Jim Caviezel is best known for his role as Jesus Christ in Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ”. He has also played the disciple Luke in the film “Paul, Apostle of Christ”. Since he’s played such prominent characters in Christianity, you might wonder what his religion is and whether or not it plays a part in the roles he accepts as an actor. So to shed some light on such matters, let’s discuss Jim Caviezel’s life, movies, and religion in this article.
Jim Caviezel is a devout Catholic. He came from a close-knit Catholic family whom he regularly attended Church with. This allowed him to understand and take in the Christian faith and practices at a very young age. As an adult and an actor, his religion affects his work and the projects he takes on.
So how exactly does Caviezel’s religion affect his work and projects? Continue reading to know more.
Who is Jim Caviezel?
When people hear the name “Jim Caviezel”, many are reminded of his role as Jesus Christ in Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” in 2004. While the movie faced lots of criticisms and controversies even before its release, it was able to break box-office records worldwide. In fact, according to Box Office Mojo, it made more than $611,000,000 throughout its run.
Aside from “The Passion of the Christ”, Caviezel is also known for his role in the 1998 war epic “The Thin Red Line”, a movie that gave him his big break. In the following years, he gained more recognition by acting in the movies “Ride with the Devil” and “Frequency”. In 2001, he was cast alongside Jennifer Lopez in the movie “Angel Eyes”, which established him as a versatile actor.
His other notable roles in movies include “Pay It Forward (2000)”, “The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)”, “Deja Vu (2006)”, “The Ballad of Lefty Brown (2017)”, and “Sound of Freedom (2023)”. He found success on the small screen, too, landing the lead role in the crime drama “Person of Interest”.
Off-screen, Caviezel is a husband to a school teacher and a father to three children.
Jim Caviezel and The Passion of the Christ
Jim Caviezel’s portrayal of Jesus Christ was well-received by both the movie’s viewers and its critics. He did, however, face a lot of challenges to play such a role. For one, Mel Gibson, the movie’s director himself, told him that he might not be able to land other good roles in the industry if he accepted his offer to play Christ. While he felt fear, he still went through with it.
Additionally, Caviezel experienced a lot of difficulties while filming. He was struck by lightning, suffered hypothermia, and had pneumonia. He also dislocated his shoulder from the weight of the cross. One of the whips even cut and gave him a 13-inch gash on his back when it missed the steel board it was supposed to hit while filming the movie’s whipping scene.
That said, Caviezel’s work on the movie “The Passion of the Christ” will perhaps be forever associated with his name – and rightfully so, considering his impressive portrayal of Jesus Christ. As much as it was memorable to its viewers, his role in the film also left a huge mark on Caviezel himself.
After “The Passion of the Christ”, Caviezel was led to work on more faith-based films. In an interview with People, he says that he feels a calling “to spread the word of God through his work”, which is why he’s “drawn to projects that ‘speak the truth’ and make a difference in the world”.
In 2016, for instance, he narrated the documentary “Liberating the Continent: John Paul II and the Fall of Communism”. He also played St. Luke in the biblical drama “Paul, Apostle of Christ”. Furthermore, he was the narrator for the historical documentary “Onyx, Kings of the Grail” and the action thriller “Infidel”.
It should be noted, however, that not all of Caviezel’s work since the “The Passion of the Christ” are religious or conservative. In an interview with the Catholic News Agency (CNA), he explains:
“My faith does not mean that I don’t play sinful characters. That doesn’t mean I will not do R-rated movies… I’ve played sinful people and characters as well as holy people. I try to find something that is redeemable in a story. I don’t blaspheme Our Lord. There are things (films) that I won’t do… If I see a script that I really like (but which has parts that are unacceptable to me) I ask them to change a part of it and – if they really want me – they will change it.”
What Is Jim Caviezel’s Religion?
As I’ve mentioned above, Jim Caviezel is a devout Catholic. He came from a Catholic family whom he regularly attended church and learned the Christian faith and practices from. His religion has played a big part not only in his life but throughout his career as well. Aside from choosing more faith-based films, his belief in God is what also pointed him to acting.
During the Liberty University Convocation in 2018, Caviezel described that at the age of 19, God called him to be an actor. He said:
“I felt this love that I had never felt before, this peace I never felt before. I heard God say, ‘I’d like you to be an actor’. I did not know where to go. I had a call to be an actor, but it was going to take Him to teach me and bring me to the right teachers, the right films to do.”
Now, it wasn’t until the filming of the movie “High Crimes” that Caviezel made his religious beliefs known. While making the movie in 2002, he refused to do any love scenes with actress Ashley Judd, his on-screen wife. This was because it goes against his Catholic faith.
That said, Caviezel is never shy about being a Catholic and speaking of his faith. In a 2018 presentation, for example, he spoke in front of young Catholics to “Shake off indifference”, “express their faith in public”, “Pray. Fast. Meditate on the Holy Scriptures. Take the sacraments seriously”, and embrace their crosses.
