Tank was joined by his wife, Zena Foster, and their two children, Zoey and Zion, at the Atlanta premiere of Tyler Perry’s new holiday movie, The Gospel of Christmas, on Monday, November 9.
The R&B singer, whose real name is Durrell Babbs, stars in the Netflix film as Isaac, a former R&B performer turned pastor who is tasked with saving his family’s struggling church in New York City.
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Fantasia Barrino plays his wife, Rebecca, while Mason Douglas and Eric Wiltz portray their sons, Jacob and Esau.
In the movie, Esau is a nonverbal child who has the unusual ability to see the angels living in the church. His character plays a special role in the family’s journey as they work to restore the congregation.
Speaking with CBS News Atlanta at the premiere, Tank shared what he hopes families will take away from the holiday film.
“Awesome part about this film is that we get back to the source. The reason for the season. And I think that, you know, connecting families in that way, like the gifts are great, you know, but that’s the gift that keeps on giving,” he said.
Wiltz also spoke about his character and the experience of working with the cast.
“My character’s name is Esau. Um, he’s the son of the pastor. He’s amazing because I look up to all the people I worked with and it was just so awesome working with all those amazing creators,” the young actor said.
The film also features gospel legends CeCe Winans, Yolanda Adams, Shirley Caesar, Fred Hammond and The Clark Sisters. It began streaming on Netflix on Wednesday, November 11.
Outside of his role as a father on screen, Tank has five children of his own. He shares daughter Zoey, 18, and son Zion with Foster, whom he married in 2018. The singer also has three older children from previous relationships: Jordan, Ryen and Durrell Jr.
Earlier this year, Zoey attended her senior prom, just months after celebrating her 18th birthday. For the milestone, her proud dad shared a heartfelt message on Instagram.
“18 years have flown by. I’m happy, proud, and sad all at the same time. @zoeybabbs you are my star! I love you so much and whatever’s next we’ll be here to help you conquer it! Happy Birthday ZoZo!!..”
