Jim Caviezel, the actor who starred as Jesus of Nazareth in director Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, predicted that the long-gestating sequel will be even bigger than the record-setting 2004 film.
In an interview with Fox Nation, Caviezel gave a two-word update when asked about Gibson’s progress — that the script is on its “fifth draft.”
“It’s going to be a masterpiece,” he continued. “It’s gonna be the biggest film in world history, I believe it will be based on what I feel in my heart.”
He said that some of the things that occurred while filming the 2004 movie made the scene of Jesus walking through the streets of Jerusalem’s Old City far more meaningful than it might otherwise have been.
During the scene, Caviezel was carrying a heavy wooden cross through the streets, as Jesus did heading toward the site of his crucifixion. But at one point, he stumbled and dropped the cross, causing it to come crashing down onto his shoulders.
“As I went down, the cross… it actually struck my head and buried my head in the sand. And I bit through my tongue,” the Person of Interest star said. “Now, in the tape, you’ll see streams of blood coming down from my lip. That’s actually my own blood.”
Caviezel added that the pain he experienced was far too real. But he worked on and continued filming the scene. And when he went to deliver his lines to Virgin Mary actress Maia Morgenstern, the pain added a level of realism.
“At this time, the shoulder is out, and I was trying everything I had to get my arm over [the cross],” Caviezel added, “And it looks like it’s the most extraordinary take because it looks like I’m cherishing our cross, which is our faith, and hugging it but in the most beautiful way.
“It wasn’t beautiful to me,” he joked, “because it hurt like hell. …my AC joint had been torn.”
Caviezel also noted that he was seriously injured during the scourging scene, where he received a 14-inch gash on his back. But the experiences brought an amount of reality to the movie that made it a better work of art.
“A lot of these mistakes were occurring, but it was making something much more beautiful that will last forever,” he said of the film.
Caviezel also said that the film would stand the test of time, just like the Bible itself.
“I think it’s like the Bible. People are going to keep reading it. They’ve been reading it for thousands of years,” Caviezel exclaimed. “I think that Mel Gibson and I did very clearly stick to that and not much has changed in 2000 years. Jesus is as controversial now that he’s ever been.”
Caviezel concluded by insisting that Biblical films are discounted by today’s movie studios.
“The films they make are Marvel Comics movies. You’ll see Superman. You won’t see Jesus… I got to play the greatest superhero there ever was,” he said.
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