Mel Gibson Warned Jim Caviezel That Playing Jesus Might End His Hollywood Career

Jim Caviezel is opening up about the risks he faced when he took on one of the most iconic roles in movie history: Jesus in The Passion of the Christ. According to Caviezel, director Mel Gibson gave him a blunt warning before he agreed to star in the 2004 film—playing Jesus could be a one-way ticket out of Hollywood.

Caviezel revealed that his first meeting with Gibson’s team was supposed to be about a surfing movie—definitely a different kind of wave. But the conversation quickly took a turn from riding waves to walking on water, as Gibson himself entered and shifted the topic to Jesus movies. "That’s not a surfing movie. It’s not Jesus on a surfboard. How’s that going to work?" Caviezel joked during a recent podcast appearance. Suddenly, he realized Gibson wanted him for the role of Jesus, and despite the shock, he agreed almost instantly.

But Gibson didn’t let him dive in without a tough talk. Two days later, Gibson called Caviezel and asked, "You really want to do this? If you do this movie, you may never work in this town again." Caviezel, however, felt a sense of destiny about the role, saying, "I was OK with that." He wanted to make the film as real as possible, no matter the cost.

The cost, it turns out, was pretty steep. Caviezel endured daily confession, double pneumonia, hypothermia, a separated shoulder, and—believe it or not—was even struck by lightning while filming the crucifixion scene. In his words, "The pain was excruciating," and he suffered atrial fibrillation on set. The on-set doctor even warned Gibson, "He could die." After the film wrapped, Caviezel needed two heart surgeries as a result of the ordeal.

Behind the scenes, the cross Caviezel hung on was rigged with a bike seat, and he was so fatigued he sometimes slept right there, makeup and all. "It was constant torment," he shared, but he felt it brought him closer to the suffering of Jesus himself. By the time they shot the crucifixion scenes, his separated shoulder made him doubt he could finish, forcing him to rely on faith.

Despite the physical and professional risks, Caviezel said he was motivated by the belief that the film served a greater purpose. "The world didn’t like this film, and that’s a good thing, so we did a good job," he stated.

Gibson poured tens of millions of his own money into the project, and it paid off—the film went on to gross over $600 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing religious film ever, according to Guinness World Records.

Now, Caviezel is gearing up to reprise his role as Jesus in The Resurrection of the Christ, expected in 2026. Though he admits he’s "scared" to take it on again, he says the fear means he’s ready.