'Wizards of Waverly Place' star David Henrie says his faith cost him agents, money and friends in Hollywood
David Henrie, best known for his role in "Wizards of Waverly Place," revealed during a September podcast interview that he lost friends and jobs after committing to his faith.
During an appearance on the "Bryce Crawford Podcast," Henrie was asked what his faith cost him in Hollywood.
"It was rough, lost my agents," he said. "I walked away from a lot. I turned down a lot of roles. I was like I'm just not going to do something that I think will disrespect my belief now or disrespect our Lord. I'm just not going to do it. I'm not going to go near it. And it cost me a lot. It cost a lot. I lost a lot of money. Friends, a girlfriend at the time. I kind of was stripped of everyone, everyone that I would call a friend."
However, Henrie added that he made new friends that challenged him, which eventually led to him meeting his wife.
"I found new friends," he said. "I found guys I respected, guys I loved, that were building me up in Christ. You know, I think that friendship is like an elevator. It brings you up or it brings you down. So, I made new friends and I made friends that elevated me and that challenged me, gave me great books to read and helped form me in my faith and led to meeting my wife, my best friend now."
Henrie said it had been a "great journey" and that some of the people he lost had come back into the picture.
"Some of those people who left have now come back into the picture," he said. "They've gotten older. They've changed the way that they think. And I get texts from people like, 'Hey, just want you to know I went to church this Sunday.' And I was like, 'Oh, no way.' I didn't, would have never thought this person would, that would happen. And yeah, it's a marathon. It's not a race."
Henrie told Fox News Digital in January that the industry was now much more accepting of faith.
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"Now people are much more accepting about people of faith," Henrie, who is a devout Catholic, told Fox News Digital, describing what he sees as a noticeable change from a decade ago. He said he regularly hears executives asking for "content for people of faith" because they’re "underrepresented" on screen.
Henrie’s push for value-driven storytelling has become more personal since becoming a father, he said, shaping the kinds of projects he wants to champion and the kind of content he wants available for families like his.
"I really wanted to find a way to use everything God’s given me to tell stories on a bigger scale," he said, explaining why he launched Novo Inspire Studios, a production company he describes as focused on "entertaining and elevating content."
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Entrepreneur David Friedman, the head of Friedman Ventures, who has a Master's degree in philosophical theology, told Fox News Digital, "Mr. Henrie's comments reveal the natural implications of walking out your Christian faith in a cultural context that has opposing values and worldviews. What's not discussed is that the losses were due to fundamentally different understandings about what human flourishing really means."
"However, there are many actors that also lose opportunities in staying true to their own versions of what is important," he continued. "The reality is that anyone that has a strong core faith or values will experience some form of rejection or cost, especially if the reigning paradigm is in direct opposition about the fundamental elements of reality, around morality and even the spiritual dimension to reality."
Friedman pointed to Eric Liddell, the Scottish Olympian who chose not to run in a race in the 1924 Summer Olympics because the event was held on Sunday and conflicted with Sabbath.
"The lesson applies to David and anyone in these situations, as the characters reveal that paradox of these tensions in that if Eric had run on Sunday, he would have cut himself off from the very power source that enabled him to win. That is the key for actors and anyone whose faith is central. There is really not another choice in these situations," Friedman continued.
Entertainment journalist DeWayne Hamby said in a statement to Fox News Digital that Hollywood decision makers were likely a little scared of someone marching to the beat of a different drum.
"I think it scares people a little bit, people who are making the decisions, that you have someone who you really can't predict," he said, responding to Henrie's comments about job loss. "They're marching to the beat of a different drummer, so they can't really predict them as much."
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Actor Chris Pratt said during an interview in March that success in the industry can quickly turn destructive without a strong inner foundation.
"You are a man of great faith, and your Instagram bio says, ‘God first, grateful to be here.’ How has that guided you through your journey in Hollywood, a place not always known for its faith?" Craig Melvin asked Pratt on the "Today" show on March 17.
"It is what it is, man. I got a belief and I go with it, and for the most part, it’s been amazing," Pratt answered.
"I think, you know — there’s this Christine Caine quote that says, ‘If the light that shines upon you is greater than the light that’s within you, then the light that shines upon you will kill you.' And you see it in our business, man. You see people who have the world by the balls, and they just are so unhappy. Excuse my language."
Fox News' Stephanie Giang-Paunon and Kristine Parks contributed to this report.