Last week, we offered you the first stage of an ideal journey to learn about “famous conversions”—that is, to get to know Italian celebrities who have rediscovered—and declared—their faith in Jesus. Today, the journey continues and takes us to explore American cinema… and beyond!
Mel Gibson
A world-famous actor, he “came out” as a practicing Catholic while making his directorial film The Passion of Christ (2004). His conversion came after his years of youthful success, when he was distant from any faith. The decision to make a film about Jesus changed his life, and this work strengthened his faith, which he proclaimed to the whole world in response to the numerous criticisms he received: “This is not a story of Jews against Christians: Jesus himself was a Jew, his mother was Jewish, and so were the twelve apostles. But it is the truth that, as the Bible says, ‘He came to his own, and his own did not receive him’; I cannot hide it. But this does not mean that the sins of the past were worse than the sins of the present. Christ paid the price for all our sins. This film seeks to inspire hope, not to offend.”
Antonio Banderas
Spanish actor, he was seen in Malaga (Spain) during the week before Easter, taking part in the Good Friday procession, leading the throne of the Virgin Mary Most Holy of the Tears and Favors of the Royal Brotherhoods through the city streets. Banderas was born into a Catholic family but drifted away from the faith as a young teenager. After feeling an inner desire for spirituality, he retraced his steps and once again embraced Jesus and his commandment of love.
Jonathan Roumie
Jonathan Roumie is the actor who played Jesus in the TV series The Chosen, “the Chosen One.” Before this role, he was a practicing Catholic, but his journey into the character of Christ placed him in a new existential situation. He rejoiced deeply when, during the series’ presentation, he was able to meet Pope Francis, declaring that living this experience has helped him grow both as a man and as a Christian.
Al Pacino
The Hollywood actor, now a practicing Catholic, embraces his faith again while filming The Godfather. Perhaps a story so steeped in sin and redemption helped awaken in the actor the Christian values in which he had been raised.
Sylvester Stallone
The actor known throughout the world as “Rocky” returns to the Christian faith in which he was raised on the occasion of his seventieth birthday. Today we see him alongside pastors and preachers, eager to take part in the work of evangelization. For him, faith has become a kind of “gym for the soul.”
Justin Bieber
The young Canadian singer, after a youth marked by excesses, draws closer to the Catholic faith in search of meaning. In several interviews, he has said that he prays before every concert. Jesus is the model he strives toward and, aware of the influence he has on younger generations, he carries out his evangelization work on social media as well. He shares his journey of faith with his wife, Hailey Baldwin.
These are names we all know, but perhaps we did not know about their commitment or their journey toward rediscovering a dimension of faith. It is wonderful to learn this news, because they are signs of hope and light, and they help us feel that we are all brothers and sisters, all journeying toward the same destination: the happiness that only Jesus can give!
