The Curse of ‘The Passion of the Christ’ Movie
“The Passion of the Christ” Poster. Was the film cursed? Image: Wikipedia
The director and lead actor of the 2004 film “The Passion of the Christ” were both struck by lightning during the filming of the movie. This has lead to some believing the movie was cursed or being punished by God.
The Curse of the Passion of the CHrist
Jim Caviezel as Jesus in the supposedly cursed film “The Passion of the Christ”. Photo: Looper.
A number of strange and unfortunate events happened during the filming of “The Passion of the Christ” which lead some people to believe the movie was cursed.
Lightning Strikes on the Passion of the Christ set
While filming in a remote location a few hours from Rome for Mel Gibson's controversial film The Passion Of Christ, actor Jim Caviezel, who played the role of Jesus, was struck by lightning along with the film's assistant director Jan Michelini.
This was the second time Michelini had been struck by lightning during the shoot. Fortunately, neither of them suffered serious injuries, according to the film's producer Steve McEveety.
Earlier, Michelini had experienced minor burns to his fingers after lightning hit his umbrella during filming in Matera, Italy.
McEveety, who was standing about a hundred feet away from them, saw smoke coming out of Caviezel's ears after the second lightning strike.
The Passion Of Christ, a movie that portrays the last 12 hours of Jesus' life, was filmed in the ancient languages of Latin and Aramaic and was directed and co-written by actor Mel Gibson.
Jim Caviezel receives whipping injuries on the set of the Passion of the Christ
Jim Caviezel received real whipping injuries on the cursed set of the Passion of the Christ.
Lightning wasn’t the only thing causing people to believe “The Passion of the Christ” was cursed.
During the filming of The Passion of the Christ's infamous scourging scene, a whipping post was secretly set up behind Jim Caviezel since it wouldn’t be very nice to flay the skin off his body in real life.
One of the actors who was flogging Caviezel had poor aim when swinging overhand, causing the lash to extend over the board and hit him with extreme force.
Caviezel recounted to Today that the blow was so powerful that he couldn't breathe and felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. The pain was excruciating, making it impossible for him to catch his breath.
More injuries received by Jim Caviezel on the Cursed set of the Passion of the Christ
The makeup worn by Jim Caviezel during the filming of The Passion of the Christ gave him migraines.
In addition to being struck by lightning and enduring a couple of misplaced lashes, Jim Caviezel also dislocated his shoulder while carrying the massive crucifix during the filming of The Passion of the Christ.
According to Caviezel, the wooden construction weighed 150 pounds, and it felt even heavier as the day wore on. "Later, they put you up on a cross in extremely cold weather with strong winds," he told Fox News.
Being almost naked in such freezing conditions almost caused the actor to develop hypothermia, and he ended up with a lung infection and pneumonia.
Caviezel also went on to develop constant migraines due to the excessive amount of make up and prosthetics he was required to wear while filming the more gruesome scenes.
Jim Caviezel’s Cursed Career after the Passion of the Christ
According to Caviezel, he has been ostracized by Hollywood for portraying Jesus, and he has shared that Gibson attempted to dissuade him from taking on the role soon after offering it to him.
During a speech at First Baptist Church of Orlando, Caviezel recounted Gibson's words to him, stating that Gibson warned him that he would never find work in Hollywood again.
Despite this warning, Caviezel remained steadfast and reminded Gibson that they must all accept their hardships and sacrifices to speak the truth, even if it means giving up their identities, reputations, and lives.
Caviezel later was recorded calling Mel Gisbon a “horrible sinner” so maybe that had a little something to do with it.
Why is “The Passion of the Christ” cursed?
Some believe the movie may be cursed due to Mel Gibson and his disparaging remarks made about Jewish people. Mel Gibson has been know for making antisemitic comments.
Others believe the film to be blasphemous as it is using the story of Jesus to make money.
Whatever the reason you can’t deny there were definitely some strange events surrounding the Passion of the Christ set.
Do you think the curse of the Passion of the Christ is real? Let us know in the comments!
If you enjoyed learning about the curse of The Passion of the Christ you might also be interested in Rudolph Valentino’s cursed ring or the curse of Johnny Frank Garrett.
