Catholicism in Hollywood

Is it possible to be a Catholic while also being successful in Hollywood? Many of us may struggle to be in the world but not of the world. While most of us are not part of Hollywood directly, it still has a strong presence in today’s culture and in our lives. Plenty of Catholics enjoy movies (we are among them - check out our course), but we may struggle with the idea of supporting people who appear to be against us. Hollywood can be an especially challenging place for Catholics - whether they are directly or indirectly involved - as many actors, directors, and others involved in the industry promote things such as abortion, LGBT whatnot, and various other ideas that go against our faith. However, plenty of Catholic or Christian actors exist and even profess their beliefs. But, is their faith true? Are they not “corrupted” by the industry at all? We need to ask these questions and hold these professed Christians and/or Catholics to a higher standard since they profess to share our faith. Their actions speak louder than words.

First off, we see plenty of professed Catholics in the entertainment industry who will support ideas that we know go against the Faith. That is not to say that every Catholic or Christian in Hollywood is false in their faith, but plenty of them are guilty of “serving two masters”. Some Catholics in Hollywood have come out in support of LGBT whatnot out of “false compassion” as Archbishop Fulton Sheen once put it. Some Catholics in Hollywood support abortion, again out of false compassion or just plain out not practicing their faith. These things have been disheartening to Catholics at large. At times we can be so desperate to find someone we can identify as “wearing our jersey” that we are blinded to the areas where they are woefully misguided. This is a common flaw in human hero worship. This can make us willing to turn a blind eye to their issues or, at worst, it can make us idolatrous.  

Hero worship of Catholic or Christian celebrities can put Catholics who want to truly practice their faith in very difficult positions. Some will try to defend those who are not the best at practicing their faith. What is arguably worse is the desperation to grab onto anyone/anything that remotely looks faithful or sane in Hollywood or the entertainment world that they will “justify” these wrong beliefs. Some will do this without looking at context or the big picture. This kind of desperation can make us blind to the reality that these individuals are not perfect. Some of these “Christian celebrities” are not skilled in the entertainment field, making them lousy representations of the industry already (and let’s not think someone is a great actor just because of their professed religion or beliefs, please be objective). Other celebrities have such troubled histories that should have them treated with caution, not embraced without a second thought. Now some will say that this could lead to apathy and giving off the feeling of letting Hollywood burn to the ground without attempting to save it. Maybe we could come in and pick up the pieces after they do burn to the ground and make movies and television great again. However, letting an institution responsible for a lot of culture burn without any kind of recompense is short-sighted and foolish.

“They did it to themselves” is the response some of those apathetic individuals would give. They are not wrong on that point. There can be a balance between the two philosophies. I do believe that things in Hollywood will have to get worse before they get better. Movies need to flop in the box office and franchises need to fade out to force introspection and cause these narcissistic creators to either be fired by the people sick of losing money or to have creators realize “the message” (credit to YouTuber The Critical Drinker for this term) is not a winning formula. Is Hollywood worth saving? I cannot say for sure, but I would like to see some reformation in the entertainment industry. Can Hollywood be reformed? It is possible. With competent and faithful people leading the charge, it can be done.

Let us have a case study of a person many in the Catholic world are clinging to as a hope to save Hollywood. This individual has some admirable qualities and answers some concerns that have been brought up. However, some issues that he has are serious ones that should give us pause. With all this in mind, let us discern this one individual and maybe that can help us decide whether this is the right direction in which to go to save Hollywood or not. The issues brought up are a matter of record. Some things brought up are from news articles given by various media sources, which should be treated with skepticism. Some are things said by the individual himself in various interviews including a recent appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast.

Recently, President Trump selected Mel Gibson along with Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone as Special Ambassadors to Hollywood. Many Catholics have celebrated this, praising the fact that a Catholic like Gibson has been picked and believing he will bring about a new golden age for Hollywood or some such nonsense. I will not be joining in such accolades for multiple reasons. First off, no one but Jesus can save us from the abyss. Now Catholics and Christians could help lead a restoration of Hollywood to ideals that made great epic tales for us to aspire to be better than we are and encourage us to do the right thing. But let us keep things realistic and in perspective here.

Second, is Gibson the best Catholic person in Hollywood to be the poster boy for “devout Catholicism”? We already had that term shoved down our throats in the previous presidential administration and are having it happen now with the new Vice President. All sides of the political aisle have drawn their battle lines in the arena of Hollywood. Currently, liberalism reigns supreme, but their grip isn’t as firm as it used to be, and their chickens are coming home to roost with box office flops and derision aimed at them from the audience aka the paying customers. There is a war between the audience and the entertainers. The audience is looking for alternatives. Gibson in many ways is held up as a more conservative alternative, and people are placing such hopes in him that may not be wise. 

Is Gibson a competent film maker? Absolutely, he was a movie star that shot to superstardom thanks to the Mad Max and Lethal Weapon franchises. He has proven himself to be a competent director with Braveheart. He won many Catholics and Christians over with his work on The Passion of the Christ. The Passion of the Christ set what I consider the gold standard in Christian film making, so I count myself among those won over. Due to his fame and talent as an actor and director, he could be a great representative of Catholics in Hollywood.

However, there are some serious concerns regarding Gibson that need to be addressed. Now this may come across as mud slinging, but I think we need to take these concerns into consideration. Starting off, Gibson is divorced from his first wife and mother of his three children because of various issues in his marriage including an alleged affair. There had been other problems with alcohol including DUI’s and domestic violence charges that have called Gibson’s character into question. Now, he is human and we all make mistakes, but one must take these things into account if someone is coming into the spotlight to represent the Church in a tumultuous arena like Hollywood. Media reports are clearly biased against Gibson, so the truth is not exactly clear. Gibson has come out against these allegations saying these accusations were false and videos doctored to paint him in the worst light. He appears to have tried to make things better and has seemed to stay away from many current controversies, but the skeletons of his past are still quite easily found in this age of information. Who can we believe? 

Another issue is that theologically Gibson is problematic at best. Gibson is a sedevacantist. What is a sedevacantist? A sedevacantist is someone who is not acting in full communion with Rome. Sedevacantists, at least the group that Gibson subscribes to, have such theories that there has not been a legitimate pope since 1958 and any popes since then have been anti-popes. Also, they do not believe Vatican II is a legitimate council and it taught heresies. Not exactly someone who Catholics - ones that study theology and have a legitimate clue about Catholicism - would want to be the standard bearer for Catholicism in Hollywood. Now some good Catholics have doubts about the legitimacy of the Francis papacy. Some have issues with Pope Francis himself. Some Catholics have issues with the fallout of Vatican II. This does not allow them the ability to break with Mother Church like the sedevacantists do. Sedevacantists are not Catholic! Sedevacantists are Protestants with Catholic trappings. 

Catholics have the ability and freedom to criticize the Vatican and the stupid stuff all bureaucracies often do because human beings are involved. Naturally, we will have our own opinions of how things are done and may not always agree. Despite this, we must remain loyal to the Magisterium and Mother Church that Christ Himself founded over two thousand years ago. I have gone on rants and raves multiple times on various stupid Vatican issues, but I am a Catholic through and through. I am a son of the Church. Sadly there is a mindset of breaking off Rome because we do not like a particular teaching or the one currently in the seat of Peter. This mindset is more rampant in America due to our Protestant roots, and we need to break this stupid cycle.    

Navigating the secular world as a Catholic is without a doubt arduous. While it is nice to see seemingly like-minded individuals among celebrities, we must still be careful about the accolades we give any human being. As stated in multiple previous posts including my criticism of Harrison Butker and our warning of idolatry as an insidious sin (read those if you have not already) we cannot rely on human people to save us or an industry from total destruction. God is the only one who can do that. If we rely on flawed human beings, we are just asking for trouble. I do believe we can find better representatives for Catholicism in Hollywood. I will not be volunteering as tribute either, so you all can rest easy.