Stephen Baldwin on choosing born-again Christianity over Hollywood after a life-changing
In a new interview, Baldwin, 60, reflected on the career-defining success that followed his role in the Oscar-winning 1995 crime thriller, "The Usual Suspects," and opened up about why he never felt drawn to chase stardom. I didn't want to be Tom Cruise, and have…
According to the actor, his faith journey began after he and his wife, Kennya, hired a Brazilian housekeeper who claimed she had been sent by God because the couple would one day become Christians and start a ministry. At first, Baldwin admitted he was.
However, after attending a handful of evangelical events with his sister — who had already become a born-again Christian — and witnessing a Christian skateboarding ministry that blended extreme sports with worship, he said everything shifted. Brothers Alec Baldwin and Stephen Baldwin have always.
What Happened
Down on the beach, they had built a skate park on the sand with plywood. Baldwin eventually created a skate video with a Christian message, titled "Livin' It."
In a new interview, Baldwin, 60, reflected on the career-defining success that followed his role in the Oscar-winning 1995 crime thriller, "The Usual Suspects," and opened up about why he never felt drawn to.
I didn't want to be Tom Cruise, and have to make $100 million at the box office.
Baldwin said his priorities shifted dramatically after embracing born-again Christianity in 2001.
Key Details
Then one of the bigger churches called and asked what it would cost to bring the skaters from the video to their church for a live event. "I went to 125 churches over four years," he said.
In the first six months we'd distributed 10,000 copies.
The actor also said becoming a grandfather has only strengthened his perspective on life.
Today, Baldwin says he's focused on producing faith-based films for younger audiences while hosting his podcast, "One Bad Movie," where actors discuss the worst film or filming experience of their careers.
Why It Matters
"Jesus and the Holy Spirit fascinated me." Baldwin admitted that Hollywood hasn't always been super accepting of his religious and political outspokenness.
These days, Stephen Baldwin is enjoying being a grandfather and focusing on faith-filled projects.
I get a lot of DMs from people who tell me how my work has touched them and that's all that matters.
What Reports Say
Coverage of the story so far points to:
Continued reporting by Yahoo as more details emerge
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