The Holy Week naturally gives people who commemorate it some room to reflect on life and to think of subjects associated with the central figure of what is being observed: Jesus Christ.
It just crossed my mind the actors who had played Christ in movies, regardless of their significance in their careers.
For some reason, portraying Jesus in films is not as coveted as fitting into the shoes of James Bond or The Joker. Few became a sensation playing the Son of God “who takes away the sins of the world.”
In the Philippines, actor Mat Ranillo Ill played the title role in
“Kristo,” which is a movie released in 1996 and depicting the life of Christ. That film, directed by Ben Yalung, featured an ensemble cast, with Amy Austria appearing as Mary Magdalene, Rez Cortez as Judas Iscariot, and Daniel Fernando as Simon. Those in cameos include bigger names such as Gabby Concepcion (John the Baptist), Ricky Davao (Barabbas), Rudy Fernandez (Simon of Cyrene), Lorna Tolentino (Veronica), and Christopher De Leon (Dismas).
The Christ role easily became Ranillo’s signature project, and there has been no one else in Philippine showbiz more linked to Jesus Christ as a character than him. Thanks to Mat’s physical features and aura. It takes a certain look to be able to convince audiences that you’re giving justice to portraying God’s only Son.
Here are ten of the most popular Hollywood faces who, for once, became Christ – at least on the big screen.
Jim Caviezel – “The Passion of the Christ” (2004) had been described by top film critic Roger Ebert as “might just be the greatest cinematic version of the greatest story ever told.” Others accused it of being antisemitic. Nevertheless, it is the highest-grossing Christian film of all time, and Caviezel’s efforts clearly paid off. Director Mel Gibson confirmed that the actor is reprising the role for the sequel.
Ewan McGregor – This actor played dual roles in the Temptation of Christ variation drama “Last Days in the Desert” (2015) – that of Yeshua (Jesus) and a demon. That’s definitely two different characters.
Joaquin Phoenix – Before playing The Joker and winning an Oscar for it, he played Jesus of Nazareth opposite Rooney Mara’s title role in “Mary Magdalene” (2018).
Willem Dafoe – Director Martin Scorsese’s controversial film “The Last Temptation of Christ” (1988) tapped Dafoe as Christ and pop rock icon David Bowie as Pontius Pilate. The movie is an adaptation of a 1955 novel of the same name written by Niko Kazantzakis.
John Hurt – One of Britain’s greatest actors played Christ in the comedy “History of the World, Part 1” (1981), which was written, produced, and directed by Mel Brooks, an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) recipient who played five roles in the movie. That fact alone sounds comical.
Donald Sutherland – The film “Johnny Got His Gun” (1971), from which Sutherland appeared as Jesus, became a cult movie after super band Metallica used some clips from it for their music video of a song called “One.”
Victor Garber – The Canadian actor who played Titanic builder Thomas Andrews in James Cameron’s “Titanic” and as Canadian ambassador Ken Taylor in “Argo” debuted as Jesus in the musical
“Godspell” (1973). Liam Neeson – Long before the “Taken” star cemented himself as a major figure playing Oskar Schindler, there’s a film called “Pilgrim’s Progress” (1978) where he played Jesus.
Christian Bale – The actor who donned the Batman costume in the Chris Nolan-directed Dark Knight trilogy appeared as Jesus in the made-for-TV Biblical film titled “Mary, Mother of Jesus” (1999).
Max von Sydow – Interesting that this actor played Father Lankester Merrin in the 1973 horror classic “The Exorcist,” having performed as Jesus Himself in the epic religious film “Greatest Story Ever Told” (1965) nearly a decade before.