Samuel L. Jackson: How Being a Christian Actor is Different: A blog about being a Christian actor
By Kaley Serafin
Being an actor can be tough in the best of circumstances, but for Christians, the world of acting can have some extra challenges. For those who are new to the industry and looking for tips on how to stay true to their faith while breaking into acting, here are a few words of advice from someone who has been there, Samuel L. Jackson:
Jackson recalls his first big break in Hollywood as he tells the story of his audition for “Do The Right Thing”: “I had this part where I was supposed to kiss a white woman. I was terrified! I went home that night and prayed ‘God, they’re going to want me to kiss her! What do I do?’ God told me ‘You know what? It’s your job. If you don’t kiss her then they will find somebody else.'”
He goes on, “I ended up doing it and found out later that my wife was pregnant with our daughter Zoe at the time. So now we have these huge issues with premarital sex and kissing on screen, because she’s my daughter! But I don’t regret it because just like Jesus said in
Samuel L. Jackson is the highest all-time box office star, and considered one of the greatest actors of all time. He’s also a devout Christian who credits Jesus for his success.
In an interview with The Gospel Herald, Jackson discussed how being a Christian actor is different than other professions:
“I think it’s different for any profession you’re in,” he said. “If you’re a doctor or a lawyer, your professional life and your spiritual life are two different things, but if you’re an actor, your professional life is your spiritual life.”
Jackson went on to say that his spirituality affects every aspect of his career, including choosing movie roles.
“I just try to choose roles that I think will resonate with people,” Jackson said. “Particularly now, as we seem to be going backwards as opposed to forwards, there seems to be more division among people and more division between races and between religions and all those kinds of things.”
Christian actors are different. The Bible commands us to act in a certain way, and that can make it tough to find gigs. But there’s also a flip side.
It’s tough being a Christian actor. The problem is that the Bible demands certain things of us, and that can make it tough to get acting work.
Take sex scenes, for example. The Bible is clear on this point: “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for God will judge the immoral and adulterous.” (Hebrews 13:4).
But then I think about what being a Christian actor means. In my mind, there are three components:
1) You must act in such a way as to glorify God
2) You must do everything you can to lead people to Christ
3) You must use every opportunity to share your faith with those around you
And I think about the incredible opportunity that acting has given me to meet so many people from so many walks of life. And I realize that my ability to glorify God does not depend upon what I’m doing, but how well I’m doing it. If I stop acting because of my beliefs, then I am giving up an incredible
For the past few years, I’ve used my blog to talk about many different aspects of being a Christian actor. But I can’t help but wonder if people think that being a Christian actor is any different than just being an actor.
What exactly do I mean by “being a Christian actor”? It’s a bold statement that has layers of meaning:
I believe in God, and this faith influences my life;
My faith influences how I choose roles and projects;
My faith influences how I do my job as an actor.
How does this faith influence these three things?
“I’m a little different from other Christian actors in that I don’t try to find God on the set,” says this A-list actor, star of films like Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown. “I take Him with me.”
I’m not a good Christian, but I do think I’m a very spiritual person. That, to me, is the definition of spirituality – being connected to something greater than ourselves. And that’s what I think my relationship with God is. It’s the belief in a higher power, the belief that there’s some kind of plan for us.
The relationship between faith and acting is “very important” to Jackson because he feels as though he can’t be one without the other.
I’ve always been able to separate church from work as far as my spirituality and my belief in God are concerned,” Jackson said. “I’ve been able to separate it from what I do on the screen.”
“I feel like acting is acting,” he continued. “And if you’re an actor you should do whatever acting asks of you.”
Jackson said that if asked to play any role, he would do so even if his character was one who did not believe in God or was evil.
I’m a serious Christian, but I’m not in a box. I’m not locked into any kind of thing. When people ask me, ‘Are you a good Christian?’ I say, ‘I guess so, but that’s up to God.’ I don’t have to prove it to you. And I don’t have to explain myself in terms of what my spirituality is.
I think the difference might be that there are some very strong beliefs from some actors who are very open about their faith, and they have really made a mission out of their profession. I don’t think my profession is my mission field, but I will use it however God wants me to use it. My mission is to be a good husband and father and friend and brother and citizen—and actor.
