By Gavin Boyle
Actor Bruce Marchiano discussed playing Jesus on THE ENCOUNTER and how he prepared to take on the role of Christ.
“To kind of give a short answer, number one, you just pray your knees raw,” Marchiano told Pure Flix. “You know, I’m very aware that I don’t have the goods as a person, or as an actor, to represent Him accurately, and that’s the whole thing — to represent Him in authenticity and accuracy.”
“I’m very aware that what’s needed is Him working through me, if I can put it that way. I’m very aware of the responsibility of representing Him and that people are going to make decisions about Him based on what I do,” he continued. “So to make a long story short, I pray like crazy.”
Marchiano’s approach is very similar to other Christian actors who have taken on the role over the years. For example, when discussing his preparation, THE CHOSEN’s Jonathan Roumie explained that he spends as much time with God as possible.
“Playing Jesus requires a lot of deep thought and consideration, given who He was and what He means to so many people around the world, including myself as a Christian, and I think there’s a certain reverence that I have for the character,” Roumie told Movieguide® in 2024.
“There’s an endless supply of complexity with Jesus,” Roumie later added. “I mean, He’s the most difficult character I will ever play. He’s the most difficult character just to play because of who He was. I don’t take any of it lightly. I strive to honor Him in my portrayal.”
Related: Actor Bruce Marchiano: Playing Jesus Ruined Hollywood For Me
Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus in THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, has shared a similar sentiment, explaining that in order to honor God in his role as Jesus, he had to first give his career over to the Lord. This also helped him overcome the fear that after portraying Jesus he would be an outcast in Hollywood.
“[Mel Gibson] goes, ‘Do you still want to play this Jesus guy? If you do, you may never work in this town again’ and I was like scared. It scared me…I just bought a Lamborghini, and…I’ll have to give all this stuff back, and I was scared for a moment, and then this peace came over me, and I could feel it was from heaven, and I said, ‘Look, man, we’re all called to carry our cross. If you don’t pick up and carry your cross, you will be crushed by the weight of it,’” Caviezel said.
It is amazing how these actors are willing to sacrifice their entire livelihood to honor the Lord with their work. And their work has not been in vain as hundreds of millions of people know Jesus better because of them.
Read Next: CHOSEN Star Jonathan Roumie Says Role Has ‘Deepened [His] Faith Exponentially’
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