Dennis Quaid on Why Faith Belongs on the Big Screen

Over the years, I’ve talked with many people about faith, life, and purpose. But my recent conversation with Dennis Quaid stands out because of how openly he spoke about his journey—from growing up in a Christian home, to years of searching through other belief systems, to finally coming back to the words of Jesus and discovering true faith.

Dennis is someone we’ve all watched on the big screen for decades. With his unforgettable characters, he’s built an extraordinary body of work. But in this interview, he opens up about his own story. 

Dennis’ Spiritual Curiosity 

Dennis Quaid was raised in a Christian home. His mother’s faith left a mark on him early, and his grandfather had even been a Baptist preacher. But like many who grow up around faith, Dennis reached a point where he began asking the “hard questions” that didn’t always seem to have easy answers.

As a young man, he became a seeker. He shared, “ I went around the world asking people: Who is God to you?”

Dennis Returns to Jesus’ Words

Dennis eventually returned to the Bible, and it was the words of Jesus that really struck him. The red letters. 

He discovered something he hadn’t found anywhere else: a personal relationship with God. And that’s when his personal relationship with Jesus began.

“ It was a personal relationship, which doesn’t exist with the others,” Dennis shared with me.

Dennis’ Perspective on ‘Faith Films’

One encouraging part of our conversation was Dennis Quaid’s perspective on filmmaking. 

He spoke about roles like Soul Surfer and I Can Only Imagine, sharing about the time he refused to let a producer strip faith from the Hamilton family story (Soul Surfer).

And when audiences responded to Soul Surfer, he realized the desire for films like it—films about things that matter.

Dennis made a truthful observation: “[People] go to the movies not to see things, [but] to feel things.” 

Listen to the full interview to hear more from Dennis Quaid on faith, filmmaking, and personal insight.