Fearless: Jim Caviezel Puts It All on the Line
If putting one’s life on the line is the supreme measure of commitment, then putting one’s career, livelihood, friendships, and reputation on the line runs a close second. Jim Caviezel has done — and is doing — all of these. When Mel Gibson offered him the role of Jesus in the 2004 mega-hit The Passion of the Christ, he warned the ascendent actor that it could be the end of his film career, that the anti-Christian backlash in Hollywood and the media would be ferocious.
Recounting that warning in a 2004 interview with CBN, Caviezel said Gibson told him, “I want you to be aware of what you are going to go through. You may never work again.” He said Gibson repeated that several times publicly. Caviezel continued, “I told him, ‘Mel, this is what I believe. We all have a cross to carry. I have to carry my own cross. If we don’t carry our crosses, we are going to be crushed under the weight of it. So, let’s go and do it.’ And we began with the film.”
The events that soon followed proved that Mel Gibson’s monitory was no exaggeration; the vicious reputational attacks on Caviezel severely curtailed his career trajectory, transforming him from rising star to industry pariah. (More on that below.) The film also almost killed him — literally. It is well known that he was struck by lightning while portraying Christ delivering his Sermon on the Mount. Perhaps worse was enduring endless hours of bone-chilling cold while hanging nearly naked on the cross. He contracted pneumonia, dislocated a shoulder, and lost feeling in his arms. He suffered numerous scrapes and bruises and was seriously injured when one of the blows during the scourging scene went awry and actually landed on him, opening a 14-inch gash on his back. Although he is a physically fit athlete, the rigors of The Passion took a serious toll on his health that ultimately required two heart surgeries, including open-heart surgery.
JBS Member or ShopJBS.org Customer?
Sign in with your ShopJBS.org account username and password or use that login to subscribe.
Subscribe Now
- 24 Issues Per Year
- Digital Edition Access
- Exclusive Subscriber Content
- Audio provided for all articles
- Unlimited access to past issues
- Cancel anytime.
- Renews automatically
Subscribe Now
- 24 Issues Per Year
- Print edition delivery (USA)
*Available Outside USA - Digital Edition Access
- Exclusive Subscriber Content
- Audio provided for all articles
- Unlimited access to past issues
- Cancel anytime.
- Renews automatically