Sound of Freedom is defying expectations at the box office in the summer of 2023, and it's not just because of its talented cast. The 2023 action movie is based on the story of anti-sex trafficking activist Tim Ballard, who quit his job with the Department of Homeland Security to found a nonprofit organization that aims to end child trafficking. The film centers around his career change and one of his first missions to save children from sex traffickers in Colombia. It's a difficult story to witness, but an important one regardless.
The real-life Tim Ballard was involved in the making of the film, and he even knew exactly which actor he wanted to play him in Sound of Freedom — Jim Caviezel. Thankfully, director Alejandro Monteverde and the producers were able to snag the dream casting. Caviezel gives a brilliant performance in Sound of Freedom, but his character wasn't the only prominent figure in the 2023 film.
Jim Caviezel As Tim Ballard
Jim Caviezel stars as Tim Ballard in Sound of Freedom, the film's protagonist and the hero of this story. As mentioned above, Ballard quit his job as an agent with the Department of Homeland Security, where he often targeted pedophiles who consumed child exploitation content. He was tired of not saving the children from the pictures and videos that the criminals were in possession of, so Ballard made it his mission to rescue as many victims of sex trafficking as possible.
Before headlining Sound of Freedom, Caviezel notably played Jesus Christ in The Passion of the Christ. He is also known for starring in G.I. Jane, The Thin Red Line, Frequency, Angel Eyes, and The Count of Monte Cristo. Additionally, Sound of Freedom fans might recognize Caviezel from his role as John Reese in CBS's Person of Interest. Related:
Mira Sorvino As Katherine Ballard
Sound of Freedom also features Mira Sorvino as Katherine Ballard, Tim's wife, who played a significant role in his pursuit to end child sex trafficking in real life. Sorvino's character doesn't appear much in the movie since it primarily focuses on Ballard's mission in Colombia. However, she was a big advocate for her husband quitting his job. Katherine convinced him to leave the Department of Homeland Security and stay in Colombia, where he was determined to find a missing girl and save many others.
Sorvino is an Academy Award-winning actress who earned the Best Supporting Actress award for her role as Linda Ash in Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite. She is also known for starring in films such as Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, Mimic, Lulu on the Bridge, Gods and Generals, Reservation Road, Like Dandelion Dust, and After We Fell. As for the television side of her work, Sorvino was nominated for an Emmy for portraying Marilyn Monroe in Norma Jean & Marilyn. Most recently, Sorvino starred in Netflix's Hollywood and Impeachment: American Crime Story.
Bill Camp As Vampiro
Vampiro, played by Bill Camp, is a character who helps Ballard find the abducted girl and save countless others in Sound of Freedom. Vampiro has a checkered past (he is a former criminal who would launder money for cartels). But after a harrowing experience involving an underage prostitute who was part of a sex trafficking group, he turned his life around. Now, Vampiro buys children from sex traffickers and sets them free.
Sound of Freedom fans will recognize Camp from other films such as Lincoln, Lawless, 12 Years a Slave, Loving, Vice, Joker, and countless other movies. The actor also appeared in numerous television shows, including Boardwalk Empire, The Leftovers, The Night Of, and The Queen's Gambit. Camp was nominated at the 2017 Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his role in The Night Of.
José Zúñiga as Roberto
At the beginning of Sound of Freedom, a man named Roberto, played by José Zúñiga, and his two children are approached by a talent recruiter. She convinces him to drop his son and daughter off at an audition, but they are gone when Roberto returns to pick them up. Ballard later finds Roberto's son, Miguel, thanks to one creep he previously arrested. However, Roberto's daughter, Rocio, is still missing, so Ballard becomes determined to find her and return her to Roberto and Miguel. Zúñiga is known for his roles in Alive, Mission: Impossible III, Twilight, and The Dark Tower. He also had a recurring role as Javier Escano in Chicago PD.
Yessica Borroto As Katy-Gisselle
Yessica Borroto plays Katy-Gisselle, the fake talent recruiter who is one of the central child sex traffickers in Sound of Freedom. Katy-Gisselle, a former beauty queen, lures her victims under the premise of an audition and persuades the parents to leave them while they try out to become stars. However, the children are nowhere to be found once the parents return to pick them up. Besides Sound of Freedom, Borroto has appeared in Four Seasons in Havana, No Country for Young Men, Narcos: Mexico, and Charity.
Kurt Fuller as Frost
Kurt Fuller stars as Frost in Sound of Freedom. Frost was Ballard's boss at the Department of Homeland Security, who told him to cut his mission in Colombia short and return to the United States. This prompted Ballard to quit his job, and the rest is history. Sound of Freedom viewers might recognize Fuller from his roles in No Holds Barred, Ghostbusters II, Wayne's World, Scary Movie, Anger Management, National Lampoon's Van Wilder: Freshman Year, Midnight in Paris, and The Frozen Ground. The actor also starred in a plethora of television shows, including Alias, Desperate Housewives, Psych, Supernatural, The Good Wife, and Parenthood. Related: Kurt Fuller Interview: Evil Season 3
Eduardo Verástegui As Paul
Eduardo Verástegui plays Paul in Sound of Freedom, who helps fund the operation that Ballard leads in the movie. Verástegui is known for appearing in Bella, The Butterfly Circus, Little Boy, and Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2. Additionally, aside from starring as Paul in the film, Verástegui produced Sound of Freedom.
Javier Godino As Jorge
Jorge, played by Javier Godino, is one of the officials in Colombia who helps Ballard on his mission to save Rocio and free victims of child sex trafficking. As seen in the trailer for the film, Jorge is hesitant at first to aid Ballard in his operation. Aside from Sound of Freedom, Godino is known for starring in The Secret in Their Eyes, Operation Mincemeat, and Into the Night.
Gerardo Taracena As El Alacrán
Gerardo Taracena stars as El Alacrán in Sound of Freedom. El Alacrán, which can be translated into the Scorpion, is a crime lord in the film who Ballard catches with a child before he strangles the criminal to death. Taracena also appeared in Apocalypto, Man on Fire, The Mexican, and Sin Nombre, but he is most known for his role as Pablo Acosta in Narcos: Mexico.
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Sound Of Freedom Supporting Cast & Characters
Lucás Ávila as Miguel - Lucás Ávila is the child actor who played Miguel in Sound of Freedom. Ballard saves Miguel from child sex trafficking, and Miguel gives him a necklace from his sister and asks the man to save her, too.
Cristal Aparicio as Rocio - Rocio, played by Cristal Aparicio, is who Ballard is searching for throughout the movie. She is Roberto's daughter, Miguel's sister, and a victim of trafficking. Aside from Sound of Freedom, Aparicio starred in Sin Senos Sí Hay Paraíso and Stolen Away.
Scott Haze as Chris - Chris, played by Scott Haze, is a fellow Department of Homeland Security agent in Sound of Freedom. He, like Ballard, is tired of not saving children from sex trafficking. Sound of Freedom fans might recognize Haze from his roles in Child of God, Venom, Minari, Jurassic World Dominion, and Thank You for Your Service, which is also based on a true story.
