Not many actors have the privilege of playing an apostle and the Son of God (twice) in major Hollywood films, but Jim Caviezel is on track to do just that.
With the huge box-office success of “The Passion of the Christ” that raked in $611 million globally, fans are on the edges of their seats anticipating the release of its sequel as well as the film “Paul, Apostle of Christ,” in which Caviezel stars as the apostle Luke.
In a Facebook Live with Faithwire earlier this week, the actor opened up about what it’s like playing such huge roles as well navigating the Hollywood scene as a Christian.
Jim Caviezel on Being In Holywood as a Christian
“It’s a huge responsibility,” Caviezel says of taking on the role of iconic biblical figures. He explained that an added challenge with producing faith-based films is maintaining a high-production quality as well as biblical accuracy.
“Our industry often times when they get a film that is biblical, they change it in many ways, the fundamentals… 2 and 2 isn’t 5,” said Caviezel. “When you start doing that and taking liberties like that, it loses its value.”
When asked about what it’s like to be a Christian in Hollywood, the actor replied with a simple yet profound analogy:
“It’s like water all around you and nothing to drink. You know if you go out to the ocean and you drink the saltwater, you’ll die.”
Caviezel, a practicing Catholic, explained that it was his grounded faith in God that helped him battle the temptations that so many others fall prey to in his industry:
“Some of the actors wanted to get into other forms of entertainment, drugs and what not, and I think it would have been a matter of time before I started that bad habit and gone to the wrong places… I had enough wisdom from the faith I already had that that’s not going to make me happy, and I had to decide at a really young age. It forced me into the arms of God because I had nowhere else to go. The Spirit is really important because it helps motivate your mental capabilities in acting and also your physical capabilities.”
The Jesus actor also opened up about how living an obedient lifestyle and “warring against [his] own flesh” prior to his fame helped him to navigate the Hollywood scene with humility.
“I came into the business, and Jesus carried me like a little lamb,” said Caviezel. “At some point I became famous. And now I have the power, and our Lord is as if He became the lamb, and at any point, I could say ‘You know what, for this role, sorry bud, I gotta slaughter you. It’s me now.’ And I never did that.”
He shared that it’s been challenging to turn down some of the lucrative roles he’s been offered that would compromise his values, but the payoff has been more than worth it. The actor actually called turning down the roles “common sense,” as the risk is simply not worth the reward.
“My gift is from God,” Caviezel says of his acting ability. So he aims to continually move forward in a career path that will be glorifying to Him alone. “It was a gift given to me. I didn’t give it to myself.”
See more about Caviezel’s faith background and his upcoming films in the full Faithwire interview below:
Actor Jim Caviezel discusses faith, life, Hollywood and his new biblical epic!
Posted by Faithwire on Thursday, March 1, 2018
