unilad homepage
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • World News
    • Crime
    • Health
    • Money
    • Sport
    • Travel
  • Film and TV
    • Netflix
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Archive
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Actor playing Jesus in The Passion of the Christ was struck by lightning and suffered multiple illnesses during filming

Home> Film & TV

Published 14:21 15 Jun 2023 GMT+1

Actor playing Jesus in The Passion of the Christ was struck by lightning and suffered multiple illnesses during filming

It seems Jim Caviezel's faith was tested as he'd endured injury, illness and lightning whilst filming The Passion of the Christ.

Katherine Sidnell

Katherine Sidnell

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

Actors are known for pouring their heart and soul into an intense role, but not quite as much as Jim Caviezel did (literally).

The actor was struck by lightning twice while filming The Passion of the Christ, suffering several grim injuries whilst on set for the religious film.

Whilst most of us would have lost faith in the 2004 film, Caviezel kept going - despite seemingly receiving a cease and desist from the almighty.

Advert

One of the bolts also hit the film’s assistant director, Jan Michelini, whilst she and Caviezel were shooting in Italy alongside Mel Gibson.

Though the BBC reported ‘neither of them was badly hurt’, we still can’t imagine the experience of being hit by lighting being at all pleasant.

Shockingly, it was the second time Caviezel was struck during the intense shoot – with the actor first receiving a bolt from the blue in Matera, Italy, where he suffered light burns to his fingers as he’d been holding an umbrella at the time.

Lightning struck Caviezel twice during the making of the 2004 film.
dpa picture alliance / Alamy Stock Photo

It was whilst cast and crew were recreating the Sermon on the Mount back in 2003, as depicted in the Bible.

However, the worst was yet to come for The Thin Red Line star and devout Catholic as filming continued.

As the film focuses on the last 12 hours of Jesus’ life, the now 54-year-old had to carry the cross as he recreated the religious figure’s crucifixion.

Whilst hanging from the cross through weeks of filming, the intense shoot took its toll on Caviezel, with the actor dislocating his shoulder and enduring numerous cuts from the chains wrapped around him.

Jim Caviezel endured endless injury and illness on set.
Marquis Films

If that was bad enough, he also got pneumonia and a lung infection due to being semi-nude for the scene – wearing nothing but a thin cloth draped over him.

He was even accidentally lashed by a co-star, who was playing a Roman soldier, whilst performing the unenviable task of carrying the cross, leaving him with a 14 inch gash in his back.

“It just extended over the board and hit me with such a velocity that I couldn’t breathe,” Caviezel told Today, adding: “It’s like getting the wind knocked out of you. The stinging is so horrific that you can’t get air.

Filming this scene was just as gruelling as it looked.
Marquis Films

Continuing, he joked: “I turned around and looked at the guy, and I tell you, I may be playing Jesus, but I felt like Satan at that moment.

"I turned to him, a couple of expletives came out of my mouth.”

Despite everything he experienced on set, Caviezel doesn’t seem to have lost his faith and is set to appear in a sequel to The Passion of the Christ in 2024.

Featured Image Credit: PictureLux / The Hollywood Archive / Alamy / Moviestore Collection Ltd / Alamy

Topics: Celebrity, Film and TV

Katherine Sidnell
Katherine Sidnell

Katherine is an entertainment journalist with a love of all things nerdy. Starting out writing Doctor Who fan fiction as a kid, she has gone on to interview the likes of Matt Damon, James May and Dua Lipa to name a few. Published in The Sun, The Daily Mail and Evening Standard - she now joins Ladbible as resident nerd in chief.

X

@ksidnell

  • Woman who was struck by lightning reveals exactly what she saw during near-death experience
  • Kim Novak criticizes Sydney Sweeney playing her in Scandalous biopic
  • Desperate Housewives' Jesse Metcalfe claims he was ‘fired’ after one season
  • Harry Potter actor John Lithgow reveals ‘extremely difficult thing’ about joining reboot
a day ago
2 days ago
3 days ago
  • David M. Benett/Dave Benett/WireImage/Getty Images
    a day ago

    Sienna Miller recalls filming 'nine-hour' sex scene with Ben Affleck which left her 'shaking with tears running down her face'

    Sienna Miller starred in the 2017 movie Live By Night alongside Ben Affleck

    Film & TV
  • HBO
    2 days ago

    Zendaya reveals if Euphoria will end after Season 3 as she shares new details

    The actress revealed all to Drew Barrymore

    Film & TV
  • Bruce Glikas/WireImage
    3 days ago

    Harry Potter actor John Lithgow reveals ‘extremely difficult thing’ about joining reboot

    The actor opened up about it all in a new documentary that looks into the highly anticipated reboot ahead of its release later this year

    Film & TV
  • Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
    3 days ago

    Netflix loses court battle over raising prices the past 7 years and ordered to pay refunds

    An Italian court found that the price increases did not comply with Italian law

    Film & TV