The actor who nearly died while filming “The Passion of the Christ”: whipping, surgery, pneumonia…

The advent of Holy Week is a time to practice some traditions that should not be ignored. Rice pudding, corn tortillas and movies like Ben-Hur or Spartacus. One of the movies that usually opens on these days is The Passion of the Christ, directed by Mel Gibson. The film caused little controversy when it was released in 2004; But few know what Jim Caviezel suffered

the actor behind the character of Jesus of Nazareth.

The harshness of “The Passion of the Christ” is also reflected in real life

Caviezel suffered real hardship during the making of the film, so much so that he himself later admitted that he was close to death. This list starts with a real whiplash. Yes, just like you read. One of the actors who played the Romans around Jesus was so accurate. Later, when Caviezel picked up the cross, it was so heavy (estimated to be around 60 kilograms) that he dislocated his shoulder.

The scene where he preached on the mountain was not far away. As the actors gathered together, lightning struck near their location. The film was shot entirely in Italy, mainly around the cities of Craco and Matera.. The bad weather didn’t stop filming, although the actors did suffer. Cavazel suffered a lung infection caused by pneumonia, which nearly took his life. He underwent two surgeries, one of which was a thoracotomy.

To some extent, the rawness that Mel Gibson wanted to convey to the screen was also reflected in the recording process of the film. The filmmaker has shared his creative vision for the film on several occasions. He wanted the image to be “extreme” so that viewers could see the “sacrifice” Jesus endured.

Before, during, and after His journey to Calvary.