Patricia Heaton is an actress best known for playing Ray Romano’s wife on the sitcom “I Love Raymond.” Last year, Heaton starred in the animated Christmas film “The Star,” in which she voices Edith the cow.

As she promoted the movie, Heaton opened up about her own Christian faith and how she maintains it in Hollywood.

“I’m Catholic and I go to mass a couple times a week,” Heaton said. “So, I kind of try to stay in there. There are so many distractions in our lives, especially around Christmas, because if you have little kids, it’s a big deal and we get caught up in the gift-giving and the wrapping and the buying and the shopping. So, I think it’s really important to have time to relax together as a family, and I think this movie is a great way to focus on the real story of Christmas the way that we celebrate it.”

“The Star” tells the story of the birth of Jesus Christ from the perspective of the animals. Heaton said she wanted to be a part of the movie because it was both funny and dedicated to staying true to the biblical story of the birth of Jesus.

“One would want to be cautious about doing something less than reverent about the story of the birth of Christ; it’s an important story to millions and millions of people all over the world, it’s important to me,” Heaton said. “But, what I saw here, because it’s through the eyes of the animals, it’s an opportunity to have humor, to do physical comedy, and that really opens up people’s hearts.”

“As a performer in comedies for almost 20 years, I see how people – their hearts really open, and the message at the end of the movie of peace and forgiveness and joy can really come through because your heart is prepared for it,” she added. “I think they’ve done a wonderful job of being reverent in all the right places but having a little bit of fun with the animals.”

Heaton believed that the film was especially important for today’s “divided” world.

“I think to be able to take time to see a movie that’s about the things that are important in life — which is hope and joy and peace and love and forgiveness — we need that in the world right now,” she said. “This is a great reminder and it’s funny and it’s warm and it’s entertaining and you just come out feeling lighthearted and really in the Christmas spirit. So, if we can bring the Christmas spirit back into the world and maybe carry it through past December, that would be wonderful thing.”

It’s so refreshing to see a Hollywood star who is such a devoted Christian! Watch more of Heaton’s comments in the video below!