Roma Downey recalls a time when Hollywood had to 'pay attention' to Christian audiences
Actress and producer Roma Downey reflects on how Hollywood responded after seeing audiences flock to "Touched by an Angel" in the 1990s.
As a Christian celebrity who has acted in and produced several faith-based projects over the years, actress Roma Downey joked that Hollywood has "gotten used" to her.
Downey, who starred as the angel Monica on "Touched by an Angel" for nine seasons from 1994 to 2003, told Fox News Digital how her faith has affected her career, including the kinds of roles she's had to decline.
While her hit show focused on godly elements, Downey said back in the 90s when she was auditioning for "Touched by an Angel" she was simply an actress looking for work.
"The year I got cast as ‘Touched by an Angel,’ yes, I'm a believer, but I was simply an out-of-work actor looking for a job," Downey told Fox News Digital. "And they wanted me to play a doctor or a lawyer or anything, a teacher, I would have said yes to that. But I have been fortunate enough that the kinds of roles that have come to me have been in harmony with the person I am and the things I believe."
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"Over the course of my career I did turn down some roles that would've required me to be nude," she said. "I was never comfortable with anything like that."
Executive Producers Roma Downey attends a special event for History's 'The Bible' at Harmony Gold Theatre on June 12, 2013, in Los Angeles, California. ((Photo by Angela Weiss/Getty Images for History))
Downey said she had a good measurement when determining whether to accept a role.
"But I always used to say at the beginning of my career, if I wouldn't want my dad to see me in something, then chances are that was a good indicator of whether I should do it or not," Downey explained.
"My dad was my greatest teacher," Downey said; her mother died when she was 10 years old and her father then died while she was in college. "He was such a great role model, a man with very strong faith, and very strong values. And a quiet gentle, just a really lovely dad."
"To be the best you can be, I did for their memory," Downey said of her parents. "That they could look down from heaven and be proud of the life that I've lived and the things that I've tried to achieve with the talents that I've been given."
Downey said that the initial success of "Touched by an Angel" - millions of people tuned in for the show every Sunday night during its run - "probably surprised" the Hollywood industry, but not its intended audience.
"I don't think it surprised Christian people," she added. "We hadn't really seen - and we don't usually get served that much content that really speaks to our hearts in that direct kind of way. They always used to refer to the flyover states. And it's like no, there are believers in every community, in every street, in every city, across this great nation of ours."
Actress and producer Roma Downey reflects on how Hollywood responded after seeing audiences flock to "Touched by an Angel" in the 1990s. (Fox News Digital)
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"I think there was a moment in there when the industry had to pay attention and say, ‘Wow, who are these people and what kind of content are they looking for?'" Downey added.
But, the actress, author and producer said Christians are still an "underserved audience" and she does her best to continue to produce uplifting content.
"I think here in Hollywood they've all just gotten used to me now," she said, laughing.
Downey has produced several Christian films and series since "Touched by an Angel," including the popular "The Bible" miniseries in 2013. Now, she has a new book, "Be An Angel: Devotions to Inspire and Encourage Love and Light Along the Way," in which she shares personal stories from her own life that illustrate how she has been "encouraged to live like an angel on earth." She called her third book an "exciting new chapter in her career."
Roma Downey as Monica, left, in an episode of TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL. Image dated 1999. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) ((Photo by CBS via Getty Images))
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Downey dedicated her new 52-week devotional to her late "Touched by an Angel" co-star Della Reese.
The actress said she had been eager for the chance to do a reboot of the show, but the deaths of both Reese and another of her co-stars, John Dye, likely put a hitch in those plans. She would, however, like to see a show that captures the same "spirit" as the memorable program.
"Over the years I've gone in a few times to CBS – because CBS owned the show, I didn't own the show – is there any chance of a reboot?" Downey said. "Of course in the interim, sadly we lost both Della Reese, my co-star Tess, and John Dye, who played the Angel of Death. But I would love to see something like that, or in the spirit of, back on TV."