Actor craves deeper relationship with God after being in a 'darker place' while filming 'Prey'
Actor Ryan Phillippe says he is "craving" a relationship with God after encountering a deeper "spiritual journey" while filming the movie "Prey."
In the movie released earlier this month, Phillippe plays a Christian missionary who suffers a crisis of faith amid a dangerous life-or-death situation.
The 49-year-old actor shared in an interview with Fox News how he was raised with a religious upbringing and faith was instilled in him as vital to his existence.
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"[My faith] grows even more every day. I have a firm and fervent belief in God and that things happen for a reason. We should put positive energies out into the world, treat people with respect, and spread as much love and light as we can to offset the darkness that we see around us everywhere," Phillippe shared.
"I spent a lot of time in prayer and studying things of that nature I find very fulfilling. I feel like it's the most important thing that you could spend your time thinking about or learning about or trying to understand. So it's become a very, very important part of my life."
Phillippe said his faith grew stronger while working on the set of "Prey," even though he was "in a darker place" while filming the project.
"I was kind of in a darker place when we filmed this. And it was right after filming it where I went on this spiritual journey where I started going really deep inside," Phillippe recounted.
"I got back into reading the Bible and various other religious tomes, but I found myself drawn to this notion of spirituality. You get to a point in life, a certain age, and the things that you thought would bring you pleasure or make you feel satisfied — these would be success or money — and it doesn't."
While he is "thankful for what I've been given," he "wanted to have a relationship and understanding with God, and I was craving that."
Directed by South African filmmaker Mukunda Michael Dewil and also known as "Kalahari, "Prey" centers on a couple feeling "compelled to leave their Christian missionary station in the Kalahari Desert after being threatened with death by an extremist militant gang."
However, the aircraft that the couple is on crashes in an animal preserve, leaving them to fend for themselves as they battle man and beast in a desperate fight to preserve their own lives.
In a largely negative review for parents, Common Sense Media described the film as "a low-budget thriller with faith-based elements," including graphic violence and frequent profanity.
"The best thing about this low-budget B thriller is its beautiful African nature footage, which seems to have come from a stock footage library. The human part of the story goes quickly and permanently off the rails," claimed the review.
Nicole VanDyke is a reporter for The Christian Post.
