Actors Say Faith-Based Entertainment Is Thriving as Hollywood Loses Its Way

Two actors deeply rooted in faith-based entertainment say the genre is stronger than ever, with audiences craving content that speaks to the soul. Brett Varvel and Kristin Wollett co-star in the Great American Family/Great American Pure Flix original series County Rescue, which is heading into its second season amid a surge in nationwide interest in faith-based projects.

Last fall, the faith-based film The Best Christmas Pageant Ever opened at No. 3 at the box office and won over critics, too, scoring a 92 percent at Rotten Tomatoes. Earlier that year, another movie in the genre, Unsung Hero, opened at No. 2. It also was certified "fresh" at Rotten Tomatoes. Then there's the worldwide sensation The Chosen, which has drawn millions of viewers and successfully expanded into theaters.  

Asked if he would liken the modern era to a faith-based "renaissance," Varvel agreed.

"When you look at the Renaissance artists of the past," Varvel said of those of the 1400s and 1500s, "these were talented people who were taking something that which was holy and making it beautiful with the art form of the day and showcasing that beauty to people. 

"And for so long, faith-based entertainment has been taking that which was holy and not putting it in a very beautiful light. And now all of a sudden, we're upping our standards on quality, on excellence, on authenticity, when we're bringing these stories to life," Varvel told Crosswalk Headlines.

Within the past year, Wollett portrayed characters in the Great American Family film Christmas Wreaths and Ribbons and in the theatrical movie God's Not Dead: In God We Trust. Varvel's past projects include Vindication, American Underdog, and Running the Bases. Varvel also directed and starred in 2024's Disciples in the Moonlight. 

"Viewers are thirsty for good entertainment," Wollett told Crosswalk Headlines. "And when you see something like Disciples in the Moonlight or Unsung Hero or The Best Christmas Pageant Ever or The Chosen, you think, 'Oh, that's what I'm thirsty for.' Like -- 'I've been drinking from this other well for so long, and I didn't realize what I really was thirsty for.' 

"And I think people are finally getting an idea of what good, family-friendly, faith-forward entertainment looks like -- good storylines, good acting, everything put together. And so it's one of those things where now that people are actually getting a taste of that -- they just want more."

Faith-based entertainment is thriving at the same time Hollywood projects are going "off the deep end," she said. 

"There's a huge divide," she said. 

Faith-based entertainment is in "unprecedented territory," Varvel said.  

"I think the talent has always been there," he said. "I think so many people were just afraid to take the risk. You're seeing that with mainstream A-list names who are being willing to step into the pond, so to speak, of faith-based entertainment, whereas in years past, they would never do that, because it was going to be career suicide and you'd be blacklisted." 

The 2023 movie Jesus Revolution starred 5-time Emmy winner Kelsey Grammer. The 2024 film Ordinary Angels cast Oscar winner Hillary Swank in a lead role.

The faith-based industry, Varvel said, also has grown more honest in its evaluation of itself. 

"It's very important to not just say, 'Well, it's got God or Jesus in it, so it's great.' We need to be excellent. We need to say if something's terrible and just own up to it and get better as artists. So I think there has been a lot of honesty being nurtured over the last decade or so as well to accompany the fact that people are willing to take the risk."

Great American Family is "answering that call" for more faith-centric content, Wollett said. County Rescue follows the story of EMTs in training.

"I hope that it paves the way for a lot more content like this," Wollett said. "I hope it raises the bar."

Photo Credit: ©Great American Family

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

Originally published March 13, 2025.