{"id":1184,"date":"2009-01-20T00:30:00","date_gmt":"2009-01-20T00:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/deaconsbench\/2009\/01\/a-catholic-actress-in-hollywood.html"},"modified":"2009-01-20T00:30:00","modified_gmt":"2009-01-20T00:30:00","slug":"a-catholic-actress-in-hollywood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2009\/01\/a-catholic-actress-in-hollywood.html","title":{"rendered":"A Catholic actress in Hollywood"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many of us remember Siobhan Fallon Hogan when she was just Siobhan Fallon, on “Saturday Night Live.”<\/p>\n

But the National Catholic Register’s Tim Drake shows us another side<\/a> of her:<\/p>\n

Siobhan Fallon Hogan has forfeited acting projects rather than compromise her faith.<\/p>\n

The Hollywood actress and mother of three has appeared in television\u2019s \u201cSeinfeld\u201d and \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d and has starred in major motion pictures such as Men in Black, Charlotte\u2019s Web, Forrest Gump and Holes. She\u2019s costarring with Harry Connick Jr. and Ren\u00e9e Zellweger in the romantic comedy New in Town, opening in theaters Jan. 30.<\/p>\n

She recently spoke with Register senior writer Tim Drake about the film and her faith.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Do you have a favorite childhood memory of growing up Catholic? Were you in a Hollywood family?<\/span><\/p>\n

I grew up in Cazenovia, N.Y. I\u2019m the second of five children, with three sisters and a brother.<\/p>\n

My father was one of 11. He was an attorney. My mother worked for the Syracuse newspaper as a columnist before she became a stay-at-home mother.<\/p>\n

I have a deep, scratchy voice. Boys would call me Froggy, and my father would often tell me to shut my \u201cbig bazoo.\u201d I remember standing in line for confession. After I walked out, the other kids were like, \u201cYou punched your sister in the face?\u201d Because of my voice, my confession was like speaking into a loudspeaker.<\/p>\n

I also remember my first Communion, because my cousin Frankie was in the same grade, and my family decided that there would just be one party for the two of us. The party was at his house, and no one seemed to know it was also my party. Frankie got all of the presents.<\/p>\n

No one, except for my uncle, took a picture of me in my beautiful veil and dress, with one tooth missing and my huge head of red hair. That picture is the only picture that anyone has from my first Communion.<\/p>\n

Did you always want to be an actor?<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, I always thought of it, but fought it. I was always a performer. I\u2019d say, \u201cI want this to go away. Can\u2019t I just be a nurse or something?\u201d<\/p>\n

My aunt Sheila worked at a local theater. As kids. we saw a lot of plays and movies.<\/p>\n

I wanted to be an actress, but when I went to college, I wasn\u2019t focused. There wasn\u2019t a drama major at college and my family was practical, so I studied to be a teacher.<\/p>\n

During my senior year, I was supposed to spend a semester student teaching, but decided I couldn\u2019t be a teacher. My aunt Beth\u2019s friend was Jackie Gleason\u2019s daughter, Linda Miller. She encouraged me to talk to her. After doing that, she recommended Catholic University\u2019s MFA acting program. So that\u2019s what I did.<\/p>\n

How about your own family\u2019s faith?
<\/span>
My family often talked about the faith. We attended Mass and every holy day and said the Rosary whenever we got in the car for a trip, with my dad\u2019s arm ready to swing at anyone who laughed or didn\u2019t say it loud enough.<\/p>\n

When my father died last summer, I thought, \u201cI\u2019d love to be on my deathbed the way that he was.\u201d He was just so proud of his faith and every move he made.<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t help but be completely affected by faith in every way. When you\u2019re an actress and love every walk of life the way you should, you\u2019re really listening to the other characters because you truly love that other person.<\/p>\n

My children attend Catholic school, and I know that I am a \u201crole model.\u201d My acting gives me a platform with the kids to talk about what they watch on television or the Internet.<\/p>\n

Recently, we had a retreat and time of Eucharistic adoration at my children\u2019s school. It was so incredible and moving. My daughter is in the eighth grade. She and the other eighth-grade girls said, \u201cWe need to start adoration here.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, I\u2019ve talked with the principal and the priest, and we\u2019re working toward getting it started.<\/p>\n

Is it hard to be a Catholic and an actor?
<\/span>
My faith has been a huge motivation and safe haven for me. Now that I\u2019m older, I can tell people why I make the choices that I make.<\/p>\n

I once was playing a television character \u2014 and in television you never know which direction a character might go.<\/p>\n

This was a blue-collar Brooklyn character. The writers\/producers decided to make her start having an affair, just after she drops her missalette at Mass.<\/p>\n

I said, \u201cI guess that\u2019s the end of this job.\u201d I had to go to the producer, which is like going to the principal\u2019s desk, and say, \u201cI\u2019m trying to teach my three children one thing. I can\u2019t do the opposite in my work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their response was, \u201cDon\u2019t you tell your children you\u2019re playing a role?\u201d<\/p>\n

I said, \u201cNot if it\u2019s totally against my moral beliefs.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve had to say No to so many projects, because they\u2019ve been disrespectful to women, families or Christianity \u2014 and at times in my career when I had no business saying No.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s at times like that where I have faith that God will take care of me.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There’s more at the Register link<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many of us remember Siobhan Fallon Hogan when she was just Siobhan Fallon, on “Saturday Night Live.” But the National Catholic Register’s Tim Drake shows us another side of her: Siobhan Fallon Hogan has forfeited acting projects rather than compromise her faith. 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