Hollywood Productions Friendly to People of Faith

by Angela Walker
Christian Cinema.Com

Hollywood takes a lot of hits for being prejudiced toward people of faith, especially Christians. Coral Ridge Ministries' 2008 Annual State of the Nation survey reported that 89% of the Christians surveyed believe that Hollywood is "very" dangerous to our nation's spiritual well-being. Actor Kirk Cameron, in his recently released autobiography "Still Growing" mentions that offers for roles decreased when he went public with his faith.

Still, Hollywood does accommodate people of faith in various ways. Thanks to union contracts, court decisions, labor laws and an increasing interest in spirituality, making room for religious practices on-set and behind the scenes has become routine.

According to Variety.com, very few, if any, conflicts arise over working on the Sabbath (Saturday or Sunday), observing religious holidays, or keeping things kosher. Virtually all studios allow time for prayer groups and affinity gatherings, and these disruptions are minimal, considering they only take a few moments out of a shooting day.

Director Michael Sajbel (One Night with the King, The Ultimate Gift), has always started his shooting days with prayer, even when working for major studios (Fox, Sony, Columbia). "...when I was being paid with the studio’s money, I’d gather anybody who wanted to pray prior to the beginning of the day so it’s not on the studio’s clock.

"With the Ultimate Gift I changed this practice and gathered everyone sometime just before we did the first shot to pray. So it was on our dime. And I didn’t care who was on the set. Brian Dennehy said, 'Well, this is a new one!' and James Garner went, 'Well, in all my years in show business, this has never happened!' I don’t think they were being critical, either, I think they were just surprised. On some level I hope they appreciated it."

Others reduce the amount of conflict that might arise simply by their selection of projects. Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond, Back to You) has achieved success without compromising her beliefs. She's also been involved with very successful faith-based projects. Heaton hosted Thou Shalt Laugh Deuce, and she and husband David Hunt run a production company called FourBoys Films that produced Amazing Grace.

The filmmaking community in Hollywood may not wholeheartedly embrace Christianity, but it does make allowances for it within the constraints of a tight production schedule.


©2008 ChristianCinema.com - Reproduced in the Link-Zone pages with permission

LINKS:

Coral Ridge Ministries' 2008 Annual State of the Nation survey

Variety.Com

Michael Sajbel