On Hugh Jackman, and Surprise Christians / Believers
I always have this weird feeling or reaction to news that someone I have respected and liked, for whatever reason, is actually a committed Christian. I suppose this is borne out of psychological projection of myself onto others by default. This has just happened again on the back of an interview with Aussie actor Hugh Jackman in Parade magazine:
I’m a Christian. I was brought up very religious. I used to go to different evangelists’ [revival] tents all the time. When I was about 13, I had a weird premonition that I was going to be onstage, like the preachers I saw....
I’m a religious person. This is going to sound weird to you. In Chariots of Fire the runner Eric Liddell says, “When I run, I feel His pleasure.” And I feel that pleasure when I act and it’s going well, particularly onstage. I feel what everyone’s searching for, the feeling that unites us all. Call it “God.” Before I go onstage every night, I pause and dedicate the performance to God, in the sense of “Allow me to surrender.” When you allow yourself to surrender to the story, to the character, to the night, to the audience, transcendence happens. And when that happens, there is nothing like it on the planet. It’s the moment people experience when they fall in love, which is equally frightening and exciting. That’s what it feels like.”...
I was brought up with a religious sense of giving back. I am given opportunities, more money than I could ever need. If you see money or fame as energy, then use it to help others. Paul Newman did that. That’s what inspired me to start Laughing Man.
And due to such biases, I end up thinking less of them in some evaluative way. This is not something I consciously control (free will issues aside), but which is subconsciously derived. I have to rationally fight to overcome such biases (as with any other cognitive bias scenario). This also happened recently with finding out that Jurassic World's Chris Pratt was a committed evangelical. I remember, also, when I found out that Denzel Washington was a committed Christian, who also puts his money where his mouth and belief is.
Other celebs who you might not know are religious include (Christian unless otherwise stated):
- Carrie Underwood
- Kevin James
- Mark Wahlberg (found that out today - a committed Catholic who attends church daily)
- Dwayne Johnson
- Sean Astin (again, found out today)
- Pierce Brosnan (though flirts with Buddhism too)
- Mr. T.
- Patricia Heaton
- John Schneider
- Mayim Bialik (Judaism)
- Michael Douglas (renewed interest in Judaism)
- Julia Roberts (Hinduism)
- Justin Bieber (Gah!)
- Prince (a converted Jehovah's Witness)
- Tiger Woods (Buddhism)
- Orlando Bloom (Buddhism)
- Mike Tyson
- Chris Tucker
- Paula Abdul (Judaism)
- Malcolm Gladwell
