Actor's religious experience overcomes negative image By Peyton D. Woodson Star-Telegram Staff Writer FORT WORTH -- Reflecting on his life as the son of a devout Catholic mother, '80s movie icon and recovering alcoholic, Judge Reinhold told the Hope Community Church congregation Sunday morning that fame and fortune couldn't fill a godless life. In an address peppered with sparks of his familiar goofy persona, Reinhold, 43, told members about his "undeniable encounter with God." About five years ago, he said, he was attracted to a woman on a movie set. When he asked her out, he discovered she was Christian and would only date others who shared her faith. He initially attended church just to know her better. "I said, `OK, what do I have to do,' " Reinhold said. "I wasn't on some burning spiritual quest here." Nevertheless, his previous notions of Christianity were shattered. He learned that the Bible was a manual for healthy living and not a tool used to judge others, he said. His conversion happened soon afterward. "I had an undeniable encounter with God," he said. "I couldn't believe it. It was like a spigot of water just poured onto my heart ... just pure love." Reinhold spoke at Hope's morning services on the invitation of members who know his wife, model Amy Miller. "I'm just a little disappointed. I thought I'd be bowling," Reinhold joked, referring to the church building's previous incarnation as Don Carter All Star Lanes. "The fact I'm here at such an early hour even after attending church for five years is preposterous," said Reinhold who spoke at two services Sunday and at a Saturday night gathering. Reinhold said he identifies most with people who are on the fringes of Christianity or mistakenly turned off by its message. His childhood image of God was tied to sweaty television evangelists pleading for money, he said. "The message I always received was God is good. You're bad. Try harder," he said. "I pretty much kept my hand up at anything that represented God." Reinhold entered Hollywood during the youth- oriented comedy era that began with such films as 1978's Animal House. His big break was in the Army comedy Stripes. He went on to star in such films as Fast Times at Ridgemont High and the Beverly Hills Cop trilogy. He said he thought he knew the secrets for happiness: Get all the movies, money and girlfriends he could. "It didn't work," he said. "I was extremely disillusioned by that." Reinhold began drinking heavily at night and using drugs. He described a Good Morning America interview with Joan London when she inquired about his success in Hollywood. "I'm hung over from the night before and she said, `How does it feel?,' " he recalled. He then gestured to the congregation as if he were going to throw up. "I just lied through my teeth and said, `It feels great, Joan' " Reinhold said. "There was just an emptiness inside I was unable to fill." Reinhold has occasionally lectured in churches since his conversion. In an interview Saturday, he said Christianity has changed the way he orders his entire life -- even his acting career. Some roles clash with his moral philosophy. "I just turn it down," Reinhold said. "I want to do things of significance, things that will inspire people to know how good life can be. It's very easy to make a movie that confirms the worst in us." Reinhold said he's disappointed with the current direction of the Christian film genre. "Frankly, I'm very discouraged by Christian filmmaking," Reinhold said. "The writing is really bad. Christians are writing for other Christians and not for the world." He hopes to bring a new perspective to the genre with his current project about Bill Tomes, a missionary who brokered treaties between gangs in Chicago's Cabrini-Green housing projects. "You have to tell a good story first," he said. "If it's a good story, people will be interested. It doesn't matter about the content. I'm very excited about the idea of God using me as a bridge."