Actor Ricky Schroder is delving into the challenges of a Hollywood career as he reflects on his journey in Tinsel Town. The 53-year-old, known for his Golden Globe-winning role in “The Champ” and his starring role on the television series “Silver Spoons,” recently established the Reel American Heroes Foundation. This nonprofit is dedicated to producing films, documentaries, and television series that uphold patriotic and traditional values.
“It was never sort of a desire of mine, let’s say. I was put into ‘The Champ’ when I was 7 years old and turned 8, making ‘The Champ.’ And so it’s been an interesting path to go down—when you didn’t make those choices originally. Other people made choices for you and put you on a track. But today I make my own choices. And so, that’s why I sort of decided to leave Hollywood, moved back to Colorado, and I still want to tell stories. But a different forum, a different platform.”
Mr. Schroder’s Reel American Heroes Foundation will focus on telling the stories of “veterans, active soldiers, first responders, Gold Star families, as well as past and present heroic figures,” according to the organization’s website. “Our goal is to inspire, raise awareness, entertain, and educate.”
Persuaded by the evolving landscape of the entertainment industry, particularly the Academy’s new diversity and inclusion guidelines for Oscars consideration in 2024, Mr. Schroder founded the Reel American Heroes Foundation. The foundation’s website outlines its mission to inspire, raise awareness, entertain, and educate through storytelling.
Mr. Schroder voiced concern over the Academy’s new guidelines, which mandate films must include a certain number of performers from underrepresented communities. He believes this could hinder the recognition of certain types of films, such as those lacking specific diversity criteria. Mr. Shroder noted a desire to counteract this trend by creating a platform for stories that celebrate what he calls American values.
As part of its broader mission, the Reel American Heroes Foundation has established the Council on Pornography Reform (CPR), which advocates for comprehensive reforms in the realm of explicit adult content. The CPR aims to promote a safer digital landscape, particularly for minors, by addressing the potential harms associated with unrestricted access to explicit material.
Navigating Faith in Hollywood
Former child actor Jason Strickland, who co-starred on Nickelodeon’s “The Secret World of Alex Mack,” echoed Mr. Schroder’s sentiment, telling The Epoch Times: “What I would instill to younger people, especially in Hollywood, like in The Bible is to find people that are equally yolked, meaning those that have faith and are equally attracted to faith.”Mr. Strickland also has a personal connection to veterans, as highlighted in the upcoming film “The Friendly.” Motivated by his father’s experience as a veteran grappling with PTSD and the lack of mental health support, Mr. Strickland created the film. Unfortunately, his father, facing these challenges, eventually abandoned his family. Mr Strickland said: “I wish my father would have had faith. I wish somebody would have talked to him about God. Now I’m old enough to make movies, not in a Bible-thumping way, but in a way they can understand the love of God.”
“That’s why I started In The Light Productions, so I can have a creative way to run our ministry and have a creative way to make films to uplift people,” Mr. Strickland said, speaking about his production company.
“I think that everyone feels the sense of being an outcast, but we should not care what the world thinks of us. We should only care what God thinks of us. When I was able to understand that I was able to say it’s ok not to feel this way.”
