Why Mel Gibson warned Passion of the Christ star the role could cost him his career in Hollywood

Actor Jim Caviezel has opened up about the warning he received from director Mel Gibson ahead of working on The Passion of the Christ.

The Passion of the Christ (2004) had a screenplay written by Benedict Fitzgerald and Mel Gibson and was co-produced and directed by Gibson.

It stars Jim Caviezel as Jesus Christ, focuses on the 12 hours before Jesus’ death, and proved extremely controversial.

Ahead of the biblical drama being made, Gibson approached Caviezel about ‘a surfer movie’, and so he went to meet him and Steve McAmedi in Malibu.

In an episode of Raymond Arroyo’s podcast Arroyo Grande, Gibson revealed what happened before him landing the role, and Gibson’s warning to him about how taking on the role of Christ could impact his career.

“So I read the script and I think Kevin Reynolds was going to direct it – […] I’d never surfed before but I though I could, you know, probably do pretty good.”

Caviezel initially ultimately turned the movie down, noting the script ‘wasn’t there yet,’ however, it ‘eventually did get there’.

“Steve shows up and probably 40 minutes into the meeting, Mel Gibson shows up,” Caviezel continued. “[…] We were talking about surfing movies and everything and then it pivots into uh Christ movies – Jesus movies. Well, that’s not a surfing movie. Jesus on a surfboard, how’s that going to work?”

However, the movie was far from a surfing movie and Caviezel would be required to do a lot more than just surf – risking not waves but his future career in Hollywood.

The actor then realized and turned round to Gibson stating: “You want me to play Jesus, don’t you?”

The director confirmed and Caviezel said he was ‘in’ despite not seeing any script or outline.

However, Gibson later called him at home ‘two days later’.

Gibson warned him: “If you do this movie, you may never work in this town again.”

Presumably, because to play the role of Jesus Christ is well, pretty controversial, particularly in the eyes of those who are religious.

However, Caviezel was resolute though noting what he ‘wanted to make was what really happened’ and so he was ‘okay with that’.

Despite its controversy and the film being branded the ‘most disturbing film’ some viewers’ have ‘ever watched,’ it’s actually going on to have a sequel.