Actor Ryan Phillipe recently opened up about “craving” a relationship with God after embarking on a “spiritual journey” after the filming of his latest movie. In the new action thriller “Prey,” Phillipe plays a Christian missionary who has a crisis of faith when he finds himself in mortal danger. During an interview with Fox News Digital, Phillipe, who was raised in a religious household, shared that his faith is “incredibly” important to him.

He continued, “I have a firm and fervent belief in God and that things happen for a reason and that we should put positive energies out into the world and treat people with respect and spread as much love and light as we can to offset the darkness that we see around us everywhere. I spent a lot of time in prayer and studying things of that nature I find very fulfilling,” Phillippe added. “I feel like it’s the most important thing that you could spend your time thinking about or learning about or trying to understand. So it’s become a very, very important part of my life.”

Phillippe told Fox News Digital that he became more committed to his faith and his relationship with God after production wrapped on “Prey.” He recalled, “It’s interesting because I was kind of in a darker place when we filmed this, and it was right after filming it where I went on this spiritual journey where I started going really deep inside.” Phillipe continued, “I got back into reading the Bible and various other religious tomes, but I found myself drawn to this notion of spirituality. You get to a point in life, a certain age, and the things that you thought would bring you pleasure or make you feel satisfied – these would be success or money – and it doesn’t. It doesn’t.”

Phillipe added, “And so you look for more. And I’m so thankful for what I’ve been given, for the experiences that I’ve had, for my children, and for everything else. But I wanted to have a relationship and understanding with God, and I was craving that. And I’ve got to tell you, since I started that journey, I have not been more at peace. My depression is gone. I shedded addictions, so I’m a big proponent for people going inward and trying to understand those aspects of life.” Directed by South African filmmaker Mukunda Michael Dewil, “Prey” stars Phillippe and Mena Suvari as a couple who are “compelled to leave their Christian missionary station in the Kalahari Desert after being threatened with death by an extremist militant gang,” per a logline for the film.

A logline for the film says, “But when their aircraft crashes in an animal preserve, they must battle man and beast in a fight for their lives.” Phillippe told Fox News Digital that the role also appealed to him due to his character’s struggle with doubts over his faith in the midst of his dire circumstances. He said, “I also really dug that there was this spiritual thread through this story, certainly with my character questioning God and questioning the fairness of things and surrendering and getting ultimately to this numb place of just saying, ‘If there is a God, save me.’ If not, I’m going to be eaten by this lion, and whatever happens, happens.”