In an industry often criticized for sidelining religious viewpoints, actor David Henrie says he\u2019s noticing a change: Hollywood executives are asking for faith-driven stories<\/a>, and the former Disney teen star believes Christians should meet the moment.<\/p>\n Henrie, who rose to fame as Justin Russo on the Disney Channel’s “Wizards of Waverly Place” and now stars in “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place,” said the industry\u2019s posture toward faith has changed in ways he didn\u2019t expect.<\/p>\n “Now people are much more accepting about people of faith,” Henrie, who is a devout Catholic, told Fox News Digital, describing what he sees as a noticeable change from a decade ago. He said he regularly hears executives asking for “content for people of faith” because they\u2019re “underrepresented” on screen.<\/p>\n Henrie\u2019s push for value-driven storytelling has become more personal since becoming a father, he said, shaping the kinds of projects he wants to champion and the kind of content he wants available for families like his.<\/p>\n Chris Pratt On Finding God During Son’s Life-threatening Crisis And How It Transformed His Spiritual Life<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n David Henrie attends Disney Upfront at Javits Center on May 13, 2025, in New York City.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n “I really wanted to find a way to use everything God\u2019s given me to tell stories on a bigger scale,” he said, explaining why he launched Novo Inspire Studios, a production company he describes as focused on “entertaining and elevating content.”<\/p>\n Read On The Fox News App<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n “How many times you\u2019ve been watching something and you\u2019re like, \u2018Oh, why\u2019d they put this scene in?\u2019 Or, \u2018Oh, what\u2019s this agenda coming into play?\u2019” he said about frustrations audiences have over agenda-driven programming. “Like, I just want to watch a good movie and have a good time. If you\u2019ve ever felt that before, you\u2019re our audience.”<\/p>\n Henrie\u2019s latest project, an EWTN Studios partnership called “Seeking Beauty,” is a travel docuseries set in Italy<\/a> that explores the country\u2019s art, architecture, food and culture as a path pointing to God.<\/p>\n Pastor Who\u2019s Witnessed To 2,000 Celebrities Reveals Surprising Reaction From Ozzy Osbourne Before His Death<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Henrie told Fox News Digital the “core of the show is a travel show,” but he wanted it to go “deeper than what you\u2019re used to seeing.” Instead of positioning himself as the expert, he said he explores these sites as an “average person” encountering great works and asking the questions people at home would want to ask.<\/p>\n One moment that made a lasting impression came while touring Milan\u2019s Duomo, where Henrie said he discovered a statue of a human figure with meticulously carved details like veins and eyelids, hidden high on the rooftop, far from public view.<\/p>\n “I remember asking our guide… ‘Why put this here? It seems like, wouldn’t you want to put this front and center for people to see?'” Henrie recalled. “The expert looked at me and smiled and said, \u2018Well, David, some things are just for God.'”<\/p>\n Henrie said the answer challenged him, both as a storyteller and as a believer.<\/p>\n “If you were to tell me right now, \u2018David, go make a show and a movie and then like, no one sees it\u2026\u2019 I\u2019d be like, \u2018No, I don\u2019t have that kind of faith,\u2019” he said, laughing. “I want people to see it!”<\/p>\n Former Disney Exec Helping Translate ‘The Chosen’ To Hundreds Of Languages Worldwide<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n David Henrie appears on “The Jennifer Hudson Show” airing Oct. 21, 2025, in Burbank, California.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n For Henrie, the series reflects his own journey living out his faith on screen and off.<\/p>\n “It’s that quote [attributed to] St. Francis of Assisi… ‘Preach the Gospel at all times; use words if necessary.’ So lead through action, lead through genuinely living your faith. And that’s what I seek to do every day. Rarely do you ever have to bring it up. You just try to love your neighbor,” he said.<\/p>\n Henrie believes the entertainment world<\/a>\u2019s renewed interest in spiritual themes signals something bigger, a cultural opening where people of faith can help shape the industry rather than simply react to it.<\/p>\n “The cool part about getting to make ‘Seeking Beauty’ is we got to go to a place where\u2026 [it] was the birthplace of the Renaissance, the place that has some of the most beautiful art, architecture, poetry that mankind has ever made,” he said. “So we got to visit a society that’s long past, but\u2026 really influenced the culture that was on the forefront of cultural movements in every respect.”<\/p>\n Zachary Levi Says Hollywood Didn\u2019t \u2018Really Care\u2019 About Faith-based Films Until There Was Money To Be Made<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n He believes faith-driven art has shaped civilization before and it can again.<\/p>\n “And I think we’re in the midst of a change right now. We’re in a midst of the new renaissance where a lot of great faith-based filmmakers have proven that there is an audience there and that there’s a demand and there’s business there,” he said.<\/p>\n Instead of retreating from the culture, Henrie argues, people of faith should engage with it and elevate it<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>