Mel Gibson issued a stark warning to Jim Caviezel during their initial conversations about "The Passion of the Christ," cautioning the budding actor that portraying Jesus could potentially derail his career, revealed the 56-year-old thespian this week. Caviezel recounted how he had originally intended to meet with Gibson's producer to discuss a surfer flick, only to find that "the screenplay was still in its nascent stages." Approximately 40 minutes into his meeting with Steve McEveety, Gibson unexpectedly joined them.
"Our discussion was centered around surfing films and assorted topics when it suddenly veered into Christian cinema, specifically Jesus flicks," Caviezel shared with Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo on his "Arroyo Grande" podcast on Wednesday. "It wasn't a surfing movie; it wasn't Jesus riding waves. How could this blend seamlessly?"
Caviezel reminisced about an encounter with the divine when he was just 19, where he believed he heard God's voice urging him to pursue acting. "I exclaimed, 'Oh my God,' not intending any blasphemy or vain invocation of his name," he elaborated on his meeting with Gibson. "I instinctively said, 'Oh my God, this is it,' and I declared, 'You want me to embody Jesus, don't you?'"
Gibson, nearly choking on his cigarette, stuttered an affirmative, "Yeah." Caviezel responded promptly, "Alright, I'm in," feeling an internal assurance linked to a past movie theater incident that affirmed his calling. "I'm meant to do this. No persuasion needed," he emphasized.
Two days later, Gibson contacted Caviezel to issue his dire prediction. "He inquired, 'Are you really certain about this?' He warned, 'If you take on this role, you might never find work in this industry again,' to which I responded, 'What?'"
Caviezel clarified, "My aspiration was to authenticate the events, so I was at peace with the consequences."
Throughout the film's production, Caviezel confessed daily, striving to "preserve my sanctity as best I could, allowing him to manifest through me." His physical trials were immense, including contracting double pneumonia, suffering hypothermia, dislocating his shoulder, and being struck by lightning while crucified.
"The agony was unbearable," he recounted of his time hanging on the cross, adding that during the film's final shot, "I felt torn apart by that lightning strike."
He recounted that while bearing the cross, he also experienced atrial fibrillation, a condition that sent shockwaves through the set. A physician, upon auscultating his heart with a stethoscope, turned to Gibson with a grave pronouncement, "He might not survive this." Following the arduous filming, Caviezel underwent two critical heart surgeries, attributing them to the physical and emotional demands of his role. The cross was cleverly engineered with a bicycle seat to provide him respite during breaks, yet Caviezel admitted to being so utterly exhausted that he often drifted into sleep atop it. "I couldn't keep my eyes open," he lamented about the physically demanding shoot, even confessing to sleeping with his elaborate makeup, which took a painstaking eight hours to apply. "It was an unrelenting ordeal," he continued, adding that this trial brought him an intimate understanding of Jesus' suffering. As they approached the crucifixion scenes, Caviezel confessed uncertainty, his dislocated shoulder posing a formidable challenge. "It propelled me into the embrace of my God, for I had no other refuge," he revealed to Arroyo. But upon realizing the depth of God's love for him, he resolved, "I wanted to do it for him." He further mused, "It was alright, for it aligned with the very purpose for which I was born."
With a sense of conviction, he added, "The films we create shape the world's narrative, and the world's disapproval of this film is a testament to our success." Caviezel is now gearing up to portray Jesus once more in "The Resurrection of the Christ," acknowledging a twinge of fear but understanding that fear is a natural precursor to greatness. Gibson, who poured tens of millions of his own funds into 2004's "The Passion of the Christ," saw the film achieve phenomenal success, amassing over $600 million worldwide. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, it stands as the highest-grossing religious film at the global box office. "The Resurrection of the Christ" is anticipated to release in 2026, promising another cinematic journey into the heart of Christ's story.
