Actors play religious people all the time, from leaders to believers and everything in between. But did you know off camera, many of your favorite celebs are in fact religious in real life too?
While show business might not seem like the most moral of industries, here are a few celebs guided by various walks of faith.
Stephen Colbert
Host of The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert is a well-known figure on and off screen. Coming from a family of eleven children, Colbert was raised Catholic, however, the true turning point in his faith wouldn’t happen until his twenties. A stranger gave Colbert a Bible on a street corner, and according to Colbert, his life has never been the same since.
Chris Pratt
Chris Pratt’s relationship with religion came as surprise for many of us. The actor has blatantly referred to it in public. For example, he cited God when he accepted the MTV Movie & TV. He expressed, “God is real, God loves you, God wants the best for you. Believe that; I do.” Many fans were awe and his credit that surely proves his love for God.
Denzel Washington
The acclaimed actor, Denzel Washington, is a man devoted to religion. In fact, his father was an ordained Pentecostal minister, so it was inevitable that he would be a man of faith as well. The actor is is not afraid to speak about his faith. In a recent interview, he expressed that he always tries to put God first and that he always wants God to be pleased with him. It surely seems like God is pleased with you, Denzel.
Natalie Portman
Star of numerous box office movies, Natalie Portman has a lot more to her than our eyes can see. Portman was born in Jerusalem, but was raised in New York and grew up going to Jewish school. Judaism has always played a key role in the actresse’s life. Committed to the relationship with Portman, her husband noticed her devotion to the religion and consequently decided to converted himself to Judaism. His commitment was recognized as they are a happily married couple.
Pierce Brosnan
Mostly known for playing the special agent 007, actor Pierce Bronson grew up Catholic. Yet, he was never a devoted catholic. Years later, in his adulthood, tragedy stroke as his wife passed away from ovarian cancer. From then on he went returned to religion. As he looked back at it, he admitted that during those dark times, his belief in God was what kept him going. That proves that faith can certainly heal.
Mindy Kaling
One of the funniest actors of the show The Office, Mindy Kaling takes her faith a little more lightly than others. Born in India, Mindy is one of the few celebrities in Hollywood that believes Hinduism. She even jokes about it sometimes in her social media. You can also spot her celebrating Hindu holidays with her family in her instagram. It sure looks fun. Go check it out!
Mark Wahlberg
Actor, Mark Wahlberg has always been a religious person. He’s Catholic and has openly expressed that religion plays a vital part in his life. He has spoken about it in public saying that, “Once I focused on my faith wonderful things started happening for me…” In his most recent film, Mark plays a priest and he mentioned he was specially motivated for this role. Keep the faith going, Mark!
Jennifer Garner
It’s without a doubt that religion plays a key role in Jennifer Garner’s life. The actress grew up going to Bible Camp. She has also been attending the United Methodist Church since she was a child. She has appeared on religious films before and she is always very committed to these roles. Interestingly, her kids are also baptized and they are also of the United Methodist Church.
Ginnifer Goodwin
Winner of multiple awards due to her outstanding acting, Ginnifer Goodwin has an interesting background. She grew up in Memphis, Tennessee attending church and the Temple. That’s because her mother is Jewish, and her father is a member of the First Unitarian Church. When the actress was younger, she was baptized, but also had a Bat Mitzvah. However, recently, the star has reconnected with Judaism because she says that “I was a Jew by birth, and now I’m a Jew by choice.”
Rainn Wilson
Rainn Wilson, is most commonly known for playing the hilarious Dwight Shrute, on the the show The Office. What we may not know is that he’s much more than that. He’s a man of faith and follows the Baha’i principles. Baha’i is a religion that teaches the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people. With that, the actor created a podcast, called Radio Rental where he talks with guests about their beliefs and professional lives.
Orlando Bloom
Orlando Bloom is another actor that decided to follow a different spiritual path. Bloom grew up Christian, but decided to become a member of Soka Gakkai International in the UK. Soka Gakkai is a Japanese Buddhist religious movement. He came across it while he was still in school at the age of sixteen. He says that curiosity and “vigor of youth” is what made him choose it and he’s been practicing it ever since.
Kevin James
The comedic actor, Kevin James has made us laugh in numerous occasions. But, all jokes aside, Kevin takes religion very seriously. A devoted Christian, he has credited his faith when having to surpass hard times in life. In fact, Kevin has said in public that he should be even more committed to God. The actor admits he used to only turn to God when he was going through difficulties. However, faith is something that has been growing in him throughout the years. In a recent interview, he declared “All good is from God, and so I want to honor him.”
Tina Turner
Daughter of a deacon, the award winning musician, Tina Turner, grew up going to a Baptist church in Tennessee. As she matured, the singer decided to follow her own road. That’s when she discovered Buddhism. In the beginning of the discovery process, she called herself a “Buddhist-Baptist”, but then eventually became a “full” Buddhist. She confesses that during the difficult times is when she chants the most.
Jon Heder
Jon Heder, is most famously known for his role as Napoleon, in the comedic movie Napoleon Dynamite. Curiously, what most of us didn’t know is that Jon is a very religious individual. He’s an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and even studied at the Brigham Young University. That’s where he met his wife. They are still married and with that we could all assume that faith could be the key to a happy marriage.
Elisabeth Moss
Besides being one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood, Elisabeth Moss pursues other interests off-camera. She’s a vocal feminist and an ongoing member of the Church of Scientology. Once, a fan questioned her faith and she answered “…religion and creed are extremely important to me.” Sometimes it’s better to be silent than question other people’s faith.
Dave Chapelle
We don’t know much about Dave Chapelle other than is hilarious stand up routines. Periodically performing in-front of thousands of people, Chapelle still manages to be somewhat of a mysterious guy off-stage. He even said in an interview once, “I don’t normally talk about my religion publicly…” However, it’s a known fact that Chapelle converted himself to Islam back in 1991.
Selena Gomez
The multi-talented artist, Selena Gomez has an interesting perspective when it comes to faith. She grew up Catholic and her father used her as an example for other kids. However, as she grew up, her religious devotion started fading away, but her connection with God remained strong. The singer/actress is one of the many celebrities that attends the Hillsong Church in California.
Marilyn Monroe
It’s a fact that Marilyn Monroe was a fascinating human being. Besides being the phenomenal actress she was, there’s a lot about Marilyn we don’t know. For example, she grew up in an evangelical Christian household. But, when she got married she converted to Judaism. However, when she divorced, she stopped practicing Judaism, but still kept some of the religious beliefs.
Julia Roberts
Sometimes films can change people’s lives and this is exactly what happened to Julia Roberts. The actress grew up Christian, but after starring in the movie Eat, Pray, Love, she quickly became interested in Hinduism. The film showed her a different spiritual path and she began practicing Hinduism. In fact, she related to it so much that she decided to name her children in honor of the Hindu Gods.
