the son of seventh-day adventist parents, jackson was raised as a non-denominational christian, and has always been vocal about his faith. as part of his belief system, as a teen jackson chose not to drink or do drugs. jackson was also a proponent of abstinence from premarital sex. jackson also often thanked god during his award acceptance speeches. while jackson was working on "general hospital", he and his family held a home church in burbank which various cast members attended, including jackson's future wife lisa vultaggio. jackson explained how his beliefs affected his choice of acting roles in an interview with "entertainment weekly" in 1999, "i won't get involved with a movie that's a direct slap in the face of god. [...] i'm an actor, so i have to play people who believe differently than me. i would be willing to play a character that was completely unbelieving and anti-god, just as long as that wasn't the message of the whole movie." in 2002, jackson participated in the dkny-sponsored "what's your anti-drug?" campaign, posing for the 2003 calendar featured in "cosmogirl" magazine, stating his anti-drug was faith.