Patricia Heaton Speaks on Media’s Portrayal of ‘Christians As Bad Guys

Actress Patricia Heaton isn’t your average Hollywood celebrity. An outspoken Christian and the star of ABC’s “The Middle” and the long-running “Everybody Loves Raymond,” she’s been open about her faith — and told TheBlaze that, contrary to popular belief, she isn’t alone in Tinseltown.

Heaton, who plays a pastor’s wife in the upcoming comedy “Moms’ Night Out,” said that there are actually a lot of Christians and “seekers” in Hollywood.

“Most creative people have a deep spiritual well that they’re drawing from even if they don’t know it,” Heaton said. “The arts are being creative — I mean, God is a creator, He creates constantly, and when you’re in a creative place like Hollywood, there’s a lot of opportunity to talk and share and find common ground.”

Christian celebrities who keep quiet about their faith might do so because of the perceptions and stereotypes about what it means to be a Bible believer, Heaton said — a paradigm Christians can sometimes bring upon themselves.

The “cheap” way that Christians are often portrayed in media, she believes, creates fear among some in Hollywood when it comes to opening up about their faith.

“You know, my older sister is a Dominican nun, and nuns are always portrayed as weird, sexually repressed, old maids who are bitter. Listen, I went to Catholic school, there are a few of those, but the Dominican sisters that I know are lovely, lovely ladies,” she said. “So I think there has been this idea out there and the media kind of runs with it, portrays Christians as bad guys.”

As for living out one’s faith, Heaton, a self-described Catholic who attends a variety of Christian churches, said she believes actions truly matter.

“If you’re on a set everyday with 12 people, they get to know you and see how you treat number one on the call sheet and number 49 on the call sheet and how you act,” Heaton said. “Whether you act entitled or whether you are kind and generous and compassionate, and also, do you show up on time? Do you know your lines? Are you professional? All of that stuff speaks volumes.”

Heaton isn’t sure if she’s paid a professional price for her Christianity, because those who haven’t hired her would never admit if her faith was the reason why.

But considering her Emmy Award-winning performance as Debra Barone on “Everybody Loves Raymond” and her current role as Frankie Heck on “The Middle” — now in its fifth season — Heaton doesn’t seem to be too bogged down when it comes to success.

Heaton told TheBlaze that she is delighted that “The Middle,” a show revered for being safe to watch for all ages, has become a program that is “smart and edgy — and warm and appreciative” of life in the Midwest.

Plus, she said, the show offers a realistic look at how many American families actually live.

In “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “The Middle,” for instance, Heaton pointed out that the families attend church — but that the themes don’t hit viewers over the head with the message.

“It’s unusual that really two shows I have been on have had that in common, ‘Raymond’ and ‘The Middle’ — both families were churchgoers, and they never made a big deal about it,” she said. “It was just part of the fabric of their lives which is true for many many families in the United States, but it is never portrayed.”

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Sarah Drew, Sean Astin, Patricia Heaton and Alex Kendrick Star in Moms' Night Out

Principal photography has wrapped on Moms' Night Out, a film that celebrates real family life—where everything can go wrong and still turn out all right.

“We wanted to make a film that the whole family could enjoy,” said Kevin Downes, the film's producer who also acts in the movie.

In the film, all Allyson and her friends want is a peaceful, grown-up evening of dinner and conversation . . . a long-needed moms’ night out. But in order to enjoy high heels, adult conversation and food not served in a bag, they need their husbands to watch the kids for a few hours—what could go wrong?

“I feel like everything in the script happened at my home last week,” said Jon Erwin, who co-wrote Moms' Night Out with Andrea Nasfell and co-directed with his brother Andrew. “It’s a light-hearted look at the joys and challenges moms and dads face today, giving all the time kids need while still finding time for each other.”

Coming to theaters in 2014, Moms' Night Out chronicles one night out gone awry, as three harried moms, their husbands, a sister-in-law with a misplaced baby, a tattoo parlor owner, a motorcycle gang and one bewildered cabbie learn to embrace the beautiful mess called parenting.

“We grew up watching great family comedies,” said Andrew Erwin. “We felt it was time to bring the genre of clean family comedy back to the big screen, and we brought a powerful comedic cast with us to do it.”

Moms' Night Out also loops in a little wholesome passion between a wife and her husband, played by Grey’s Anatomy’s Sarah Drew as Allyson and Sean Astin as Sean.

"I love that the film is not just a comedy but also a love story between Allyson and Sean,” Drew said.

Moms' Night Out spotlights the unfulfilled expectations and serial self-doubts many moms feel . . . then reassures us that the key is raising kids in a loving home.

“I’m excited to be a part of the group of women in a comedy that is reality for families everywhere,” said Everybody Loves Raymond and The Middle star, two-time Emmy winner and mom of four Patricia Heaton from the MNO set. “I’ve had so many people come up to me over the years and say, ‘Your show got us through a very difficult time in our family and raised our spirits.’ I think sometimes in a family the only way to diffuse a tense situation is to make a joke or mock yourself or the situation. At some point you just have to laugh about it. That’s what we hope will happen with Moms' Night Out.”

Heaton is an executive producer on the film along with her husband, David Hunt, who joins her onscreen as well, playing a local cabbie caught up in the fun.

Moms' Night Out features Sarah Drew (Grey’s Anatomy), Sean Astin (The Lord of the Rings), Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond, The Middle), Alex Kendrick (Courageous), Robert Amaya (Courageous), Anjelah Johnson (MADtv) and platinum-selling country recording artist Trace Adkins (The Lincoln Lawyer) is “Bones,” a philosophical tattoo artist with a checkered past and a load of wisdom.

This second feature film from Andrew and Jon Erwin follows on the buzz created by their 2012 hit October Baby that surprised the film industry with a No. 8 box office debut against big-budget competition and drew page 1-A coverage in The New York Times.