Anna Faris says she ‘challenges’ religious son Jack Pratt on his beliefs

"I didn't grow up with religion. He's asked me to accept Jesus Christ [as my savior]," the actress said

Anna Faris is opening up about her differing views on religion with her teenage son, Jack Pratt, revealing that she often challenges his beliefs while encouraging him to think critically about faith.

The Scary Movie star, 49, discussed her relationship with 14-year-old Jack, whom she shares with ex-husband Chris Pratt, during an appearance on the August 20 episode of the Dear Chelsea podcast. Faris said Jack is deeply religious despite her own upbringing without religion, and that he has even asked her to accept Jesus Christ as her saviour.

"He is religious. I didn't grow up with religion. He's asked me to accept Jesus Christ [as my savior]," Faris told host Chelsea Handler. She said she told her son she would do anything for him, including exploring his faith, but added that it would require "a whole lot of long conversations."

Rather than avoiding their differences, Faris said she deliberately uses their conversations to challenge Jack's perspective. She described him as "solid as a tugboat emotionally" and said he does not get easily upset, allowing them to have open discussions about controversial issues.

"He's impressive, actually. Because I try to challenge him," Faris said.

She recalled asking Jack whether being pro-life could be considered a "luxury" and discussing the motivations of some prominent religious figures. According to Faris, her son has shown that he is willing to consider her questions rather than simply dismissing them.

Faris said she particularly appreciates that Jack is examining his beliefs and learning to recognise hypocrisy within religious institutions. She added that he "handles situations really well."

Jack's religious upbringing has also been shaped by his father. Chris Pratt has been open about how his son's premature birth and serious medical complications influenced his own Christian faith. Jack was born nine weeks premature in 2012 and suffered a severe cerebral haemorrhage.

Pratt previously wrote that the experience led him to pray for his son's survival while he was in the neonatal intensive care unit. He later said he promised God that, if Jack survived, he would devote his life to sharing God's message.

Faris and Pratt married in 2009 and separated in 2017 after 10 years together. Pratt later married Katherine Schwarzenegger in 2019, and the couple now have three children. Faris married cinematographer Michael Barrett in 2021 and is stepmother to his daughter.

During her conversation with Handler, Faris also reflected on her own personal growth and relationship with alcohol. She said she eventually recognised a connection between drinking and depression in her life and realised she needed to step back from behaviours that were causing her to "self-sabotage."

"I don't drink the way I used to drink," Faris said, explaining that her relationship with alcohol has changed as she has gotten older.