Vindication: Peggy Schott’s Becky Travis – A Model of Faith

‘Vindication’: Peggy Schott’s Becky Travis – A Model of Faith

John FarrellBy John Farrell6 Minutes

There’s an old saying that goes, “Behind every great man there is a great woman.”

Becky Travis is the embodiment of this quote. However, she doesn’t necessarily stand behind her husband, Detective Gary Travis, but instead beside him.

She exemplifies strength, love, honesty, humor, and, most of all, faith. Of course, with a non-believing husband who often finds himself in the line of fire due to his job as a police detective, her faith is often tested. But she stands resolute.

Becky, portrayed by Peggy Schott, first shows up in the faith-based crime scene drama series Vindication in Episode 3 alongside her on-screen daughter Katie, played by Emma Elle Roberts. Although Becky is a strong and faithful woman with a career of her own that allows her to work from home, she is not without her own issues.

“She definitely has had her share of struggles in life,” stated Schott during a phone interview. “Their daughter has definitely had some major problems. I think a lot of moms can relate to Becky’s character and what she’s gone through with trying to help ease things between her husband and her daughter and doing it in a faithful manner.”

And then there’s her husband, Detective Travis (Todd Terry). Travis and Becky often participate in typical husband-wife banter. But when he brings his work home, as he is often prone to do, Becky leans on her faith to provide a Christian perspective on many of the problems he confronts in his job.

According to Schott, “Becky is a person of strong faith, but she doesn’t push it on Gary. She just tries to keep presenting little tidbits here and there to help guide him and bring him to faith.”

Like other crime scene drama series, Vindication deals with heavy subject matter, but it’s done without gratuitous violence, profanity, or nudity. Instead, it approaches issues like drug abuse, unplanned pregnancy, and trafficking from a perspective of hope, redemption, and, like the title suggests, vindication. There are so many challenges we struggle with in life, and no one is immune; however, through Christ there is hope and mercy. That’s what Vindication is trying to present.

This message is more important than ever right now due to the coronavirus pandemic. “I believe things are changing. With what everyone is dealing with now, more people are turning to prayer and returning to God to get through their struggles,” commented Schott.

Similar to how Jarod O’Flaherty, Vindication’s director, found Terry, Schott was discovered at a film festival in Texas where the short film was showing. She was speaking on a panel of actors when O’Flaherty approached her afterward. They briefly spoke but didn’t confirm anything.

About a year and half later, Schott received a message from Kat Steffens, who had a role in the first episode of Vindication. She was helping O’Flaherty cast Episode 2, which, like Episode 1, was originally going to stand on its own. They had not received the greenlight yet to pursue other episodes. Steffens recommended Schott to O’Flaherty for a role in the episode. The director quickly rejected the suggestion stating that he was saving Schott to be Travis’ wife whenever she could be introduced to the series.

When Vindication finally received the green light to proceed with more episodes, Schott was able to embrace the role for which she’d been cast.

According to Schott, “What’s nice is that since this is an independent production, we don’t have a big production company and all these producers telling us what we can and can’t do. That has been wonderful for Jarod because he’s been able to do things a bit differently. He’ll ask us as actors if we have any personal experiences or any ideas for our characters. And, as an actor, you’re developing a character the whole time, even picking up things that aren’t written on the page.”

Schott goes on to state, “My faith is a part of me. That’s who I am … I have three children and I don’t want to do anything that my children wouldn’t be proud to see me in. [Vindication] is a challenging show with tough issues, but they can enjoy watching their mother.”

And Schott does just that. O’Flaherty and his cast of talented actors have taken pieces from their personal lives, merged them with the characters they portray, and created a series to be proud of. Vindication is proof that an exciting crime scene drama series can exist with strong characters and, more importantly, faith in God.