Actor Zachary Levi Shines a Light on Jesus in The Star

If you've seen the trailer for The Star, then you already know you're in for a treat come this Christmas. The Affirm Films/Sony Pictures animated movie about the Nativity story is chock-full of funny characters, faith-filled moments, and recognizable voices.

One of those voices belongs to Zachary Levi, a face TV fans might know from the actor's stint as Chuck Bartowski -- a computer geek turned government agent in NBC's EMMY-winning show, Chuck.

Levi (a believer himself) plays the role of Jesus' dad (Joseph) as he struggles to get his very pregnant, very new wife, Mary (voiced by Gina Rodriguez -- from TV's Jane the Virgin) to Bethlehem before it's too late. Time's not on their side, but neither (or so it seems to Joseph) are the animals tagging along with them.

One such creature is The Star's main mule -- a donkey named Bo (voiced by Steven Yeun). It's actually Bo's journey that moviegoers follow as we watch the greatest story ever told unfold -- from the eyes of a barn full of animals. But, it's much more than just a funny movie the whole family can watch. It truly points to the reason for the season.

"This is an iconic story for many, many reasons, but one of them is what comes with the star, what comes with the Messiah...," Levi says. "It's the hope of an actual future and reconciliation to God and grace and mercy and forgiveness and love and not just in the ways that God is applying that to us, but then also how we're supposed to apply that to our fellow man."

Recently, Levi sat down with me in Los Angeles to chat about The Star, what we can learn from Joseph, the hilarious role he had in his first Nativity play, and the message of hope Jesus brings to us all.

Watch the complete, exclusive CBN.com interview with Zachary Levi:

The Star opens in theaters on Friday, November 17, 2017, and is rated PG for some thematic elements. For more about The Star, go to www.thestarmovie.com.