{"id":2203261,"date":"2025-12-17T20:34:20","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T20:34:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2203261"},"modified":"2025-12-17T20:34:20","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T20:34:20","slug":"david-henrie-trades-hollywood-for-cathedrals-in-seeking-beauty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/david-henrie-trades-hollywood-for-cathedrals-in-seeking-beauty\/","title":{"rendered":"David Henrie trades Hollywood for Cathedrals in ‘Seeking Beauty’"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Leah MarieAnn Klett<\/a>, Assistant Editor \"Twitter\"<\/a><\/div>\n<\/header>\n
\"David<\/source><\/picture>
David Henrie<\/span> | EWTN<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

David Henrie has spent most of his career in the secular entertainment industry, starring in popular projects ranging from Disney Channel\u2019s \u201cWizards of Waverly Place\u201d to feature films including \u201cReagan.”<\/a><\/p>\n

But when the actor, director and producer, a devout Catholic, was approached about hosting a new documentary series centered on beauty, faith and history, Henrie said he was thrilled at the opportunity to express his faith through his work.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve only done secular works, although I\u2019m a man of faith, and I\u2019ve been wrestling with this juxtaposition for a very long time,\u201d the 36-year-old husband and father of three told The Christian Post. \u201cBut beauty happens to be something I\u2019m really passionate about, because I think beauty, as I now understand it, is the language of the Divine.\u201d<\/p>\n

In \u201cSeeking Beauty,\u201d<\/a> a six-episode adventure documentary series, Henrie travels through some of Europe\u2019s most historically rich cities \u2014 including Vatican City, Rome, Florence, Milan, Subiaco and Venice \u2014 exploring how art, architecture, music and craftsmanship point beyond themselves to God.<\/p>\n

Narrated by Henrie, \u201cSeeking Beauty\u201d brings together artists, historians and local experts to examine how beauty has historically shaped culture and faith and why it still matters today.<\/p>\n

Henrie, who began acting when he was 9, said the concept challenged assumptions he had absorbed growing up in the United States: \u201cGrowing up in America, beauty wasn\u2019t something really discussed or something that held a place of prominence,\u201d he said. \u201cIn fact, it\u2019s almost the opposite. It\u2019s a cost that can be cut. It\u2019s superfluous. It doesn\u2019t help the utility of a thing, so therefore why do you need to do it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t be more wrong,\u201d he added. \u201cBeauty is the door that opens to truth and goodness. Beauty leads you to contemplation. Beauty is something that strikes you and gives you pause.\u201d<\/p>\n

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EWTN<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As filming progressed, Henrie said his role shifted from observing beautiful places to personally encountering something deeper through them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s continually fascinating,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s this well that you realize is deeper and deeper and deeper, because it can invade every element of your life. Once you invite beauty in, it can start to take over.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGoing to these museums and these beautiful places, you see people from all different walks of faith,\u201d Henrie continued. \u201cFrom women in hijabs to people who are homeless on the streets to people from all countries and belief systems, just in awe at what the ancient world had to offer, particularly ancient Christian minds and what they built. \u2026 Everything you see built, especially in Old Europe, is a reflection of that faith. What they believed Heaven looked like, what they believed their faith taught, that\u2019s what you\u2019re seeing.\u201d<\/p>\n

At its surface, \u201cSeeking Beauty\u201d functions as a travel series, Henrie said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI first and foremost wanted to make a travel show, something fun, something you can grab a glass of wine with your spouse, sit down and go, \u2018Let\u2019s plan our next trip,\u2019 and get inspired,” he added.<\/p>\n

But beneath the surface, the series asks deeper questions about purpose and devotion. For example, Henrie pointed to the meticulous detail found in cathedral sculptures placed hundreds of feet above ground far beyond the view of everyday visitors.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy would someone put a statue on top of a cathedral that no one would ever see, with veins popping out of the arms?\u201d he said. \u201cWhy do that? That seems silly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the answer is, some things are just for God,\u201d Henrie continued. \u201cThey did that because some things are just for Him to see. That was their belief. And if you have no belief, that\u2019s silly. But if you\u2019re curious or you do have some belief, wow. What a powerful gesture.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a believer, Henrie said returning to these ancient places reshaped his understanding of time and spiritual depth. Centuries-old cathedrals and artworks continue to draw millions of visitors, he said, while modern projects quickly lose their appeal.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat struck me is the \u2018ever old, ever new\u2019 mentality of ancient Christian minds,\u201d he said. \u201cWe think if it\u2019s newer, it\u2019s better, that we\u2019re smarter because of technology. But a lot of what we produce now goes out of style really quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was interesting to me is the juxtaposition,\u201d Henrie added. \u201cThe modern things we\u2019re producing now attract way less visitors, and these old things attract a ton. What was it about them that makes them so relevant today? These spaces were very intentionally designed. Nothing was wasted. It was all to bring people into the divine, to make a little Heaven on earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

That intentionality challenged modern ideas about art as self-expression.<\/p>\n

\u201cModern art says art is just self-expression,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you like it, who cares. If you don\u2019t, who cares? That\u2019s why you have all sorts of modern art that no one understands unless the artist explains it. Yes, the artist was expressing himself. But it was about a greater purpose and a greater calling. It was all ordered toward Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spiritually, Henrie said the experience left a lasting mark; he was struck by the artists’ faithfulness and dedication to using their talents for the glory of God.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat hits me is how faithful the people were who built these places,\u201d he said. \u201cThat inspires me as an artist and a creator. It inspires me to want to be as faithful as they were. If it wasn\u2019t for that belief, these things wouldn\u2019t be there. They wouldn\u2019t be kept up. It\u2019s that belief that made them so mesmerizing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The actor said he was struck by what has already proven lasting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been this push for the past 50 or 60 years toward modern experiments, what\u2019s new Christianity, what\u2019s the new evangelization,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd after seeing all these things, I think the solution is very simple: orthodoxy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quoting author G.K. Chesterton, Henrie added: \u201cThat\u2019s the way forward. It\u2019s not to go back, it\u2019s to carry the flame forward. You don\u2019t ditch the candle and invent a new light system. You pick it up, make sure it\u2019s lit and carry it forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Henrie recently completed filming the second season of \u201cSeeking Beauty\u201d in Spain, an experience he said challenged narratives he learned growing up, particularly about the Catholic Church\u2019s role in history.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so much that was never taught,\u201d Henrie said, citing Queen Isabella\u2019s insistence on protecting the dignity of Indigenous peoples and sending priests with Columbus. \u201cShe\u2019s nicknamed the mother of human rights, and I never learned that.\u201d<\/p>\n

While much of Henrie\u2019s work remains secular, he said that what he learned through \u201cSeeking Beauty\u201d will impact his future projects, whether explicitly or implicitly. Rediscovering those stories, he emphasized, only reinforced the series\u2019 central thesis: that beauty, truth and faith are God-given and inseparable from one another.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are interesting times,\u201d he said. \u201cWe all need to find ways to band together again. For 1,500 years, we were one. We\u2019ve got to figure out how to carry that forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

“Seeking Beauty” premieres Jan. 19 on EWTN+, with new episodes released weekly.<\/p>\n

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Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n