Kristin Chenoweth: “Christian is a dirty word now, but I’m proud of my faith”

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I love Kristin Chenowith. I rarely get a chance to write about her, so when something comes up about her, I just feel like I should start out honestly: I think she’s awesome. I like her belief system. I like her as an actress (my favorite role: Annabeth on The West Wing). I like the way she stands up for herself and her friends. She’s a cool woman. Fun fact: Kristin dated Aaron Sorkin for several years. Back when he had a drug problem. Anyway, Kristen has a new interview with Out Magazine, and you can read the full thing here. Here are some highlights:

Considering that you’re working with Listerine’s “Your Mouth Has Something To Say” campaign, I want to know if your mouth ever gets you in trouble.
All the time! I’ve been known to use phrases on talk shows or in an interview that you just shouldn’t use. I might have told PETA that I wear leather and eat meat.

A lot of the characters in your career have been good girls with a twist. Why are you drawn to those roles?
Sardonic humor. It’s complicated to play that kind of person, so that makes it fun. I really love to work, and anytime I get to challenge myself with that kind of part, I love to do it. They’ve all been spins off of each other. If I just played myself, no one would watch. I’m pretty boring.

Which character is closest to who you are?
I did this Lifetime movie called 12 Men of Christmas and played a hard-working, single girl. Type-A personality. But that’s it. Everyone else has been so different.

What is your dream against-type role?
I’d love to be in a horror film where I’m the killer. I think I’m going to make that happen, even if I have to write and produce it myself. It’ll be called Don’t Get in My Way.

That sounds like another Lifetime movie.
[Laughs] Or maybe Don’t Get in My Way or You’ll Get Your Head Chopped Off.

A church community was very much a part of your upbringing. So what was that like moving from Oklahoma to New York City?
Mind blowing. The hardest transition was about life things: where do I get my groceries? Where are the people asking you if you want help? They don’t exist here. Life is different, but I got accustomed to it pretty quickly. I love New York.

You competed in beauty pageants in Oklahoma growing up, and your platform issue was AIDS awareness. Why did you choose that?
I remember people encouraging me not to have that as my platform because they thought that would hurt my chances of winning. But I’ve always listened to my heart. Too many people I knew were getting sick and had died from AIDS. I watched my voice teacher waste away and a piano coach die. When you see that happen, it changes the way you look at the disease. It took our government so long to realize that this was an epidemic. It’s not a gay disease, but you know what? It wouldn’t matter if it were. It’s a disease and it needs to be dealt with.

Do you think that issue is why you didn’t make it to Miss America?
No. I don’t think that was in God’s plan. I’m a big believer in the journey. Twice I got first runner up, and I thought, You’re supposed to hear this message. You are not going to be Miss America. I had two more years to keep doing it, but I knew it wasn’t meant to be. I knew that I would have another voice in another area. Really, all I wanted to be Miss America for was to sing and get an agent. So, my reasons for wanting to win weren’t right.

How would you describe your faith?
I’m a forward-thinking Christian, but it’s actually rooted in a very old way of thinking. What would Jesus do if he were alive today? If he were alive, he’d be hanging out with the people who are poor or sick or in need. My only sense about myself is that I don’t get to do that enough. I’d love to see Christianity get back to that. Christian is a dirty word now, but I’m proud of my faith. I’d like to be the face of this kind of Christian.

Being that you’re a reoccurring guest star, what do you think we’ll say when we look back on what Glee did for television?
The plays and movies and shows that reach people the most are the ones that point out our differences and challenges. When you look at Wicked, you see a supposed good girl and a supposed bad girl. But really it’s just two very insecure, misunderstood girls. The same for what The West Wing did for politics, Glee is doing for the gay drama of high school. It’s promoting discussions with our kids… if they’re allowed to watch the show, that is.

And what do you think Glee is doing for the presence of Broadway on TV?
What it’s doing not only for Broadway, but for Carrie Underwood and Fleetwood Mack is those artists sales jump when you hear them on Glee. People download the song immediately. Some of them don’t even know what Cabaret is. I saw a lot of kids online saying, “That ‘Maybe This Time’ song is so good.” I was like, “You don’t know that song?!” But, whatever it takes.

This is kind of random, but I really want to hear about your friendship with Kathy Griffin.
I know she teases people pretty rough sometimes, but there’s a really kind person in there who has a huge heart. I’ve gotten to know that side. She’d give you the shirt off her back, and I know she’s done that in secret for a lot of people because she’s not all about advertising what she does. She cares about the betterment of this community and our world. That’s one thing that I really respect and love about her. And that she makes me laugh my butt off.

[From Out Magazine]

Kristin has been slammed by both the conservation Christian community and the LGBT community at various times for various things, and I tend to think that at this point, she’s knows how to strike a balance. I didn’t know she was a pageant girl either! But it makes sense. She’s the good side of pageants – girls with ambitions, intelligence and heart who rise to the top. See? I just love her. I can’t help it. I’ll defend anything she does.

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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53 Responses to “Kristin Chenoweth: “Christian is a dirty word now, but I’m proud of my faith””

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  1. GradStudentEatingHotPockets says:

    She is so adorable…like a nugget of joy! I loved her on that one show with the pie maker..I can’t think of it right now, blah brain fart.

    And it kind of warmed my heart to know she and Kathy Griffen are friends…ha I just feel like Kathy would have some hilarious things to say about Kristin.

  2. OtherChris says:

    I suppose if the conservative Christian community slams her, she’s good enough for me.

  3. Samigirl says:

    chuckle @other Chris. She’s super funny. Love her 🙂

  4. spinner says:

    She looks rough & harsh. She could be Kate Bosworths’ Mother.

  5. lucy2 says:

    I absolutely adore her, thanks to Pushing Daisies, and I’m looking forward to her new show. Her voice is amazing, and she seems so sweet and funny.
    I’ve seen her up close in person – those are not great pics, she looked much better when I saw her.
    Kaiser, she has a bio book out, if you like her, you’ll love the book, very honest and funny, and much more in depth about being a “forward thinking Christian”. I really enjoyed it.

  6. brin says:

    Love her! She is a beautiful person, inside and out!

  7. luls says:

    She’s so right about the Christian thing. Its become ‘a la mode’ to be anything BUT Christian. Which is sad because the essence of Christianity is the most beautiful message in this world.

  8. Ann says:

    Her aggressive chirpiness creeps me out.

  9. mln76 says:

    Well the people who ruined Christianity are all the jerks who preach hate and judgement over others. If, as Kristen says they actually acted like Jesus and welcomed everyone to the table a lot more people would be willing to come back to the church.

  10. DanDan says:

    I love the dress in the first picture! I WANT IT SO BAD!! 😀

  11. guesty says:

    @Grad…I know!!! What was the name of that show?

  12. apsutter says:

    Thanks for writing about her! I love Cheno and I especially love when she pops up in Glee

  13. neelyo says:

    I don’t understand the attitude of persecution many Christians assume nowadays. Where does it come from? If anything, it seems that the opposite is true.

  14. Sakyiwaa says:

    @luls… love your comment! i so agree

  15. imabrat says:

    I don’t care for eternally happy people with bright cheery faces.

  16. The real Jenny says:

    As a Christian, I am sick of people in the US saying that Christians are so downtrodden and looked down upon, as if they get the prize for being the most persecuted people in the world. Get over yourselves. Somewhere in the world, people are actually being persecuted for their religious beliefs and you are not them.

  17. TQB says:

    Love her! And it’s about time someone stood up and put a compassionate, rational face on Christianity. She’s exactly right – all the extremists have made it unpopular, but the core beliefs are positive and teachable in our society.

  18. mln76 says:

    @The real Jenny AMEN!!!

  19. Fuzzy Cat says:

    @ Spinner she does look so much like Kate Bosworth. How old is this chick anyways?

  20. spinner says:

    Hi Fuzzy Cat…I have no idea how old she is but I was immediately struck with the Kate Bosworth vibe. Maybe that is the look she was going for as you can tell this chick has had some work done.

  21. Melissa says:

    I didn’t know that you could be a pageant girl at her height – I looked her up on IMDB and she’s only 4′ 11″!

    I like that she’s held on to her values and ideals and is non-judgey – good for her!

  22. djork says:

    She. Scares. Me.

  23. Nina says:

    @GradStudentEatingHotPockets & guesty: Pushing Daisies. I am still utterly heartbroken that that show was canceled.

    I loved this clip from that show, Kristen Chenoweth singing ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbe1m30RS8c

  24. tiki says:

    holy sunblock, batman. she looks like pamela anderson’s long-lost daughter.

  25. Cait says:

    It’s good she’s stayed true to her beliefs and is so upfront about them. There are flawed people in every religion and unfortunately, those people undermine the good others do.

  26. Trillion says:

    Christian is a dirty word? Try running for any office, from PTA officer on up, while declaring you’re not a Christian. See how far you get.

  27. GradStudentEatingHotPockets says:

    @Nina

    AH thank you! I know…I randomly started watching it one night and fell in LOVE…and then was super sad when I found out it had been canceled. 🙁

  28. girl says:

    I think people are forgetting that pretty much all belief systems are persecuted around the world today. Maybe because people see the words “christian” or “muslim” or what have you and automatically jump to the extremests in that group.

    It probably depends on the circles one runs in but it all the persecution based on a person’s belief system is ridiculous.

  29. Elizabeth says:

    I loved her in “Pushing Daisies” and have loved her since. But what happened to her nose? It looks like she had it done and I wish she hadn’t. She is sooo talented, she doesn’t need the “Hollywood” nose.

  30. kazoo says:

    ugh, she annoys the hell out of me. she ruined every episode of west wing she was in. she was doing sorkin so i guess that’s how she got the part.

    and please, christians need to stfu with this i’m a victim crap.

  31. Elizabeth says:

    @ The Real Jenny
    Christians are persecuted in certain parts of Africa and in the Middle East. A person can be cast out of their family for becoming a Christian (i.e. converting from Hinduism or Islam). No one should be persecuted for being true to themselves (in any way – religious or oherwise). But it does happen. In Iran, people have faced the death penalty for leaving Islam to convert to another religion (Christianity). So it happens.

  32. telesma says:

    Bullhockey. Christians make up more than 70% of the population in the US, they’re NOT some persecuted minority. A lot of them seem to think that because they aren’t allowed to trample on the religious freedoms of others, they are, but it’s baloney. You can’t be persecuted when you’re the majority.

  33. Ash. says:

    Bravo Telsma. That’s the truth, like it or not.

  34. The real Jenny says:

    @ Elizabeth
    If you reread my comment, I think that you will find that I am actually against religious persecution and I concede that religious persecution is alive and well. Just not in the US. My problem is with US Christians who say they are being mistreated because someone expresses a view that is different than theirs- as though we all have to be tolerant of their beliefs but they don’t have to tolerate ours. Cheno has no reason to say that Christian is a dirty word. Nothing has ever happened to her that seriously endangered her ability to practice the religion of her choice.

  35. nikki says:

    Of course christians in the western world aren’t persecuted for their beliefs they way people in many other areas of the world are.But I don’t think Kristin was saying that she feels persecuted, I think she’s pointing out that some individuals and groups assume all christians are like those stereotypical self righteous, red faced people screaming about which group of people is going to hell next. When in fact, she is not that and there are others that are not like that as well.

  36. SLM says:

    Thank you for covering, Kristin! She is lovely and so talented.

    If you consider the popularity of Snooki and her crowd or Chelsea Handler, you can see how some basic Christian tenets are out of vogue right now. I don’t think Kristin was suggesting that she is likely to be burned the stake for her beliefs. Just that it’s not considered cool or intelligent to follow Jesus.

  37. Gwen says:

    She really does look like an older version of Kate Bosworth. She sounds a whole lot nicer and smarter though.

  38. nikki says:

    @Telesma
    You do realize people can feel judged on an individual level right? Just because you don’t see it or it doesn’t happen to you does not mean others don’t deal with it. I have been yelled at and told I’m stupid and ignorant because I’m a christian, without even getting into the specifics of my beliefs I have been put into a little christain box by others and it really sucks. I would never say I’ve been persecuted for my beliefs(neither did Kristin) but I would say I’ve been judged by non religious people based on my beliefs and it hurts.

  39. lin234 says:

    Christians are some of the most judgmental people I have ever met. I grew up going to church.

    I’d heard ridiculous stories from well-educated people about how gays can be turned straight if they believe in Jesus Christ. haha. Hallelujah! Praise Jebus!

    I’ve had a close Christian friend (pastor’s daughter) who I find to be smart and reasonable on just about everything else write to a serial murderer in prison after hearing his testimony to Christianity on the radio. She sincerely believes he deserves to go to heaven. Screw his victims who weren’t Christians because all people are inherently evil. Not to mention they may have committed a crime like lying or whatnot which is a sin therefore they deserve hell. lol

    Ask the gay couples who are trying to marry which sector they feel persecuted from? Yea, it really does suck huh?

    I guess Jesus would get bolt-on’s and botox the hell out of his face if he were alive today?

  40. Moops says:

    I think what she means is that when someone publicly declares themselves as a “Christian,” many recoil. “Christian” is a loaded term these days, having been hijacked by the religious right.

    If you are a Catholic, you say you’re a Catholic. If you’re a Methodist, you identify yourself as a Methodist (or Presbyterian, or Baptist, or Lutheran, etc.) Last time I checked, all of those denominations are Christian. BUT, the bulk of the people who label themselves as such (“Kreeeesh-chins”) are in-your-face extremists, who think they have cornered the market on salvation. They honestly believe they are suffering from religious persecution when they can’t force school prayer on other people’s kids or when Target wishes them “Happy Holidays” instead of Merry Christmas. Kreesh-chins are a small but loud minority, and their voices drown out the tolerant, loving, sensible voices of the majority of Christians. I wish people like Kristin would speak louder.

  41. KateNonymous says:

    I think she’s funny and talented, and I like the way she thinks. But I wish she’d lay off the self-tanner.

  42. oh hey says:

    I would say she’s a true Christian, who is correct about Jesus Christ. Christian is a dirty word now because of too many hateful, intolerant people who use scripture to manipulate and control the masses.

  43. ADS says:

    Interesting that there are some using this post, about this actress to spout venom against Christianity. Looks like Ms Chenoweth has made a valid point. One that many of you have totally missed.

  44. lin234 says:

    Lol By Venom you mean the truth without any frills then so be it.

    Like Trillion mentioned above. “Christian is a dirty word? Try running for any office, from PTA officer on up, while declaring you’re not a Christian. See how far you get. ”

    Maybe Christianity is not considered as “popular” now as it was in the past because people have grown up seeing these lying hypocrites called Christians day in and day out and have chosen to think for themselves. Having faith means ignoring every shred of evidence otherwise especially common sense.

    You really think if there is a God he cares if she got Miss America?

    Christianity really is the perfect religion in today’s society where everything is tailored to fit their own personal needs. You pick and choose from the basket of beliefs you want and justify your “Christian” lifestyle with those rules good or bad.

  45. Dingles says:

    In America, when a Christian says they are persecuted they’re really saying, “Those mean seculars won’t let me force prayer into public schools or force women to carry unwanted pregnancies to term. Waaaahh.”

  46. slowcooker says:

    @lin234 & Dingles — Man, how the whole point of what she was saying was lost on you two and how sad you’re apparently too ignorant to see the irony in your words. Your posts are the perfect embodiment of what Chenoweth (and other posters) are talking about.

    “Christians are some of the most judgmental people I have ever met. I grew up going to church” and “Those mean seculars won’t let me force prayer into public schools or force women to carry unwanted pregnancies to term. Waaaahh” — and Christians are the judgmental and closed-minded lot? It’s blanket statements like these that show YOUR ignorance; you can’t rail against an entire subset of the population for their supposed faults when you display the very same, sweeties. How said you’re so blind. Besides, Chenoweth said nothing about being persecuted or the “hardships” of being a Christian in today’s world but you just proved her point exactly. Your words are rooted in hypocrisy and stereotyping, yet you consider yourself the enlightened ones (and to use the words of lin234, using common sense)? Puh-lease. You’re both so misguided and obviously have no real understanding of Christianity if you think it truly consists of just bashing those who are pro-choice, pushing for prayer in school, or picking and choosing particular tenets to which to adhere, yet you feel justified in your ignorant comments for some reason. Can’t get any more closed-minded than that.

  47. jemshoes says:

    Me, too, Kaiser! I really <3 Kristin in The West Wing … that moment she cried out “Leo!” and all we saw was the empty room … I cried so much. Plus she’s a hoot on Sesame Street. 😀

    If more Christians were like Kristin, words like ‘dirty’ and ‘hypocrite’ would NEVER be used to describe us.

  48. lin234 says:

    @slowcooker Yes, yes go ahead pick apart my stance. How about trying to answer any of the real issues that comes with Christianity? Gays? Murderers who go to heaven while their victims go to hell? No? Because the real answers to those issues will make Christians seem unpopular?

    Yes, perhaps I am biased after only basically being born into a Christian church and spending countless Friday nights, Sunday mornings till 3-5 in the afternoon, Christian preschool – 2nd grade, having two pastor’s daughters as my best friends growing up, exploring different christian churches my college years. Yes, perhaps I haven’t around enough Christians to really know what I’m talking about. Sure, it’s a blanket statement but if the shoe fits… Besides are the 1% of Christians (if that) who don’t fit in my blanket statement really worth mentioning?

  49. Az says:

    So that’s who Sorkin based that girl on Studio 60 on! I had no idea!

  50. Nan says:

    She isn’t saying that Christians are persecuted…some people need to work on their reading comprehension!

    #41 is right! It’s more that there is a loud group of people claiming to be Christian and giving other Christians a bad name so they tarnish the core of it which gives a bad impression of Christians and leaves a bad taste in peoples mouths.

    It’s the posters who have brought in the topic of “persecution” into the thread.

    Kaiser, I’m a big Kristin fan too! Did you ever listen to her NPR interview about her book? It’s worth a listen for any fan.

    Here’s a link:
    http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103147489

    Thank you for writing about a fave.

  51. Dingles says:

    Slowcooker, you’re hilarious. I was born in the South into a religious family, attended a Southern-Baptist school up to 8th grade and went to churches of different denominations until I was 18. Go ahead and tell me I know nothing about Christianity, I could use a good chuckle.

  52. Ur Favorite Bartender says:

    So your basically dogging the Christian ‘religion’? Fair enough because your entitled to your opinions no matter how narrow-minded. However don’t try and say you know crap about what it is to be a true Christian. I have yet to see the word ‘spirituality’ mentioned on this thread and that is the core of what you so easily dismiss. So many people (believers &non) think being a Christian is so simple as adopting these certain traits and values when in actuality, coming to the light is rooted in death. Death of Ego and death of what you think you are/know. Its a hard road to tread and to see through till the end but when you do, your free. Free to embrace the abundance of love&forgiveness God grants through Jesus christ who is the Word&Truth. Truth remakes you and its not anything simple and its beyond this world. ***spiritual enlightenment= eternal life***. Straight is the gate and narrow is the path, yea and its absolutely true that there be few who find it. Judge ‘Christians’ all you want but I’m sure you actually don’t know any.

    And btw what is so wrong with Christianitys teachings? Love other people as yourself I.e. selflessness and humility and not judging other people??? I forget that those are REALLY horrible characteristics and worthy to be hated and abhored *holds up sarcasm sign*

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