On Sunday evening British Actress Letitia Wright won the EE Rising Star Award during the 72th British Film Awards. The award is voted for by the public and she was nominated alongside Jessie Buckley, Cynthia Erivo, Barry Keoghan and Lakeith Stanfield. During her honest, heartfelt and emotive speech, the 25-year-old referred to herself as a ‘Child of God’ and frequently spoke about her faith. ‘This wasn’t an overnight thing; this wasn’t a click of a finger success. I’m still a work in progress, but I want to thank God, my family, my team.’
She went on to talk about her battle with depression which led her to wanting to quit acting and how her faith helped her get through it, ‘The only thing that pulled me out of it was God and my family. And an email from Bafta asking me to become part of the Bafta breakthrough Brits.’
The Guyanese born actress regularly talks about her Christian faith and how it has helped her throughout her career. During an interview with Magnify Magazine she explained the reasons she shares her faith so freely, ‘Because I don’t know who is out there struggling with what I had to go through – depression, feeling suicidal. I want people to have the help from God that I received.’
Wright is one of a growing number of film and TV celebrities who attribute their success to a deep-rooted faith in God. David Oyelowo, who famously stated God called him to play Martin Luther King Jr in the 2014 film Selma, David Ajala, currently playing Manchester Black in US TV action-adventure Super Girl, Nonso Anozie who features in the forthcoming Disney fantasy adventure Artemis Fowl, and fellow BAFTA winner and star of Star Wars, John Boyega.
As a TV Screenwriter and fellow Christian, I can relate to how faith in God is an essential tool for navigating my career. It has helped me find the motivation to keep going, after yet another rejection. Or when I feel like everyone’s career is advancing much faster than my own, it gives me hope that one day, my hard work will also pay off.
But my faith in God doesn’t just sustain me, it challenges me too. It has encouraged me to put aside pride and stubbornness to adopt humility and submission. To forgive, even in the face of great pain, and to apologise and be held accountable when I hurt others or make mistakes.
What the aforementioned actors and I have in common, is a conviction that God has given us specific talents, ability and platform for reason greater than fame or money. We are part of His bigger plan, and we choose to place our faith in Him in the good times and the bad. We trust Him to direct our paths and guide our steps even when it doesn’t make sense, or we can’t see where the path is leading. Being a Christian isn’t always easy. But we choose a life with God, rather than a life without Him.
By Karla Williams
