Mel Gibson sparks major backlash after casting pro-choice actor as Virgin Mary in upcoming film
Mel Gibson is being blasted online for opting to cast a pro-choice actor as Jesus's mom in his upcoming film.
The row centers on Polish-born Kasia Smutniak, a well-known supporter of women’s rights, who’s been cast as the Virgin Mary in The Resurrection of the Christ, which started shooting this month at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios.
The 69-year-old filmmaker's decision to appoint 46-year-old women's advocate Smutniak in the role has landed him in hot water, as many Christian Catholics are anti-abortion, claiming it goes against the tenets of their religion.
After news broke that the Pole landed the role, supporters of the conservative Law and Justice party (PiS) reportedly wrote to Gibson’s Icon Productions to protest, pointing to Smutniak’s backing of the Strajk Kobiet (Women’s Strike) movement - the campaign that spearheaded protests against Poland’s strict abortion laws.
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One user on X even posted a screenshot of one of Smutniak's Instagram posts, in which the actor can be seen with Sharpie scrawled in Polish on her face, alongside English that read 'right to abortion' and 'my body my choice'.
The tweet reads, in part: "Kasia Smutniak, Polish-Italian actress, was chosen to play Jesus' Mother in Mel Gibson's new movie Passion of the Christ. Should someone with such strong left-wing views and supporting for abortion play this role? Please, look onto her face... all this inscriptions are protests against life."
"If she really played this role, more than half of Poles and Christians of all the world not watch this movie. On Polish-speaking X boils."
The casting is part of a full recast for the two-part sequel of the hit 2004 original, The Passion of the Christ. Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen is playing Jesus, taking over from Jim Caviezel, and Cuban actress Mariela Garriga replaces Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene.
You can watch the original 2004 The Passion of the Christ trailer here:
The Resurrection of the Christ will follow Jesus’ journey through Hell before the Resurrection and is expected to arrive in 2027 - more than two decades after Gibson’s initial blockbuster.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Gibson, who has previously shared how he is pro-life, has worked with actors who openly back abortion rights. Bellucci, who starred in the original, has previously called an abortion ban a 'moral falsehood'.
Whether the controversy will affect box office appetite or just fuel online outrage remains to be seen.
A representative of Smutniak's told UNILAD she does not wish to comment.
UNILAD has also contacted Gibson for comment.
Topics: Film and TV, Politics, Celebrity, Religion
Joe Yates