For his upcoming biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings, director Ridley Scott chose to cast an 11-year-old boy to portray the voice of God.

In the movie, Moses (Christian Bale) meets the young boy named Malak (played by Isaac Andrews) in front of the burning bush. The boy then appears from time to time to guide and debate Moses, who eventually realizes that this boy is actually being used by God to speak to him. Fun fact: the word “malak” translates to “messenger” in the Hebrew bible.

Continue reading to see why Scott decided to go this route when it came to the voice of God in Exodus: Gods and Kings, and to check out the final trailer for the movie.