfast Club Interview: DeVon Franklin, Serayah & Tyler Lepley on Preserving Biblical Stories in "Ruth & Boaz"

Podcast: The Breakfast Club (iHeartPodcasts)
Episode: DeVon Franklin, Serayah & Tyler Lepley Talk Preserving Biblical Stories In "Ruth & Boaz"
Date: September 29, 2025
Hosts: DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne Tha God
Guests: DeVon Franklin (Producer), Serayah (Star, "Ruth"), Tyler Lepley (Star, "Boaz")

Episode Overview

This engaging episode centers on the new Netflix film "Ruth & Boaz," a modern reimagining of the classic biblical story. Hosts Charlamagne Tha God and Jess Hilarious welcome producer DeVon Franklin and stars Serayah and Tyler Lepley. The conversation dives into the process of preserving and modernizing a biblical narrative, personal faith journeys, the challenges and joys of working in faith-based storytelling, and the cultural significance of telling this story through a Black lens. The team discusses working with Tyler Perry Studios, the importance of authentic representation in faith content, musical aspects of the film (including work with Babyface), and the balance of secular ambitions with spiritual callings.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Preserving and Modernizing the Ruth & Boaz Story

• Adherence to the Scripture:
  • DeVon Franklin explains their commitment:

    "Everything that we did in the film was basically rooted in the word... anything you see in that film, you can go back to a verse and say, this is where we got it from." (03:02)

• Modern Adaptation:
  • They imagined Moab as the Atlanta music scene, and Bethlehem as rural Tennessee, making creative choices to bring contemporary relevance while staying true to the original story.

    "Well, what would Moab look like? Maybe that's like the Atlanta music scene. What would Bethlehem look like? Maybe that's Pegram, Tennessee." (03:32)

2. The Genesis of the Tyler Perry Partnership

• Hollywood Realities and Divine Timing:

  • DeVon Franklin recounts how Tyler Perry called him out of the blue to propose working together after hearing about Franklin’s Netflix pitch, resulting in a historic three-picture deal.

    "You've never seen two black men of faith coming together to make content of Faith, you know, with the biggest streamer in the world." (04:13)

• First-Time Experiences:

  • DeVon describes the fulfillment of seeing his and Tyler Perry’s production logos onscreen:

    "As a kid, I always had the dream... to see that on screen... it’s like, wow, dreams do come true. And faith works." (05:34)

3. Personal Connections to the Story and Roles

• Familiarity with Ruth & Boaz:

  • Serayah knew the story in broad strokes from church but dove deeper for the role.
  • Tyler Lepley admits he didn’t grow up in church but researched the story for the part.

    Tyler: “Not to sound like a heathen... when it was time to dive in... I read up on it a little bit.” (06:24)

• Finding Resonance with Characters:

  • Serayah relates to Ruth’s faith and willingness to “reroute” her life, paralleling her own career journey.

    "I resonate with her... stepping out on faith on things that I’m not necessarily sure is gonna work out." (06:50)

• Navigating Life Changes:

  • Serayah reveals she was in a new relationship and discovered her pregnancy during filming, deepening her connection to the material. (09:36)

4. Faith-Based Storytelling: Challenge or Opportunity?

• Charlamagne asks if faith elements ever made the actors hesitant:
  • Serayah, who'd previously worked with DeVon on other faith projects, says,

    "God has always been... a part of my life... If anything deterred me, it was the music element." (08:23)

  • She hesitated due to the musical aspect, not the faith-based theme.

5. Craft and Chemistry: Bringing Real Life into Performance

• Tyler emphasizes pouring into relationships and “being of service” on and off screen, mirroring Boaz’s intentionality.

  "Just the idea of pouring into my relationship as opposed to... let’s pour into it and be of service." (11:47)

• Serayah discusses the reality of being “guarded” due to past heartbreaks, a trait she shares with Ruth.

  "It wasn't that she was trying to be difficult. I think she just was tired of being let down." (12:23)

6. Working with Icon Felicia Rashad

• The cast shares stories about Felicia Rashad’s humility, wisdom, and on-set anecdotes.
• DeVon Franklin recalls Rashad pulling him aside:

  "She says, you’re working really hard. This is your movie, but you got to breathe. You got to take all this in... That’s a moment that speaks to who she is." (14:16)

7. Worthiness, Acceptance, and Portrayal of Masculinity

• DeVon wanted Boaz to model a giving, sacrificial kind of love:

  "He’s not looking to get from Ruth. He’s looking to give to Ruth... that’s where love is." (16:25)

• The casting process was serendipitous—Serayah was “Ruth” from her first audition; Tyler’s tape came in at the last moment but proved perfect.

8. Navigating Secular Ambitions and Spiritual Calling

• Tyler Lepley shares his move to LA was spiritually driven:

  "Nothing made sense for me to go out to LA... but something was calling me... God was pushing me in that direction." (22:01)

• Serayah discusses trusting her intuition, avoiding certain industry situations, and choosing self-alignment over peer pressure.

  "Thank God I did because I didn’t really know why... but I just decided not to be out." (23:00)

• DeVon Franklin explains how sticking to his values from his first internship opened doors without compromising his beliefs:

  "You can be in a secular environment and still maintain your spirituality, because I don't believe that God would ordain success for any of us that requires us to compromise who we are." (28:00)

9. The Musical Journey: Country, Gospel, and Black Musical Renaissance

• Serayah had initial reservations about more music roles but was won over, especially after working with Babyface:

  "I got to work with Babyface, so that was... amazing." (30:04)

• Her discovery of singing in the country genre was unexpectedly rewarding:

  "I've never recorded a country record... but once I did it, I really loved it on my voice." (30:43)

• DeVon Franklin and the team saw country music’s resurgence (e.g., Cowboy Carter) as a way to root the film in Black musical tradition.
• Babyface produced an original love song for the film and performed "The Goodness of God."

10. Telling Bible Stories Through a Black Lens

• DeVon Franklin expresses the importance of Black artists owning and telling faith-based stories:

  "Faith based content... tends to be white evangelical content. There have rarely been movies of faith that feature diversity, that are made by producers, directors, writers of color." (34:43)

• He notes "Ruth & Boaz" is the first modern retelling of the story featuring people of color.

11. Extraordinary from the Ordinary: Spiritual Takeaways

• DeVon Franklin frames the Bible as stories of regular people serving an extraordinary God:

  "The book is not about extraordinary people. It's about ordinary people serving an extraordinary God." (38:21)

12. Navigating Public and Private Lives

• Tyler and Serayah both address balancing demanding careers, public scrutiny, and relationships through communication and prioritizing mental health.

  Tyler: “Either I'm gonna be that... or I'm gonna be in a box. There is no in between for me. So... you gotta really lock in and be focused.” (39:23)
  Serayah: "I've always had this work ethic... the people around me know and accept... Communication is so important." (41:03)

13. Compassion in Ministry and Relationships

• DeVon Franklin on helping people face their own struggles:

  "It's very hard for all of us to look in the mirror... So in those situations... it's to be compassionate... I can give you a point of view, but if you’re relying on me to do your work, then you want me to provide a subsidy to the work you're not willing to do." (44:33–47:49)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Modernizing Scripture:

  "There’s no rule book on how to modernize a Bible story... you have to take those creative licenses." – DeVon Franklin (03:32)

• On “God’s Timing” and Opportunity:

  "What God has for you is for you." – DeVon Franklin (20:32)

• On Sacrificial Love:

  "Love comes out of sacrifice... I'm not trying to get from you... All [Ruth] provided [Boaz] was a safe space to be able to talk... He expressed his love through giving." – DeVon Franklin (16:25)

• On the Black Faith Experience:

  "People of color are people of faith... and we want great content too... This film lets people know: we’re here." – DeVon Franklin (35:16)

• On Faith and Authenticity in Career:

  "You can be in a secular environment and still maintain your spirituality... I don’t believe God would ordain success for us that requires us to compromise..." – DeVon Franklin (28:00)

Highlight Timestamps for Important Segments

• Introduction & Film’s Biblical Roots: 02:16 – 04:10
• Tyler Perry Partnership Beginnings: 04:10 – 05:34
• Serayah & Tyler on their Faith Backgrounds: 06:06 – 06:44
• Serayah on Navigating Motherhood, Work, and Faith: 07:24 – 08:23
• On Faith-Based Filmmaking Stereotypes: 08:08 – 09:09
• Felicia Rashad’s Wisdom: 13:07 – 14:16
• Masculinity, Love, and Casting: 16:16 – 18:32
• Secular Ambition vs. Spiritual Calling: 21:22 – 24:09
• Music Choices & Working with Babyface: 30:43 – 32:16
• Black Representation in Faith Stories: 34:43 – 35:42
• Extraordinary from the Ordinary (Faith Lesson): 37:25 – 38:59
• Private/Public Life, Work–Life Balance: 38:59 – 43:54
• Empathy in Ministry and Helping Others: 44:33 – 47:49

Conclusion

This episode is a heartfelt and dynamic exploration of what it means to bring ancient scripture to modern audiences—specifically, through the experiences of Black artists, both in front of and behind the camera. Rich anecdotes and spiritual insights illuminate the film’s creation process, the personal connections of the cast and crew, and the broader cultural impact of reframing biblical stories for today. The interview remains grounded, personable, and often humorous, with each participant offering meaningful reflections on faith, purpose, and representation.

Check out "Ruth & Boaz" now streaming on Netflix.