Kirk Cameron sees no growing pains in faith-based movies

Kirk Cameron will be the first to tell you he is a freak, a black sheep, the prodigal child.

Unlike many of his fellow child stars in Tinsel Town, Mr. Cameron wasn’t spotted outside a rehabilitation clinic or in the tabloids for details of his ninth marriage.

“I’m sort of different than most of the kids my Hollywood family churns out,” Mr. Cameron said in a telephone interview with The Washington Times. “However, it’s served me wonderfully well.”

Long past the days when he played teenager Mike Seaver on the ABC sitcom “Growing Pains,” the married 43-year-old father of six is the founder, face and force behind an evangelical Christian industry.

“I’m in my little corner of world trying to be faithful, to be good and be true,” Mr. Cameron said.

Polite and genial, Mr. Cameron is perhaps most recognized for his starring roles in extremely successful — and low budget — Christian-themed films.

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This year, a series of big screen stories are targeting Cameron’s faith-based fans, as well as the average film goer, but Mr. Cameron will tell you it’s the audiences who are calling the shots.

“Hollywood has tried to create a world where there is no faith in the true God, and what happens is, you can have fun in that made up world only so long,” he said. “Eventually the audience will begin to kick against that. People are beginning to crave the life-giving gift of faith and hope and truth and love.”

That’s why theater billboards are filled with titles such as “Son of God” and “Heaven is for Real,” and TV miniseries such as “The Bible” surpass viewership numbers, he said.

“Culturally, people are going to be craving movies that give them these elements of faith and truth and hope and love,” he said. “What I can say is that now, I’m really striking while the iron is hot.”

In the last three years Mr. Cameron has produced four movies. His newest is titled “Christmas,” which is about returning to the real meaning of the holiday and is scheduled for release in November.

“I think all movies are faith-based. It’s a matter of faith in what,” he said. “I’m just excited to see better quality movies from people who have faith in God.”