After several scandals, Cuba Gooding Jr. is back with a new film: his faith plays an important role in his new project.
His faith seems to have put Cuba Gooding Jr. (56) back on the right path: As the US celebrity portal “Page Six” reports, the Oscar winner, who has attracted attention in recent years mainly through scandals, is starring in a new Christian film called “The Firing Squad”. The film is based on a true story in which three US prisoners in an Indonesian prison find their faith in Christ while awaiting their execution. In addition to Gooding Jr., Kevin Sorbo (65) and newcomer James Barrington are also part of the cast.
According to the report, Gooding Jr. hosted a private screening of his new film in the Hamptons. “People were crying,” a person who attended was quoted as saying. In one scene, the “Jerry Maguire” star is said to be singing the spiritual song “Amazing Grace.” Among those present at the private screening was his girlfriend Claudine De Niro – the ex-wife of Robert De Niro’s son Raphael De Niro (47) – to support him.
Faith helped him after the scandals
According to insiders, Cuba Gooding Jr. is currently concentrating on his work again after being confronted with allegations of sexual harassment in recent years. At the beginning of August, he was a guest on the TV show and said in an interview how important his Christian faith is to him. Addressing his critics, who might accuse him of using his faith to improve his image, he said: “There’s an old saying. You can’t always please people. But people who want to celebrate art – that’s my job and that’s my only mission in life.”
In June 2023, it was announced that Cuba Gooding Jr. had reached an out-of-court settlement with the plaintiff who wanted to take him to court for an alleged rape. The woman had accused him of luring her to his hotel room in 2013 and forcing her to have sex there. According to his lawyers, however, the sex was consensual.
In spring 2022, Gooding Jr. had already pleaded guilty to kissing a waitress in a nightclub without her consent. He also confessed to groping women in two other cases. After he completed alcohol and behavior therapy at the time, the case was closed without a prison sentence.
The actor became known in the nineties primarily for his role in “Jerry Maguire: The Game of Life”, for which he was awarded an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
