Candace Cameron Bure: Leading with faith in entertainment has become 'more important' with age
The older she gets, the more actress Candace Cameron Bure feels called to take on projects that align with her Christian faith and inspire the next generation.
"I've been an outspoken Christian pretty much my whole life. I love sharing my faith with people, and I haven't always incorporated that in the movies and television shows that I've been in over the last 40 years," the 47-year-old "Full House" actress said.
"But if anyone knows me on a personal level or looked me up, they would know that I'm that I am a woman of faith. As I've gotten older, it's just something that's become so much more important to me to be able to share my faith within the movies that I produce and star in, as well."
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Bure became a household name at a young age, starring as one of Bob Saget's daughters, D.J. Tanner, on "Full House." The sitcom, which also starred John Stamos and Dave Coulier, debuted in 1987 and ran for eight seasons before the series ended in 1995.
The actress, who is married to former professional hockey player Valeri Bure, later starred in the Netflix spinoff, "Fuller House," along with numerous Hallmark Channel original productions.
In April 2022, Bure was announced as the chief content officer for Great American Family, a network the actress said puts God, family and country first, in stark contrast to much of the contact put forth by Hollywood.
"What sets our network apart is that we really focus on family, faith and country," she said. "We're incorporating a lot more faith into our movies, and that, for me as a Christian woman, has been so important."
"While not all of the films are faith-forward, you'll see that many of them have little hints of things that people do on a regular basis, like taking time to pray, whether it's praying before meals and before bedtime, or people just honoring God in different ways. Certainly, with our Christmas movies, we remember that Jesus is the reason for the season. The birth of a Savior is why we celebrate Christmas."
Bure, whose name is almost synonymous with holiday movies due to her numerous Hallmark Christmas films, stars in GAF's new movie, "My Christmas Hero," which pays tribute to the military.
The actress, whose own grandfather served in WWII, said she was excited to be part of a film that honors "all the amazing men and women who fight for our country and serve our country, and our veterans, as well."
"It's a subject close to my heart," she said, adding that she could add a personal touch by including her grandparents' photos and letters in the film.
Bure also produced "A Christmas for the Ages," a holiday film starring her 25-year-old daughter, Natasha. The film follows Savannah, the youngest granddaughter in a family of four generations of women, who decides to get her family to celebrate what Christmas looked like in the '40s, '60s, '90s and present day.
"I think for most parents, it's a dream to have your children work alongside you or be able to work in the same business as you," Bure said. "And so it was wonderful as a producer of the movie to be able to hire Natasha as our leading actress. She's absolutely wonderful. It was a pleasure for me to work with her and along with the other women in the movie who are so fabulous. It's all about bringing stories to life, and of course, it always means a little more when you get to work with family."
The response to Great American Family's content has been overwhelmingly positive, Bure said, indicating the thirst families have for positive and uplifting films. Bure highlighted the importance of audience feedback, which the network actively solicits through its website.
"This feedback helps us strive to make the movies you want to see," she said, noting the improvement in quality and faith elements in this year's films.
"I think that a Christmas movie has to have heart at the end of it, whether it has comedy elements or romantic elements, even all the cheerful Christmas elements," she said. "If there isn't heart, it doesn't last, and you won't walk away remembering it or thinking about it. These films are warm; they're about the warmth of people, family, friends, relationships. I think that's what really makes a wonderful Christmas movie that's everlasting."
A mother of three, Bure is also lending her talents to The Generous Kids Book Club, a monthly subscription of children's books and animated e-books that teach kids values, important lessons, gratitude, kindness and generosity through stories featuring lovable animal characters.
The club, geared for children ages 4-12, also includes a homeschool curriculum focused on values like empathy, compassion and thoughtfulness.
"These books co-parent alongside you, helping shape a child's worldview," Bure emphasized.
With every project she tackles, whether it's a Christmas movie or children's book club, Bure said she wants to bring "light" into the world — and helps parents instill in their children a biblical worldview.
"They say a child's worldview is developed by the time they are 10 years old, which is pretty mind-blowing," she said. "When they are very young, developing their worldview, what their morals are, how they're going to treat other people … the values of being generous and having gratitude and being kind and helpful — these are the values that live on into adulthood."
Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com
