The Harsh Reality of Faithfulness to God in Hollywood
Aaron Fullan’s website, aaronfullan.com, says he will never compromise his heart or betray Jesus with the gifts and talents God has given him.
That stance has cost him some lucrative mainstream opportunities in Hollywood, but as Matthew 16:26 says, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
“Sometimes sticking to your guns in this industry will cost you,” Fullan said at Christian Worldview Film Festival, as reported by Godtv. “That is the harsh reality of being faithful to God’s calling in this industry.”
An actor and composer in Hollywood, Fullan was hired to be a composer for a new series by a major studio. But after reading the script for the series, he backed out of his contract because the content “would go against his Christian values.”
His wife whole-heartedly agreed.
“I started seeing something unfold [in the plot] that I absolutely knew I wasn’t going to participate in,” said Fullan, who has composed music for many projects including “Adventures in Odyssey.” “I showed my wife. We looked at each other and I said, ‘I can’t do this.'”
Fullan has also starred in dozens of films including “Surprised by Oxford.”
Another time his Christian values cost him his job was when he worked with an Internet company. Fullan said it was a great opportunity for him and it paid very well.
But after three weeks, he said he was surprisingly dismissed because of some posts on social media about a subject that is near and dear to his heart.
“She says, ‘I’m sorry, we can’t work with you.’… and she said, ‘One of the higher-ups at our company looked at your social media. And based on some of the content you have on there, decided you’re not a good fit for our company,'” Fullan says.
“So, I’m like, ‘What happened in the last week, that changed so dramatically?’ I looked and looked and looked through my posts. The only thing that I could see that would have been potentially controversial was I’m very vocally pro-life. And extremely so on my social media.”
Despite his distance from the heart of Hollywood, Fullan is breaking the mold of “LA-based-only” talent and has caught the attention of an impressive list of directors, producers, music supervisors and studio executives. He has more than 260,000 followers on social media and his self-produced videos have garnered millions of views from his loyal fans across the globe.
He has no regrets about his rejections from mainstream Hollywood. His strong faith carries him through the tough times.
“This industry is often very anti-Christian depending on what circles you end up being in,” Fullan says. “If you commit to prioritizing God and His Word in your decision-making over worldly success, the adulation of man, you will be faced with some difficult decisions.
“But again, you will also be blessed in unimaginable ways. Because the Lord sees your commitment to Him and is honored by it.” {eoa}
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Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.