Blaze News original: 6 more Hollywood actors who are unapologetically Christian
Hollywood is synonymous with glitz and glamor, but many of the entertainment industry's stars have used their celebrity status to share and promote their Christian faith. These Hollywood stars have made a huge impact on the big screen, but their off-screen contributions with their faith-driven actions should also be celebrated.
This list features six Hollywood celebrities who embrace their Christian faith — ranging from box-office powerhouses and critically acclaimed performers to cherished television personalities. These Hollywood actors have proved that faith and fame can go hand in hand.
'Love of God makes so much sense to me when other things don't.'
These celebrities stand out not just for their acting talent but for their dedication to their faith.
These Hollywood celebrities have not only achieved success in their careers but have also used their massive platforms to spread messages of hope, love, and spirituality. Whether they're sharing Bible verses on Instagram, proudly promoting their Christian faith in interviews, supporting charitable causes, or carefully choosing acting roles that align with their religious beliefs, these stars are making incredible impacts beyond the entertainment industry.
The stories of these show business stars offer a refreshing perspective on the entertainment industry. These actors have portrayed unforgettable characters, but their most important role might be as ambassadors for their Christian faith.
This list will shine a spotlight on actors who are committed to being unapologetically Christian.
Kirk Cameron
Kirk Cameron is not only known for his role as Mike Seaver on the hit 1980s sitcom "Growing Pains," but he's also one of Hollywood's most outspoken Christian actors.
Cameron said he came from a home where his family never went to church and never talked about God.
However, a "really cute girl" changed Kirk's perception of God when he was 14 years old.
"I thought that Jesus was part of a different trinity — the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and God," Cameron said on the "Veritas Vox" podcast.
"It was when I met a really cute girl on the set of 'Growing Pains' who invited me to meet with her family one weekend that I found myself at their church, and I heard the message of the gospel preached and went to a youth group meeting after that," the former child actor explained of his spiritual journey.
Cameron continued, "That really got me thinking, and I started asking questions about the resurrection, about the Bible, about Christianity, and other religions, what about science and evolution, and eventually realized that there were really good answers to the questions that I had. Somebody else invited me to a church and gave me a Bible, and it made me start thinking about just the big questions of life, the existential questions, the big spiritual and philosophical questions."
Cameron cemented his faith after he was given the book "More Than a Carpenter" by Josh McDowell.
"I finished the book and came out convinced that Jesus really was who he said he was," Cameron said. "Intellectually I had to admit that I believed in God or that I had a hidden agenda to not believe in God."
Cameron detailed being a devout Christian while working in Hollywood.
"So the same difficult challenges and influences of Hollywood that turn some people sour and make them narcissistic and bitter and joyless and afraid to not fit in is the same pressure that actually softened my heart and caused me to embrace gratitude and be thankful for the life that I have and want to use a platform and this Hollywood industry to advance the good," Cameron said in 2022.
"I really think it’s what you’re made of. And if you don’t know what you’re made of, don’t look to your environment or your industry or other people to give you an identity," he continued. "There was somebody who made you — ask Him. And you can be sure that the ending of the story is gonna be fantastic."
Cameron is also a children's book author who has drawn massive crowds to his book readings at libraries across the country. As Blaze News previously reported, there have been progressive protests at Cameron's book readings.
Cameron has appeared in numerous faith-based movies and TV shows, including "Left Behind," "Fireproof," "Unstoppable," "Saving Christmas," "Revive Us," and "The Way of the Master."
The "Growing Pains" actor delivered a speech at the 49th annual March for Life.
"If you talk to the people who are here, some people don’t understand why we come and why we’re marching, but we understand as the family of faith that our hope is ultimately not in who governs us; it’s not in the laws that we make as a nation," Cameron declared. "Our hope is in the power of God working in the hearts of people, and there are thousands and thousands of us here today. We want to make a difference; we want to champion life."
Cameron said in 2023:
So you can think what you want about God. You can think what you want about your capacity to love. Sometimes our spouse has a better read on how well we’re actually loving, but I think God has the best read because he made us, and he is love and he says that all of us fall short of his standard of love. In fact, the one we’re supposed to love more than anyone else is God himself. That’s the first and greatest commandment: to love God with all of your heart, all of your mind, soul, and strength. He said the second commandment is like it, to love your neighbor as yourself. None of us have kept that commandment because we’ve been born, the Bible says, with a selfish nature, which then leads us to willfully choose to be prideful and selfish and judgmental and unkind and hateful and lustful and resistant to authority and ungrateful, and we fail to fear God and we fail to know God.
Kirk's sister and fellow actor, Candace Cameron Bure, is also a devout Christian, as detailed in the Blaze News original "5 Hollywood actors who are unapologetically Christian."
You can watch the BlazeTV interview with Kirk Cameron here.
Neal McDonough
Neal McDonough has 146 acting credits to his name, including "Band of Brothers," "Minority Report," "Boomtown, "Desperate Housewives," "Captain America: The First Avenger," "Justified," "Yellowstone," and "American Horror Story: Double Feature." McDonough is also deeply religious, which he said has significantly hurt his Hollywood career.
McDonough said he faced backlash in Hollywood for voicing his faith.
"You know, I didn't work for two years. I lost everything: house, cars, this, that, you know. It was one of the most brutal times in my life for sure. And my wife, Ruvé, helped me get through it and my belief in who I am and what I stand for," McDonough told Fox Business in December. "And now here I am 10, 15 years later because of that, now doing all these films with Angel Studios."
McDonough explained, "It was a horrible situation for me. After that, I couldn’t get a job because everybody thought I was this religious zealot. I am very religious. I put God and family first and me second. That’s what I live by. It was hard for a few years."
The award-winning actor faced scrutiny when he declared that he would not act in roles that call for intimacy for the sanctity of his marriage.
"I won’t kiss any other woman because these lips are meant for one woman," he said of his wife and the mother of his five children.
The devout Catholic has appeared in faith-related TV shows and movies including "The Shift," "Greater," and "Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist."
McDonough launched his own production company — the McDonough Company.
"All of our projects have a faith backdrop to it. … We want to reach out to people who aren't just Christians," he stated.
"I've certainly done plenty enough where my characters don't portray the best things in life, but as an actor, you're part of a piece," McDonough continued. "My part of a piece was to be the dark side in a lot of things, which is really interesting because that's kind of the antithesis to what I am in real life. So it's a great challenge as an actor; it's a great challenge as a man. It's also a great challenge as a child of God to press on with the right material."
"Now I have that opportunity because Ruve and I are doing it ourselves and are so blessed to have companies that support us and back us and want to make more films and TV shows, or reality shows or any kind of show that gives glory to Him," McDonough said. "Not just to make a movie, but to do a movie that actually gives Him glory — that's our goal. And that's what we're after, and we're very fortunate to be able to do it."
Jim Caviezel
Jim Caviezel — best known for his portrayal of Jesus Christ in Mel Gibson's 2004 film "The Passion of the Christ" —has delivered powerful acting performances while also displaying his unwavering commitment to his Christian faith.
Caviezel has appeared in several faith-based movies, including "The Passion of the Christ," "Sound of Freedom," "Paul, Apostle of Christ," and "I Am David."
Caviezel said that "The Passion of the Christ" and "Sound of Freedom" challenged him as an actor.
"Both films gave me the chance to play individuals who stood for only good and who were willing to make extreme sacrifices to try to help others, literally rescuing them," Caviezel told Jetset magazine. "It creates a humbling effect to carry the magnitude of these roles, and I hope that I might have the courage in my life to make the right decisions, too, when tested."
The actor added, “While shooting 'The Passion of the Christ,' not only was I struck by lightning, but I also dislocated my shoulder. So here I am, being hoisted up to hang on the cross. I’ve got to remove the sling and they’re stretching my arms, so I say, ‘OK, God, this is where I need a hug to stay up here because this hurts like crazy!’ He definitely did lift me up, because there was no way my shoulder would have held up. I was a true believer before but was a confirmed one after that grueling day.”
Caviezel told Fox News last year, "The problem is that modern-day Christianity has become so weak and useless. I mean, modern-day Christians are more afraid of the devil than they are of God. God could destroy the devil without a glance, but he looks to us to make a decision."
Caviezel and his wife, Kerri Browitt, adopted three children with health issues.
"I've been to places around the world where orphans are, and we have three of them," he said of his three children. "Two of them had brain tumors and one had cancer sarcoma. Their chance of survival wasn’t great, but I wanted to help."
Letitia Wright
Letitia Wright — born in Guyana and raised in London — credits her faith in shaping her life.
Wright said Christianity lifted her out of her depression.
"It gave me the centering I needed, the good foundation I needed, and it helped me to put in perspective what was important for me," Wright told the Guardian in 2022. "Chasing something that is not tangible or not wholesome is not the way I want to go. If I was to pack all this up, I'd still be happy with my faith, the contentment I feel, and the connection to God."
"We all chase things. You feel you need a better job, or better role, or more accolades, or more recognition," Wright stated. "And I was chasing that. I had been chasing, chasing, chasing, but feeling empty. I realized I don’t have to chase that any more. If I trust that God has a plan for my life and I follow that and trust I’m doing the right things, then if people feel it, they will."
She noted, "I had to find what worked for me, and I found that Jesus worked for me. The more I prayed, the more I felt connected and the less anxious."
As previously reported by Blaze News, Wright said she stopped acting for a while to embrace her faith.
"I was going through a lot, a very difficult time in my life, and I just needed to take a break from acting because I really idolized it," Wright said. "So I came off from it, and I went on a journey to discover God and my relationship with God, and I became a Christian. It really just gave me so much love and light within myself. I felt secure and I felt like I didn't need validation from anyone else or from getting a part. My happiness wasn't dependent on that; it was dependent on my relationship with God."
"I'm centered in who I am, and I'm really grateful. I'm not perfect," she said. "Especially as a Christian, you're not perfect. But you're walking every day and trying to just stay connected, and yeah it's helped me a lot, so I'm really grateful."
Wright — best known for portraying Shuri in "Black Panther" — won the Rising Star award at the 2019 British Academy Film Awards.
"I identify myself as a child of God, and I can’t get up here without thanking God," Wright said at the BATFAs. "A few years ago, I saw myself in a deep state of depression, and I literally wanted to quit acting. The only thing that pulled me out of it was God, my belief, my faith and my family, and an email from BAFTA asking me to become part of the BAFTA Breakthrough Brits."
Speaking about being unapologetically Christian in Hollywood, Wright said, "I've had people tell me, 'Hey, you should stop talking about Jesus.' But there will always be pressures to keep things private that the world may not agree with. And I'm not trying to force anything on anyone. I'm sharing my truth because I probably wouldn't be alive right now if it wasn't for Jesus; I probably wouldn't have been able to cope. And if someone saves you and brings light and love to your life, you want to share that. You don't want to hide it."
Wright told W magazine about the benefits of reading the Bible.
“Worrying will kill you, man," Wright said in 2018. "It will … eat. You. Up. But in the Bible, Jesus is basically like, ‘Chill out, guys.’ If you gracefully trust that everything is going to be okay, you start to feel lighter. You’ve just got to let go and let God."
Wright launched her own production company, which she says was inspired by God. Her company, Threesixteen Productions, was named after the popular Bible verse John 3:16 to create "meaningful content within the entertainment industry."
She told Porter magazine, "It was a name that was pressed on my heart. When I was in a dark place, God reached out to me, and I kind of see my production company in that sense: There's an issue and it needs a little bit of saving."
Stephen Baldwin
Stephen Baldwin — the youngest of the Baldwin brothers — has been vocal about his personal journey to finding his Christian faith.
Baldwin was raised a Roman Catholic until he was about 12 years old, but it "didn't stick."
During his marriage to his Brazilian wife, Kennya Baldwin, she converted to Christianity. Baldwin described her acceptance of Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior as a "radically beautiful metamorphosis."
Baldwin did not become a Christian until the devastating events of Sept. 11, 2001.
Baldwin told the Christian Broadcasting Network, "September 11 kind of freaked me out. I said, 'Hey, what’s this all about? My wife’s a Jesus freak. Maybe it’s time I begin thinking about this faith thing.' Pursued it, became born again, accepted the Lord, baptized in water."
"My life before Christ was focused on making money," Baldwin said. "My life before Christ was a totally day-in and day-out existence that was — unbeknownst to me at the time — an existence of self-absorbance. [I was] just doing what you normally do when you’re trying to maintain a career in the movie business."
The actor, producer, and director regularly shares Bible verses on his Instagram page.
Baldwin wrote on his social media page, "True freedom, not for everyone? Fear, focus, pride, happy? Available to all of us in this world? And I have been blessed to experience most of them in Hollywood but now all that is left for me is Jesus as there is nothing in this world and I mean nothing — this world has to offer! that gives the same satisfaction as (salvation) this is true."
Baldwin added that he is "free from Hollywood, free from distraction."
Speaking about integrating Christian messages into entertainment, Baldwin told CBN: "I've made about 110 films in 30 years, so the Lord is always giving me ideas. Film is so natural to me, I have to stay in touch with the Holy Spirit. I get ideas every day for, let’s say, a Christian version of 'CSI' or 'Law and Order.'"
He stressed, "We need to give it more crossover potential, make it more attractive so we can get the gospel message across!"
You can listen to Glenn Beck's BlazeTV interview with Stephen Baldwin here.
Angela Bassett
World-renowned actress Angela Bassett has an illustrious acting career and has won 60 awards and 127 nominations. Bassett has also touted her unwavering religious beliefs during acceptance speeches and in media interviews.
While accepting the award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" at the 2023 Golden Globe Awards, Bassett pointed out the importance of daily prayer and proclaimed that she was only accepting the award "by the grace of God."
"The late Toni Morrison said, 'Your life is already a miracle of chance just waiting for you to order its destiny,'" Bassett began. "In order for the destiny to manifest, I think that it requires courage to have faith, it requires patience, and it requires a true sense of yourself."
The 10-time Emmy-nominated actress continued, "My mother always said, 'Good things come to those who pray.' I see the truth in that every day as we welcome each new day as a family."
Bassett told the Christian Post in 2013, "Prayers are answered in their own time. We pray for what we think we want right now, but to answer that one might set off a chain reaction of other things we might not want," the actress said. "As they say, there's grace and there's mercy; grace is a gift you don't deserve, and mercy is a punishment you do deserve but God keeps from you."
"All things work together for good for those who have the Lord and are called according to His purpose," Bassett quoted Romans 8:28 in a 2023 interview with the Christian Post. She added, "So I have foundations, and He is my rock I keep going back to."
Bassett's strong religious foundation comes from her devout Christian upbringing.
"I grew up in Florida; my great-grandfather was a pastor; I think my other grandfather was a pastor as well," the Golden Globe-winning actress told Parade magazine in 2015. "My mother had us in Sunday school and choir. Growing up in the church means things like going to Bible study with your grandmother on Wednesday, and if the choir director picks you up hitchhiking, he’ll give you a lesson, and then your mother will give you a lesson and maybe a lockdown. The community was involved."
The "Waiting to Exhale" actress continued, "Love of God makes so much sense to me when other things don’t. Life is so beautiful and complex that it doesn’t make sense to me that it was just an explosion. It’s my belief system."
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Director James Gunn jumps to Chris Pratt's defense over star's Christian faith
James Gunn, famed "Guardians of the Galaxy" director, spoke up in vehement defense of actor Chris Pratt, who has unabashedly spoken up about his Christian faith despite being an A-list Hollywood actor.
What are the details?
Gunn defended Pratt on Monday after social media critics called for Marvel to recast Pratt over his Christian and conservative-leaning convictions.
One user in particular shared a split photo of Pratt and "Aquaman" actor Patrick Wilson and captioned it, "Marvel. Hear me out. Just ... replace him."
Gunn in response tweeted, "For what? Because of your made-up, utterly-false beliefs about him? For something that someone else told you about him that’s not true? Chris Pratt would never be replaced as Star-Lord but, if he ever was, we would all be going with him."
Elsewhere, another social media user asked Gunn if he condoned Pratt sharing homophobic views — which he has not — and Gunn fired back once more.
According to the Independent, the user — whose tweets are limited — inquired Gunn if he was "cool with him being part of a homophobic church."
"He isn’t. I know the church he currently goes to. Do you? (The answer is you don’t, but you heard from someone who heard from someone who heard from someone where he goes to church, so decided, 'yeah, okay, I’ll believe this terrible thing I heard online about this celebrity!')," Gunn wrote.
Pratt in 2019 addressed his church and faith, taking to social media where he wrote, “It has recently been suggested that I belong to a church which ‘hates a certain group of people’ and is ‘infamously anti-LGBTQ. Nothing could be further from the truth … I go to a church that opens their doors to absolutely everyone.”
Pratt has yet to issue a response to continued demands he be recast in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" franchise.