Mel Gibson Remembers PASSION OF THE CHRIST Star Christo Jivkov
By Movieguide® Contributor
Director of the 2004 classic THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST recently remembered one of the movie’s stars, Christo Jivkovm, who died at age 48 on April 1, 2023.
Kaloyan Bozhilov, a cinematographer at Jivkov’s production company Red Carpet Films confirmed the news.
“Unfortunately, the news is true. Christo left this world after a long illness,” Bozhilov shared. “[The] Last year’s [sic] of his life he spent in the USA.”
Mel Gibson, who worked with Jivko on THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, also released a statement about the actor’s death.
“My dear friend Christo has lost his heroic battle with cancer,” his statement read. “Right to the last moment he was filled with hope and his spirit was strong. I’ll miss him but I know his suffering is over and he has eternal bliss. God keep him.”
Jivkov was born in Bulgaria and attended the Bulgarian Film & Theater Academy. He appeared in the Italian movie THE PROFESSION OF ARMS and the US-Italian movie THE GOOD WAR.
In 2004, he starred as John the Apostle in THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST. After that, Jivkov continued acting in Italy and worked as a producer with Red Carpet Films.
Please pray for Jivkov’s loved ones as they navigate this time of grief.
A portion of Movieguide®’s review of THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST reads:
Mel Gibson’s THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST covers the time period from the Garden of Gethsemane to the Cross and beyond. Going beyond most Passion Plays, it highlights in stark, dark, intense terms the spiritual warfare raging around Jesus Christ during His Passion. The first scene has Jesus weeping in the Garden of Gethsemane, as Satan, an androgynous figure accompanied by a snake, tries to tempt Jesus away from his destiny on the cross. When Jesus arises, he stomps on the head of the serpent. Quickly, Judas leads the temple guards into the garden to arrest Jesus. From that point, the brutal treatment of the Messiah is shown in stark detail.
THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST is a must-see movie, beautifully directed, powerfully acted, and with terrific sound. Filmed in Latin and Aramaic, THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST has a foreign sensibility. The violence and the glee of the Romans who were scourging Jesus highlight the demonic quality of the battle Jesus was fighting. Those who see it will understand, perhaps for the first time, the price that Jesus paid to forgive us our sins. This is real grace, not cheap grace.
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