Young stars in Hollywood appear to have it all. People frequently idealize their lives in terms of fame, money, and good looks. They make everything seem so simple! So it’s always surprising when a teen celebrity decides to quit everything.
The story we have for you today follows an identical format. A young Hollywood actor, adored by millions of women around the world, decided there is more to life than the silver screen.
This is not a new theme in the realm of entertainment. Continue reading to learn more about what happened.
He famously featured as a kid actor on “Growing Pains,” and from then on, he was one of the most prominent actors of the 1980s. He was frequently featured on the covers of teen magazines. While it appeared that he had it all, he was dealing with the realities of being a young celebrity in Hollywood, which, to him, was not very appealing.
Kirk Cameron did not aim to become an actor; instead, he aspired to be a doctor. His aim was to become a surgeon, but his career changed dramatically when his mother, encouraged by a friend, introduced her young son to acting. His sister, Candace Cameron Bure, is also an actress who has been acting since she was a child! She is best know for her role in Full House.
The buddy was the mother of Adam Rich, a fellow child star. Rich was well-known for his role in ‘Eight is Enough.’ She suggested her buddy take her son to agencies and try their luck with advertisements. His mother hesitantly followed the advise, but things worked out nicely for them after Cameron began looking for small roles. One of his first acting gigs was a McDonald’s ad. Cameron didn’t enjoy performing, but he was always getting offers.
“I was always annoyed having to brush my hair and tuck my shirt in to go drive an hour in traffic to audition,” he said later about his early days as a celebrity. Despite his lack of enthusiasm for acting, he landed the role of Mike Seaver in “Growing Pains,” and the rest is history.
However, he was questioning whether Hollywood was the right place for him. And then he felt something beckon to him: his faith.
His family did not practice religion when he was growing up. The actor stated, “When I was growing up, we didn’t go to church.”
“If you had asked me, I would have said I would be in the category of an atheist at 16 years old, 17 years old,” he surprisingly revealed later.
“I think I caught my atheism—it was by contagion,” he shared, he was referring to his teachers who taught him science and other subjects and regarded religion as “just a fairy tale.”
An unexpected encounter led the young youngster to reassess his connection with faith.
He found a girl he liked and she invited him to church with her and her family. “I’ll be honest. It wasn’t because I was interested in God. I was interested in the girl,” he revealed later during a talk.
However, his visit to the church changed his life, and his pals in Hollywood could see the impact.
The 17-year-old’s real-life religion experience began to inform his approach to his character in “Growing Pains.” This adjustment did not go unnoticed by the showrunners or his co-stars.
The producers were concerned that the young boy’s newfound devotion to his faith would influence how he approached the show, so affecting the show and its overall longevity.
“Is he getting into something that’s really gonna take him into Looney Town? And if it is, we need to stop that,” he recalled what the concerns surrounding him at the time had been..
“I was trying to take the moral high road. I wanted to please God genuinely, and I think sometimes that got misunderstood,” he says now. His priorities however had taken a major shift and people around him were concerned.
His heart gradually grew to loathe his life in Hollywood. The actor later remarked, “The evil, the darkness, the twisted sickness of Hollywood has been going on for a long time.”
Brian Peck, his personal dialogue coach on the show, has now been exposed for his role in the abuse of young child stars in the industry. He was prominently highlighted as a culprit in a recent documentary on crimes.
All of this supported Cameron’s initial belief that Hollywood was motivated by power, pride, and ego. When he was younger, these realizations led him to abandon his potential performing career.
He became more strong in his religion, believing that it would protect him. “When that becomes your God, rather than the God who laid down His life on a cross 2,000 years ago, you’re in for a world of hurt,” he shared.
He was barely 20 years old when he married Chelsea Noble, his “Growing Pains” co-star. Cameron had officially left Hollywood behind, and the two began to construct a life together. The couple has six children together, four of whom were adopted.
Adoption is something he and his wife are equally care about, as she was adopted. They always made sure their adopted children were aware of their origins and assisted them in reconnecting with their birth families whenever they were old enough to understand.
Cameron said in 2021 that he intends to leave not only Hollywood but also California behind. He resorted to social media to announce his choice. He stated, “I asked on social media what states people recommend for a Californian looking to relocate, and the top responses were Tennessee, Florida, and Texas,” he posted on Facebook.
Cameron stated that he believed California had become increasingly dangerous and desired a place with more “wholesome values.”
He moved to Tennessee since three of his children lived there. This also allowed the family to spend time together. The family also appreciates the slower pace of life that Tennessee offers. He also praised Tennessee for providing kids with a “healthy freedom mindset,” which he believed was lacking in California.
He also considers Tennessee a “hub for Christian projects.” Cameron was able to stay near to family, which paid dividends when he became a grandfather in the summer of 2024. He took to social media to announce the birth of his granddaughter Maya Jeanne Noble Bower.
“Our hearts are filled to overflowing,” he wrote in his post. “Our beautiful baby girl just had a beautiful baby girl, and we can hardly wait to spend every minute with her and shower her with love.”
Apart from his new real-life position as a grandfather, Cameron continued to perform as an actor. He launched his film ‘Lifemark’ in 2022, which focuses on the beauty of life and adoption. The project was a particular passion for him because four of his own children are adopted, as well as his wife’s own experience as an adopted child.
It’s gratifying to see Kirk Cameron pursue his goals both professionally and personally. Share this with other admirers of the actor so they can see what he’s been up to!
