“Bella” Star Seeks Holiness in Not-So Ordinary Life
American Life League‘s Celebrate Life Magazine has an article about the star of the movie Bella, which is set to be released this fall. Eduardo Verastegui began his career as a model and soap opera actor in Mexico City and soon set his sights on Hollywood. But after a while he realized that something was missing in his life:
“I wasn’t happy,” Eduardo said. “I was impatient. I had been all over the world. I had money. I had fame. I had everything I wanted, so I had to ask, ‘How come I feel empty?’…I realized that the reason I wanted to be an actor was superficial; fame, money, power, lifestyle, women—the whole thing. I realized that I was poisoning society. So I went through a change of heart.”
That change led him back to his Catholic faith that he had not practiced in years. After discerning a priestly vocation, a spiritual director suggested that his talents and influence would best be put to use back in Hollywood. Embracing this vocation he decided he would do it under one condition: “I won’t do anything that will offend God. Period.”
This is not very easily done in Tinseltown, where immodesty is the name of the game, but Eduardo is determined:
“When you kill somebody in the movies, you’re not killing anyone. But when you kiss someone, it’s really a kiss,” Eduardo stressed. “In sex scenes, you’re really half naked. So I would recommend that people be careful, because you are working with fire and you’re gonna get burned. Don’t risk yourself for some role. I know because I did it. And I’m telling you, 12 years of that was nothing but emptiness, pain and suffering.” Eduardo described sex scenes as what they are: “legal adultery.” And because a kiss is sacred, he vows to kiss no woman unless she’s his wife.
“Every single person hardcore Catholics, told me I wouldn’t work,” Eduardo admitted. “So if changing my path to follow Christ means that I will never work, thanks be to God. I’m free, because you know what? I wasn’t born to be a movie star. I was born to be a saint, just like you. And this is not going to get in my way. Or God will make it happen in a way that I don’t have to compromise.”
Hopefully his devotion will rub off on others in Hollywood or at least help inspire those who view his movies. And what about this movie, Bella? It has gotten quite a buzz among pro-lifers. It is about a waitress who learns she’s pregnant and the chef (played by Verastegui) who comes to her rescue. It is supposed to be incredibly powerful.
To help get Bella in your hometown theater, see www.BellaTheMovie.com, email contact@MetanoiaFilms.com and call 888-474-6025.