Ashley Bratcher is an actress who has starred in Christian films in the U.S. She portrayed anti-abortion activist Abby Johnson in the 2019 film Unplanned.
Early life
Bratcher was born in North Carolina. She grew up in a mobile home[1] and considers Georgia her home state.[2] Ashley began acting on stage at age 16, and attended Campbell University where she graduated with honors. She briefly worked as a middle school teacher before becoming a full-time actress.[3][4]
Career
After acting in several short films and minor roles, in 2015 Bratcher starred as the female lead of Christian romance film Princess Cut. She continued to act in several other faith-based films, such as War Room and 90 Minutes in Heaven.[5] In 2018, she was approached for the lead role for Unplanned, a drama about the life of Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood director who became an anti-abortion activist. After learning about Abby's testimony, Bratcher was deeply moved and quickly accepted the role.[6] Others discouraged her from working with the film out of concern that she would be blacklisted, but Bratcher decided that the role was "worth it".[7] The cast and crew commended her on her commitment to the role, and Abby Johnson complimented Bratcher on accurately portraying her.[8]
Personal life
Family and faith
On April 23, 2010, Bratcher married her high school sweetheart David Bratcher after seven years of dating. They have one child together, a son.[9][10] The family resides in Georgia. According to Bratcher, her son was the result of an unintended pregnancy and she and family were forced to rely on WIC and Medicaid in order to get by.[11] She also reported initial feelings of shame associated with her pregnancy but now credits the birth of her son with making her a better person and deepening her devotion to Christianity.[10][12][2]
Anti-abortion efforts
Shortly before the release of Unplanned, Bratcher told the media that after she had started working on the movie, her mother told Bratcher that she became pregnant with Bratcher at 19 years old and had pawned a family heirloom in order to cover the cost of an abortion but ultimately changed her mind, resulting in Bratcher's birth.[13][14][15]
Since the release of Unplanned, she has spoken at crisis pregnancy centers nationwide. After the release of Unplanned, Bratcher started the Unplanned Movie Scholarship to offer scholarships to women facing unplanned pregnancies.[16]
She also voiced her support of the Living Infants Fairness Equality (LIFE) Act (Georgia HB481), a legislative effort that would ban abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.[2][17]
Hobbies
Bratcher is a competitive practitioner of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which she sees as an avenue of personal growth.[18][19]
^Circelli, Jerry (March 21, 2019). "Actress Ashley Bratcher shares emotional story of how God touched her soul during Unplanned". North Texas Catholic. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2019. I am so incredibly in awe of God's presence, of His hand in my life, and that He would take a small-town girl from North Carolina in the middle of nowhere, who grew up in a double-wide [mobile home], and He would give me this platform.
^"Ashley Bratcher - About". Facebook. Retrieved April 7, 2019. Ashley was born and raised in a small southern town in eastern North Carolina and began her acting career on the stage at the age of 16. She later attended Campbell University, where she graduated with honors and then worked briefly as a middle school teacher before finding success as a working actress. Bratcher's commitment to stories of hope has garnered her recognition as a name talent in uplifting and redemptive films.
^Ashley Bratcher (March 13, 2019). UNPLANNED Sneak Peak Extended 30-minute Trailer (Trailer). Intercessors for America. Event occurs at 6:29. Retrieved April 7, 2019. When I first auditioned for Unplanned, I didn't really know who Abby was, and I was so compelled from those three pages of sides [that] I got online immediately. I listened to her testimony, I watched her videos on YouTube. Listening to Abby speak and tell her story, I was floored! I mean, I was ugly crying, and it really hit home for me on a very personal level, and I was just so moved by it that I went home and told my husband. I said 'I need to be a part of this film.'
^Cary Solomon (March 13, 2019). UNPLANNED Sneak Peak Extended 30-minute Trailer (Trailer). Intercessors for America. Event occurs at 7:41. Retrieved April 7, 2019. She is Abby Johnson. Even Abby Johnson, when she was on the set, said 'That's me...and I can't believe it.'
^Bratcher, Ashley (March 18, 2018). "The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows". Ashley Bratcher on Facebook. Facebook. Retrieved April 7, 2019. Never in a million years would I have thought I'd be standing on that podium in a sport like Brazilian jiu jitsu. As strange as it sounds, I've found such peace from fighting. I've done it all my life and for the first time I really understand what it's all about. It's not about the other guy, it's about personal growth. Getting back up and trying over and over again. Never stop learning.
