Actor reveals how God steered him out of professional football and into Hollywood

Actor T.C. Stallings refuses to compromise his faith and values, turning to God as he continues to navigate his successful career in Hollywood. Stallings, a former professional football player, never planned to enter the entertainment industry, but an unexpected experience inside a movie theater a decade ago left him with an undying passion for storytelling.

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The actor, who has starred in movies like “War Room,” “God’s Compass,” and “Courageous,” played professional football for six years and had aspirations of joining the NFL when he went to the theater one day back in 2008 to see “Fireproof” — and life was never the same again.

The movie deeply spoke to Stallings’ heart and left him and others in the theater in tears.

“I remember that night … just to see everybody’s reaction when it was over, including myself, crying in terms [of] thinking, ‘He could be a better husband, a better dad, a better everything,’” Stallings told PureFlix.com’s “Pure Talk.” “And then my heart started thumping to act.”

Watch Stallings explain how he came to faith — and into Hollywood:



The actor found himself praying to God and asking whether his sudden passion for acting was coming from Him. When Stallings realized that the Lord had placed it upon his heart, he continued praying and asking for guidance. Within a year, he landed a role in “Courageous.”

Stallings’ career really heated up, though, when he starred in “War Room” — a 2015 feature film about marriage that shocked Hollywood when it became the most popular movie in America.

“The quick, easy answer: It was just God shifting my passions,” he said of his sudden foray out of football and into Hollywood. “My goal coming out of high school was to play pro football”

Today, though, Stallings continues his acting career, and is very intentional about the roles he accepts — and rejects.

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“I want to use all my gifts and talents to glorify God,” he said, noting that he asks God about each and every project. “When someone approaches me with a project … I give it to the Lord.”

Stallings continued, “If I ever took a role where it makes it difficult for me to tell people about Jesus then it’s for sure a ‘no’ for me.”

He also encouraged others to seek God’s plan for their lives.

“If God calls you to do something, you do it,” Stallings said.

This article was originally published on Pure Flix Insider. Visit Pure Flix for access to thousands of faith and family-friendly movies and TV shows. You can get a free, one-month trial here.