So Shirer wrestled with her desire to continue acting but surrendered that dream for the sake of her marriage. It ended up that God continued to provide opportunities for Shirer to act, by providing roles of single Black women and by softening her husband’s heart as he saw the impact her movies were having on people.
Bure said that one question she receives a lot is why her husband does not stand in for the romantic lead when Bure’s character kisses the male love interest. “I just want to address that, while it’s possible to do that, it’s not a standard that is done within our industry,” Bure said, going on to explain that she and Val had to wrestle with that aspect of her work.
When Val told Bure that watching her in romantic movies made him so uncomfortable that he did not want to watch them anymore, Bure faced the reality that she would have to surrender her lifelong career for the sake of her marriage. They had “a lot of conversation and prayer,” said Bure, saying she “had the same exact moment” of surrender that Shirer did. Bure “prayed about the situation and wrestled with it, ultimately deciding, ‘Ok, God…I’ll let this go.’”
Shirer pointed out what a significant decision that was given that Bure’s entire career had been in the entertainment industry. “It was hard,” Bure acknowledged. “Even praying that prayer, I’m on the side, I’m going, ‘But God, but I’d really like you to not allow me to have to surrender it.’”
Bure said Val has always been supportive of her career and later, when some movie opportunities came up, he assumed she would take them. Instead, she told him, “I’m not going to do it because there’s a kiss at the end, and I know that makes you unhappy, and I don’t want to dishonor our marriage.”
As Val processed what Bure would be giving up, the couple was able to come to a compromise. “This is like years of talking this through,” Bure clarified to her audience. “Then it came to a point where he said, ‘I can handle it, and I don’t want you to give up your entire career.’”
Bure observed that she had already been acting for 12 years before she met her husband, who eventually concluded, “I don’t want to be the reason that you don’t pursue the talents that God’s given you.”
RELATED: Candace Cameron Bure Won’t Include This ‘Deceitful’ Message in Her Christmas Movies
They agreed that Bure would not do anything physically in films beyond a kiss, and Val also said, “I don’t want to watch the movies. And if you’re ok with me not watching, I want to support you. I want to be there for you, but I just don’t want to watch them.”
So she told him, “I can do that.”
Shirer and Bure noted that while they were discussing challenges they have faced as a result of acting in films, all people have to wrestle with surrender in various areas of their lives.
“The dynamics are different from every family,” said Shirer. “But the point is, both of us had to come to a point in our dynamics where we went, ‘Ok, Lord, I know this is your priority, to honor this’…it’s begging the question: Am I gonna be willing to let something go?”
