“Cheers” and “Frasier” fans recognize Kelsey Grammer as a major Hollywood star. But beyond just being a celebrity, Grammer is also known for his willingness to be openly conservative – and unapologetically Christian – in liberal Hollywood.
In a recent interview with “Morning Wire,” Grammer discussed his new film, “The Christmas Ring,”
a faith-inspired holiday movie written by Christian author Karen Kingsbury that also pays tribute to American veterans.
The movie includes roughly 100 real-life veterans and active-duty service members, which Grammer said was intentional. “It was just an opportunity to salute the troops,” he explained during the interview, noting how the story is rooted in sacrifice, tracing back to “World War II, D-Day … dropping behind enemy lines.” The actor said it’s meant to “[commemorate] their sacrifice a little bit and the continuing sacrifice of service members.”
Grammer emphasized that the film is meant to send a simple message: “We didn’t reinvent the wheel or anything. But it’s a nice story about redemption and love and forgiveness and about Jesus.”
That theme has become more common in Grammer’s work, including his portrayal of Chuck Smith in the 2023 Christian drama film “Jesus Revolution.” Grammer said he didn’t actively seek out faith-based roles, but rather that they seem to find him at the right time.
“The night before I read the script … I was sitting there in a kind of a quiet reverie … wondering what was next for me,” he told Morning Wire. “And I said, ‘I just wanna do something that means something, that has some meaning.’ And the next morning, that script came.”
“I’m a believer,” Grammer said of his faith. “I don’t go around proselytizing … but I would never deny Christ. I would never deny Him.”
While Grammer said he’s not strictly doing Christian-themed projects, he’s “quite happy” the role came up.
Reflecting on the messy, broken lives depicted in “Jesus Revolution,” Grammer framed the story through a theological lens. “Well, that’s what Jesus is for,” he said. “That’s why he came along.”
He described the world Christ was born into as violent and chaotic under Roman rule, noting that “God chose to send a baby to save the world,” calling it “pretty fascinating.”
“We get to watch it … every year at Christmas, we get to see the same story told again and again … it’s our story.”
Despite Hollywood being largely hostile to religion, Grammer said the industry is catching on to the majority of their viewers having faith. “Most of the people in America actually still really like God and Jesus,” he said, noting how there’s a “hunger” for these types of films.
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