Published: August 13, 2024

How Jesus changed Dennis Quaid’s life after his addiction

By Movieguide® Contributor

Actor Dennis Quaid found meaning in a personal relationship with Jesus. In an interview with TBN, the REAGAN actor revealed intimate details about his path to God.

“I always called myself a Christian, but I didn’t really know what that was,” he began. “And I finally got to the point where everything in the world was going great for me, but … after I made GREAT BALLS OF FIRE, in which I played Jerry Lee Lewis, I ended up in rehab about six months after I finished the film.”

Last year, he told PEOPLE that everyone is “looking for joy in life and that substances offer a quick fix before it becomes a problem.

Quaid explained that the hole inside him that had led him to addiction in the first place was still there, despite receiving help in the form of rehab.

“When you get out, you still have the same hole,” he explained. “You may get sober, but you still have the same hole to fill.”

But this time, Quaid did not resort to substances, but to the Bible.

“I went back and read the Bible again. And this time it was the red words of Jesus in the New Testament that really touched me. And that was the beginning of my personal relationship with Jesus Christ,” he revealed. “You know, I had never really understood that before. And that continues to grow, but it’s about finding meaning in life and recognizing what God’s purpose is for us.”

Today, Quaid speaks openly about his faith and shares the love of Jesus with others. Movieguide® reported on the actor’s journey of faith:

“(My mother) was very Christian. She was a Christian and was raised that way. My grandfather, her father, was a farmer and worked as a wildcat on the oil rigs and things like that. He was also a tent preacher for a while to make ends meet, selling Bibles door to door,” Quaid said on Southern Living’s “Biscuits and Jam” podcast. “So growing up, we went to church quite a bit…

“In my mid-30s, I had really bad problems with cocaine, I think it had taken over me. And I had one of those white light experiences and checked myself into rehab because I imagined I’d be dead in five years or lose everything I had or end up in jail,” the actor said…

“I read the Bible again at that time and this time I was very impressed by the red words of Jesus. That developed into a personal relationship with Jesus, and that’s really what it’s all about,” Quaid continued. “What he was proclaiming was the good news, which was about heaven, but it was also about teaching us how to have heaven here on earth and live it in our hearts.”

Quaid is preparing for the release of his next project, a biopic about Ronald Reagan, which will be released on August 30.

“This is an important film, one of my most interesting roles,” he said earlier this summer.

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