Mary Aloe - Producer Mary Aloe - Proud Mary Entertainment

If that sounds like a scene from a movie, there’s a reason. Aloe makes movies. One of the most prolific female film producers in Los Angeles, she has produced movies starring Charlize Theron, Woody Harrelson, James Cromwell, Sharon Stone, Kim Basinger, Laurence Fishburne, and Matthew Perry, to name a few.

Aloe talked with us about the movie she’s working on now with MGM Studios, Mary, Mother of Christ, by the writer of The Passion of the Christ.This is my biggest movie so far. My partner and I bought the rights to the script in July. Nine drafts later, I have Al Pacino as Herod, Jessica Lange as Anna the prophetess,Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Gabriel and Lucifer, Camilla Belle as Mary, andPeter O’Toole as Simeon.

We have a 2,000-theater release and own the foreign rights as well. We’ll be filming this fall in Morocco with a November 2010 release date.While this movie certainly makes sense in terms of business, there’s a greater purpose to what I’m doing. It’s a phenomenal story about a young woman who, against all odds and against a reign of terror under King Herod, was able to survive. This movie is like coming home for me.

It brings me back to the foundation that inspired my journey to begin with. And the journey is the destination. We have to remember that. Prayer is so important, particularly in the times we live in. I had a lot of good schooling in the power of prayer from my mother, church activities, and Principia. Something else Principia impressed upon me was the need to be my best. There were no limits - I didn’t have a ceiling.

I didn’t come to Los Angeles thinking, "Well, as a woman, there’ll be things I can’t do." On the contrary, between my mother, who has been a great influence, and Principia, I felt I could do anything. It starts with the foundation of prayer and believing in God, with knowing that there’s a greater power out there and that we live in that power every day.

Principia taught me not to accept "No," but to take on challenges and navigate through them instead. Believe me, I’ve had my ups and downs. What I do is very tough; I don’t want to fool anyone into thinking it’s easy. But if you love what you do, you’ll do it well, and success will come - the money will come, the fruition will come, the abundance will come. As hard as it’s been to get to this point, I’m glad I didn’t settle for something else. I always wanted to be either a talk show host or a producer. Those were my A dreams, and I’m doing my A dream.

That’s what I’d like to say to students: "Don’t live your B life, live your A life!" You can learn more about Mary Aloe’s career at www.aloeentertainment.com, the website for her company Aloe Entertainment.