‘God Is My Everything’: Actress Claudia Wells Shares How Faith Helped Her Through Tragedy
By Movieguide® Staff
Note: This story is part of our Faith in Hollywood series. For similar stories, click here.
Although Claudia Wells burst onto the scene as Marty McFly’s girlfriend Jennifer Parker in the 1985 classic BACK TO THE FUTURE, she revealed that a family trial halted her career in Hollywood.
Wells starred alongside Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson to deliver one of the most beloved science-fiction movies of all time. However, Wells had to turn down the offers for the movie’s two sequels and care for her mother, who was dying of breast cancer.
“I know she wanted me to continue doing the part and didn’t agree with my decision,” Wells, 55, told Fox News. “But I was just not in a place emotionally where I could handle any more than what I was already handling. I wanted my mother to be supported and cared for. I left acting altogether, but I knew I would come back. I never felt it was over. I’m still waiting to come back. I still don’t feel like it’s over.”
Wells added that faith offered hope despite her family’s painful circumstances.
“It’s made all the difference in the world,” Wells recalled. “I did a TV series starring Dean Jones when I was 15. And he used to talk to me about God, the Holy Spirit and Jesus being his savior all through the filming of the show. And then he and his wife took my mom and me to church every Sunday… I then went through so many different things in my life when my mom was dying of cancer. I believe God carried me through a lot of it.
“I lived a lot of experiences I wouldn’t want people to go through but God brought me out of them all. I feel like all of it was for a purpose so that one day, I can help others going through tough times,” she continued. “But God is my everything. I can’t find happiness or peace without him. He is really, truly my only source of comfort and joy. Anytime I’ve turned my back to that, even during the darkest of times, I’ve lost that peace and joy. [My faith is] the reason I’m alive, without a shadow of a doubt. And because of God, I know that my mother is in heaven. She is her best self and she’s happy. She is out of pain and sadness.”
“My church family is my family,” she added.
Wells’ mother died in October 1994. Although Wells has yet to return to the big screen, she is content to be used by God in her current job at the men’s fine clothing store Amani Wells.
“I tell all my customers and clients, ‘This is God’s store and I have the privilege of working here,'” she said.
However, Wells did say that she would love to return to her career as an actress.
“The answer is absolutely… I feel like I’m at a point in my life where I can play so many different roles that I didn’t have the firsthand knowledge to take on when I was 18, 19. I really do believe it’s still in my future,” she said.
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.
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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.
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