Jim Caviezel has starred in several films throughout his career, but one role that left an indelible mark on audiences was his portrayal of Jesus in The Passion of the Christ. The actor poured his heart and soul into the production – quite literally.
Caviezel remained motivated to commit to the project despite being injured multiple times on set. However, a lash from a fellow actor’s whip during filming began to take a toll on him, and he began to feel as though he was embodying the very essence of evil.
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Jim Caviezel Went Through Pain To Shoot The Film
In The Passion of the Christ, Jim Caviezel portrayed Jesus Christ – as he undergoes the events leading up to his crucifixion. Following the New Testament account, Judas’s treacherous act (played by Luca Lionello) ultimately leads to Jesus’ demise at the hands of the Roman Empire.
As per a report by Today, Jim Caviezel had to go through an extensive eight-hour makeup process for his role, which involved the painstaking recreation of wounds all over his body, from head to toe. Director Mel Gibson instructed the Roman soldier actors to inflict their lashes with an overhand motion, hitting a whipping post positioned behind Jim Caviezel. Unfortunately, one of the actors missed their mark, inadvertently hitting Caviezel with the whip instead.
“I may be playing Jesus, but I felt like Satan at that moment,” the actor said. However, the accidental lashing didn’t stop there. In post-production, special effects were used to augment the ends of the whips, while digitally-created wounds were employed to mask the makeup effects.
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Jim Caviezel Suffered Several Injuries While Filming
Sadly, Jim Caviezel’s struggles did not end with the whipping. During filming, he was required to hang nearly unclothed from a cross in frigid weather conditions for an extended period of time. Moreover, lightning struck him while filming the Sermon on the Mount scene, adding to his performance’s already intense physical and emotional toll.
Jim Caviezel also dislocated his shoulder while carrying the cross, alongside pneumonia, a lung infection, and several other injuries. Despite these challenges, Caviezel remained resolute in his belief that his participation in the film was a worthwhile endeavor.
The Passion of the Christ was Mel Gibson’s third foray behind the camera. He previously directed The Man Without a Face (1993) and Braveheart (1995). The religiously themed film enjoyed enormous success at the box office, raking in over $612 million worldwide despite having been produced on a modest budget of $30 million.
The Passion of the Christ is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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Source: Cheatsheet
