Nicole Weider Says Faith in God ‘Opened Doors’ for Her Movie Career
By Cooper Dowd, Staff Writer
Nicole Weider, the executive producer of the new faith-based movie SWITCHED, sat down with Fox News to talk about how her faith in God took her career to places she could never have foreseen.
Weider, who also stars in the movie SWITCHED, opened up about her life as a model and how her career in the industry negatively affected her self-esteem. Weider said that when she found God, her entire perspective on herself and the entertainment world changed.
“It’s interesting because when I was involved in commercials and modeling and doing things without God and doing things that did not have a faith message, I was constantly faced with scrutiny and felt like I never measured up,” Weider explained. “I was actually hurting my self-esteem, but when I gave my life to God it’s amazing how He opened up so many doors.”
“I really believe when we honor God with our gifts, He does make things happen and He can make all things possible. There are a lot of people in Hollywood [who] are believers, but I feel like a lot of people can’t say that or can’t have a voice because they will feel ostracized. So far, I haven’t experienced a lot of backlash,” she added.
Movieguide® previously reported:
Now, Weider is passionate about the kind of media she consumes and promotes.
“Before I was a believer, I consumed all types of movies that didn’t have good messages, movies that were not inspiring and movies that just didn’t feed my soul because I didn’t have Jesus in my life,” Weider said. “I didn’t realize the gravity of what I was intaking because media media is very powerful, and it has the power to influence our actions, influence our thinking and change culture, and I wasn’t aware of this. I didn’t care about what I was watching, but when I became a believer, my whole mind transformed.”
The Holy Spirit convicted her to use her gifts to honor and glorify Him.
Weider, who began modeling at 17, said that the process of photoshoots made her uncomfortable as she noticed photographers manipulating the photographs to be skinnier and match the beauty standards of the industry.
“There were all these people around me, and one of the photographer’s assistants [was] retouching the models’ photos on a big computer in real time. He was retouching her thighs and making them skinnier and he was removing her freckles,” Weider said. “I was like, if I’m not good enough and these [other] models aren’t good enough, [this] whole modeling industry is so false. I just knew I was meant for more than that, to be totally honest.”
After witnessing the adverse effects that modeling had on her self-esteem and the dangers it posed for young girls outside the industry, Weider turned to God. As a result, her focus changed.
“I think that [faith-based] and family-friendly movies are needed more than ever because [there] are so many inappropriate TV shows out there and inappropriate content on streaming services. There’s just a lot of bad messages out there for young people,” Weider said.
After Weider’s salvation, she founded Project Inspired, which is a lifestyle platform that seeks to edify teenage girls and encourage them to become the woman God created them to be.
SWITCHED, which released September 4, is a Kairos Prize® Award-winning script. The movie received three stars for quality and +4 for content. For the full review, check out Movieguide.org.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
