“When you run head-on into the freight train of God‘s enemy, consider it confirmation you are happily going in opposite directions.“ Jim Caviezel, the legendary actor, concurs.
THE SPIRITUAL COST OF THE MOVIE The Passion Of Christ: It was famously grueling for Jim Caviezel, who sustained a series of severe injuries and health issues that he has described as “torture.”
According to Caviezel
• Struck by Lightning: Caviezel was struck by lightning while filming the Sermon on the Mount scene. He described seeing “fire coming out of the right and left side of my head” and feeling “lit up like a Christmas tree.” The assistant director, Jan Michelini, was also struck.
• Dislocated Shoulder: While carrying the 150-pound cross, Caviezel’s shoulder was dislocated. He has stated that the agony visible on his face during the “road to Golgotha” scenes was authentic physical pain.
• Accidental Scourging: During the whipping scenes, a Roman soldier actor missed the protective board on Caviezel’s back twice, leaving a 14-inch gash and “knocking the wind” out of him.
• Facial Injuries: In one take where he fell while carrying the cross, the cross hit him in the head, causing him to bite through his tongue and cheek.
Health Complications
• Heart Surgeries: The lightning strike and the physical toll of the production led to long-term heart complications. Caviezel eventually required two heart surgeries, including open-heart surgery, to correct the damage.
• Pneumonia and Hypothermia: Much of the filming took place in extreme cold. Hanging nearly naked on the cross for weeks in bone-chilling winds resulted in severe hypothermia and a lung infection that developed into pneumonia.
• Skin Infections and Migraines: The daily eight-hour makeup sessions caused skin infections and persistent, “devilish” migraines.
Caviezel has maintained that despite the intense suffering—which he says “nearly killed” him—he felt the experience was “worth it” for the Passion movie produced.
