The Story of Caviezel, the Actor who was Struck by Lightning While Playing Jesus Christ

Jim Caviezel, the main actor in the film Passion of The Christ, was once struck by lightning while playing Jesus Christ. 

Passion of The Christ is a film directed by Mel Gibson which tells the story of Jesus' journey to the cross. 

When it was released in 2004, the film was entrenched at the top of the US box office and was able to make a profit of up to IDR 9.1 trillion. 

To this day, the film Passion of The Christ is still playing on paid streaming platforms or churches ahead of the celebration of Good Friday and Easter. 

So, how did Caviezel get struck by lightning while playing Jesus? Here's the confession. 

Initially refused the role of Jesus

Caviezel is an American actor. 

He was born in Mount Vernon, Washington on September 26, 1968 with the full name James Patrick Caviezel. 

Prior to being involved in the production of Passion of The Christ, Caviezel had turned down the role of Jesus in a play and two TV projects. 

However, the role as Jesus finally accepted Caviezel when he was visited by Gibson. 

At that time, the director was indeed planning to bring up the miserable journey of Jesus at Golgotha ​​Proof to the big screen. 

From his meeting with Gibson, Caviezel then agreed to the offer as Jesus because he considered the director to be committed to raising the story of Jesus without boundaries. 

"I didn't look at him and say, 'I'm Catholic, and I'm going to play Jesus,'" Caviezel said. 

Caviezel struggles to play Jesus

While playing Jesus in Passion of The Christ, Caviezel admits that he went through a hard struggle because the filming process was not easy. 

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Filming took place in Italy, including at Studio Cinecittà, the old city of Matera and the city of Craco (Basicilicata) in 2003. 

Caviezel said she woke up at 2am and took 8 hours to do her makeup, including dressing her body. 

The make-up artist took a long time because they had to simulate the wounds, swelling and torn flesh like the real story of Jesus when he was about to be crucified. 

He said the filming process followed the path of Jesus' journey, including a series of torture scenes. 

Beaten by a supporting actor

The actor admitted that he endured prolonged pain because the supporting actor who played the role of a Roman soldier hit his body in an inappropriate position. 

Not only that, Caviezel was chained to a post with a board attached behind him to withstand the blow. 

"The pain is so horrible you can't breathe," said Caviezel. 

Caviezel, who was annoyed with the actor who hit him, admitted that he said harsh words because he was in pain. 

"I turned around and saw the guy and let me tell you, I may have been playing Jesus, but I felt like the devil at that moment," Caviezel said. 

It didn't stop there, Caviezel also admitted that his back was injured due to the caning scene. 

This happened after a supporting actor playing a Roman soldier punched his body. 

Caviezel was struck by lightning

Caviezel's struggle to play Jesus does not stop at trying to endure the pain. 

He was also struck by lightning during the crucifixion scene which temporarily halted filming. 

Reporting from Express, Caviezel had told Peggy Noonan of The Wall Street Journal that the lightning that hit him made people around him scream. 

Before the lightning struck, Caviezel admitted that for about 4 seconds the conditions were still silent, but suddenly there was a booming sound in his ear. 

From there, she felt her eyes turn a slightly blurry pink for 7-8 seconds and people started screaming. 

"They said there was a fire on the left side of my head and lights around my body," added Caviezel. 

Furthermore, he said that the film Passion of The Christ almost killed him because of a series of sufferings. 

His body was pierced by the cold that was so painful while filming on a cliff with a height of more than a thousand feet. 

Caviezel also had a dislocated left shoulder, pneumonia, and even had heart surgery twice.