14 DAY TRIAL // At the time he starred in the Mel Gibson- written and directed “The Passion of the Christ,” Jim Caviezel was considered one of the most promising stars of the moment. Since then, hype around him has died down considerably – and he blames the controversial film for it.
In a 20-minute talk in a church in Orlando, to promote a new audiobook of the Bible, the actor revealed how Hollywood shunned him after “The Passion of the Christ” came out in 2004.
At the same time, he made no effort to mask his belief that the Jesus role ruined what could have otherwise been a very successful career in feature films, the Daily Mail reports.
“He said he was ‘rejected in my own industry’ after taking on the lead role in Mel Gibson’s controversial movie ‘The Passion of the Christ’. Since playing the son of God in the 2004 film he said offers had dried up and he is shunned by many within the industry,” the British tab writes.
“Jesus is as controversial now as he has ever been. Not much has changed in 2,000 years,” the actor told the audience.
Apparently, he blamed the backlash against the film (with many accusing Gibson of making an anti-Semitic movie) for the way his career came to a halt after it came out in theaters – despite the fact that the film was a box office hit, judging strictly by the numbers.
During the same talk, Caviezel even said that Gibson himself had warned him that accepting the Jesus part could very well put an end to his career, which was just taking off then.
Previously, Caviezel had been seen in “The Count of Monte Cristo,” “Angel Eyes” and “Frequency,” and, as noted above, he was considered a very promising actor, one that would soon become the most sought after star of the moment.
“[Gibson] said, ‘You’ll never work in this town again.’ I told him, ‘We all have to embrace our crosses’,” Caviezel said.
And, speaking of Gibson, the actor said the world shouldn’t be this quick to judge him.
“Mel Gibson, he’s a horrible sinner, isn’t he? Mel Gibson doesn’t need your judgment, he needs your prayers,” he said.