Stephen Baldwin, 60, has explained why he stepped away from Hollywood at the height of his fame, saying his faith became his priority. The actor, best known for 1990s hits Bio-Dome and The Usual Suspects, told People magazine he deliberately did not pursue superstardom.
"I probably could have pointed myself in the direction of becoming a big star, but that wasn’t me," he said. "I didn’t want to be Tom Cruise and have to make 100 million at the box office."
Born-again Christian calling
Baldwin, the youngest of the Baldwin acting brothers, stepped back from the spotlight in the early 2000s as his priorities shifted toward religion. He said his housekeeper prophesied after the birth of his first daughter, Alaia, that he and his wife Kennya would become born-again Christians.
"My wife tells me, ‘I just spoke to (the housekeeper), and she said the real reason she’s here is because God spoke to her. She said in the future you and I will become born-again Christians and have our own ministry’," he told the publication.
Skateboarding ministry
Baldwin recalled thinking the prophecy was "so absurd" but later felt "a calling" towards a skateboarding youth outreach while at an evangelical festival, which inspired his Christian film Livin' It. He said the project took off quickly.
"In the first six months we’d distributed 10,000 copies. Then one of the bigger churches called and asked what it would cost to bring the skaters from the video to their church for a live event. So that’s when I left Hollywood."
His evangelistic work took him to 125 churches over four years, and he said: "Jesus and the holy spirit fascinated me." He added that Hollywood "thought I act a little too weird", and that he no longer cared about fame the way he once had.
Family and blessing
"I’ve done 100 movies, I’ve made more money that I could have wildly imagined, and I’m married to the hottest chick I’ve ever seen in my life," Baldwin said. "Jesus is my rock. My wife is my anchor. I’ve had the most amazing life and I’m only 60. I’m so blessed. I’m just waiting for more doors to open that I’m supposed to walk through."
Baldwin is the brother of Alec, Daniel and William Baldwin. He married Kennya in 1990, a year after getting sober, and the couple have two children. Their youngest daughter, Hailey Bieber, is married to Justin Bieber; the couple welcomed their first child, Jack Blues Bieber, in 2024.
