Jim Caviezel found fame by starring in several iconic roles throughout his Hollywood career. The actor has been making rounds recently for his indie film Sound of Freedom which seems to be earning big at the box office.
The actor found fame in another role entirely, however, when he portrayed the role of Jesus in Mel Gibson’s iconic 2004 movie The Passion of the Christ. Portraying the intense role, Jim Caviezel almost lost his life while shooting the movie when a bolt of lightning struck him!
When Jim Caviezel Almost Lost His Life Portraying Jesus in 2004!
Back when Mel Gibson decided to depict the events from The Last Supper till the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the director was met with a heavy backlash. Alongside the director, Jim Caviezel was also hailed as anti-semitic.
While shooting for The Passion of the Christ, Jim Caviezel had to really endure some difficult injuries while portraying the role of Jesus. As per the reports, Caviezel and Gibson were shooting the final scene of the movie. The Sermon on the Mount scene which had Caviezel praying for people’s crimes and forgiveness was one of the last scenes they ever shot of the movie but something terrible happened.
As per the reports, on the fifth take, the actor was struck by a bolt of lightning! The lightning strike led to two heart surgeries including an open-heart surgery. The actor revealed that after eating several medicines, the wound was properly healed in 2014. This wasn’t the only thing that happened to Caviezel on the sets since the actor had to prove his faith every day on set with numerous injuries sustained to his mortal body.
When A 150 Pound Cross Fell on Jim Caviezel!
Before the lightning strike, Jim Caviezel was shooting the scene where Jesus had to carry the cross to Golgotha. During the scene, the 150-pound cross fell on Caviezel’s head and he bit through his tongue and cheek during the shooting of the scene!
“It fell on my head, and I bit through my tongue and my cheek, and it was actually in the film. You see blood streaming out of my mouth. I had really struggled with that all film.”
And to top it all off, Caviezel had also dislocated his shoulder. The Passion of the Christ earned a rating of 7.2/10 on IMDB and a controversial 49% on Rotten Tomatoes! The 2004 movie is available to stream on Prime Video in the U.S.
Source: Fox News
