A former actor who was famous and successful in the 1990s has explained why he decided to step away from the spotlight and pursue a different career in the early-2000s
Stephen Baldwin(Image: JC Olivera/Variety via Getty Images)
Career changes can happen among celebrities, with many having a profession or another part-time job before going into the career that made them famous. Many spent time working in hospitality, while others have been teachers.
However, it is rare to hear of a celebrity deciding to move away from their glittering profession towards something with less of a spotlight, where they can return to anonymity.
One such celebrity is Stephen Baldwin, who appeared in hits such as The Usual Suspects and The Flintstones in the mid-1990s. And yet, now 60, he is working as a minister after embracing his faith in the early 2000s.
Stephen, the younger brother of actor Alec Baldwin, said the move came after two events. The first was that his housekeeper at the time reportedly prophesied that he and his wife Kennya would rediscover their faith.
The second occurred following the birth of his daughter Hailey, who would go on to become known as Hailey Bieber after her marriage to singer Justin Bieber. Stephen also has a second daughter, Alaia Baldwin.
After attending a range of evangelical events, Stephen found a skateboarding ministry, which was when things changed. Describing the moment he felt he had found his “calling” to People, Stephen recounted the environment.
He said: “Down on the beach, they had built a skate park on the sand with plywood.
“And these funky, super committed, cool, tattooed, pierced skateboarders were there and they’d skate, stop, pick up a microphone and start preaching evangelistically, and like 5,000 kids would be around watching because of their interest in the skateboarders. I felt a calling.”
Stephen later produced a skateboarding video with a Christian theme that sold 10,000 copies in six months, leading to a very specific request from a major church.
He added: “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. I went to 125 churches over four years.”
Stephen, who supported US President Donald Trump in 2016 and 2024, later admitted his former community – Hollywood – had not always agreed with his religious and political views, but he said he had retired from the latter.
Looking back on his career, Stephen was reflective, saying that nearly 30 years on from his decision, he had no regrets about stepping away from the spotlight. He said that, at the end of the day, he didn’t want “to be Tom Cruise” and have to make hundreds of millions on a film.
This isn’t the first time Stephen has talked about his family, after he praised his daughter on the Misspelling podcast last year, where he spoke about her success.
He said: “I never talk about her, but my daughter has done the impossible. But in this day and age, it’s not impossible. Young people are making unbelievable amounts of money on the internet, in ways that are very sketchy. So God bless her.
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