Michael Richards, who is best known for playing Cosmo Kramer on the sitcom Seinfeld, is speaking out this week to reveal how he “found faith” after taking a self-imposed hiatus from Hollywood in 2006.
Richards Finds God During Hollywood Hiatus
Richards, now 74, decided to take a break from Hollywood nearly two decades ago after he was caught on camera hurling racial slurs at some hecklers during a rant at the Laugh Factory. Afterwards, Richards decided to “cancel himself” and take a break from Hollywood.
“I took myself out,” he wrote in his new memoir “Entrances and Exits,” which came out earlier this month.
While on this hiatus from Hollywood, Richards tried to do some work on himself to find out what exactly led to him becoming so angry on that horrible night. It was then that he shocked himself by finding God on this journey.
“I found faith along the way,” Richards told Fox News in a new interview.
“Faith in creation and how marvelous this system is set up to — well, it’s rather merciful in that it allows us to reflect upon our wrongs and move on to get to a better place in oneself, to improve,” he added. “The state of improvement. I’m fascinated by that. We as human beings can learn from our mistakes.”
Related: ‘Seinfeld’ Star Michael Richards Reveals He Secretly Overcame Prostate Cancer
Richards Never Missed Hollywood
Richards went on to say that he spent “years” exploring his faith and trying to find the meaning in his life. He also admitted that he never missed Hollywood once he was gone.
“I was missing myself all along,” he explained. “I don’t think I was paying enough attention to myself, this person behind Hollywood and the part you play, the quest to entertain a public.”
“There’s something bigger than that, this great person. Who is it?” he continued. “And I say great because it’s so enormous in this, in the size of becoming aware of who I am. That became a quest. What am I on this planet? Big huge questions that took me into philosophy and religion and psychology.”
These days, Richards doesn’t have much interest in launching a Hollywood comeback.
“I don’t have an agent. I don’t have reps,” he revealed. “You got to be set up for all this.”
Related: Michael Richards Reveals Which Major ‘Seinfeld’ Star Almost Quit The Show
‘If A Part Were Offered To Me…’
Richards went on to say that he is only interested in acting again if something falls in his lap that “resonated” with him as a performer.
“If a part were offered to me, and certainly if it resonated, and I knew I could do a good job and be a part of the story that’s being told through whatever project it is that we’re doing,” he said. “I’d probably give it serious consideration, but I better be on the ball.”
“It’s not about a career as much as it’s got to resonate, and it’s got to activate my life as an artist, so I can really bring it through for everyone to see,” Richards concluded.
It’s clear that Richards has been on quite an emotional and spiritual journey over the past 18 years. His story serves as a reminder that it’s never too late to find God and turn your life around!
More About:Celebrity