Willie Robertson Says Telling Phil’s Life Story in ‘The Blind’ Has Been ‘Healing’ for the Family (VIDEO)
Duck Dynasty star Willie Robertson shows a new side of dad Phil Robertson in The Blind, streaming exclusively on Great American Pure Flix. For Willie, telling his father’s incredible life story and the love he shares with his longtime wife Kay Robertson was “important” for Duck Dynasty fans to see onscreen.
“[Duck Dynasty] is really the result of something,” Willie tells TV Insider. “It’s a result of their marriage, staying together, and our family staying together. We really felt like it’s an unbelievable story. It’s a story of redemption and faith. And now after 50 years, you’ve seen what has come out of that, especially with the TV show.”
Willie executive produced the film alongside wife Korie Robertson through their production company Tread Lively. They went straight to the source to make sure they portrayed Phil and Kay’s relationship honesty.
“It’s hard to go back and relive all that,” Willie admits. “In Christianity, even in life, we’re kind of like, hey, that’s the past, and we’ve got to look forward. Unless they make a movie about it, which then it lives in perpetuity so that everybody can see it. But I think Phil was interested in doing it so that if it could help other people, if it could help someone like him, or someone that’s in their situation where it looks like there’s no hope whatsoever. Thank goodness the Gospel came and they were able to change their lives completely.”
Tread Lively / Courtesy of Everett Collection
The Blind doesn’t shy away from the darker moments of Phil’s life, including his drinking problem, which caused complications with Kay. “I think it was sad for him to look back,” Willie says about how Phil reacted when he first watched the film. “Dad was embarrassed. We watched it once, and we mentioned watching it again in some other areas. Phil said, ‘I think once is enough to see that.’ He was like, ‘We got it, we got it covered.'”
After nearly losing his family, Phil found redemption and healing through the love of Jesus. The Blind takes viewers through Phil’s entire journey, from childhood to adulthood. Addressing Phil’s troubled past has only made the Robertson family stronger.
“Where we are now is the combination of what that came out of, so there was a lot of healing,” Willie says. He points out that Phil and Kay would always use “broad terms” when discussing that tough period of their lives. “I think watching it way out in the state he was in, and where they were heading was, I guess, sobering for all of us,” Willie adds.
Even though The Blind walks us through Phil’s life, Kay is the heart of the film. “I think we think it’s about Phil and this big life change, but I think it’s actually more about Kay because if she doesn’t forgive him, or she’s like, it’s over, then the family still doesn’t stay together,” Willie points out. “We’re busted up, so life looks completely different there. So it’s really both of them, but really her just sticking it out and sticking with it through the hard times. Heck, when I watch the movie, I was like, I think I would have just said, ‘Okay, you need to move on. It’s so painful to watch.’ You’re like, ‘Why did you keep hanging in there?’ But, man, I’m glad she did.”
Aron von Andrian and Amelia Eve play Phil and Kay in The Blind, which was originally released in 2023. The film remains the most successful release in Fathom Events history.
The Blind, Streaming, Great American Pure Flix
