Jen Lilley says faith, rather than any Hollywood relationship formula, has helped sustain her marriage of nearly two decades.
The actress, who plays Gloria Stewart in the biopic Jimmy, said she and her husband, engineer Jason Wayne, share a strong faith. Keeping Jesus at the center of their marriage, she said, has helped them through especially difficult periods.
Lilley, who married Wayne in 2007, said her beliefs also shape the choices she makes about work. She is willing to turn down a role if it doesn’t fit what her family needs at that point in their lives.
“I really value my family,” she said, explaining that she makes decisions with her children’s well-being and her marriage in mind, even when that means passing up an opportunity. She added that she tries to focus on loving her family and neighbors well.
The couple have four children: two sons adopted through foster care and two daughters. Lilley has also spoken publicly about foster care and co-authored Called to Foster to encourage families to welcome children in need.
For her latest film, Lilley portrays Gloria Stewart, wife of actor Jimmy Stewart. Preparing for the role gave her a closer look at a relationship she said was marked by genuine enjoyment of each other’s company.
Jimmy Stewart had been regarded as a lifelong bachelor before marrying Gloria, who brought two sons from an earlier marriage. He adopted them, and the couple later had two daughters together.
Lilley said Stewart returned from World War II with symptoms that she viewed as consistent with PTSD, though the condition was not formally recognized by that name at the time. She described Gloria as a steady source of emotional support, able to share in Hollywood’s social world while also giving her husband a place of comfort away from public life.
Trust and humor, Lilley said, seemed central to the Stewarts’ relationship. Their story also reminded her that laughter can still matter when life is difficult, and that spouses need to be a reliable source of comfort for each other.
“Life has a perfectly adequate way of knocking you back down often,” she said. Finding something to laugh about, even in a hard season, can help, she added.
Lilley called playing Gloria a dream come true, saying she has long admired Jimmy Stewart’s films and outlook on life. The film is also offering free tickets to veterans, a gesture she praised as a way to recognize those who served.
Her “Christmas Is Not Canceled” campaign, launched in 2020, has helped provide gifts to 10,000 children. The 2026 effort is collecting toy donations for children in need, with donors eligible to win a holiday prize package.
Jimmy opens in theaters Nov. 6.
