Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: 12/04/24

Donald Trump to receive Fox Nation’s Patriot of the Year. The announcement was made last night by Fox News host Sean Hannity who is replacing former Fox & Friends Weekend co-host and embattled defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth as host of the sixth annual Patriot Awards which airs live tomorrow night on Fox Nation at 8:00 PM ET. The former and future president will be in attendance to accept. Also on hand will be Lee Greenwood – so there’s probably a better than even chance we’ll hear him performing my favorite patriotic song.

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Something about Mary. Though she’s the most woman important in Christian history, the story of Mary has been a tough one for filmmakers to get their hands around – particularly her younger years leading up the Nativity during which there are relatively few details presented in the Bible. Filling in the blanks in a way that puts forth a compelling dramatic narrative that, at the same time, respects and doesn’t contradict what is presented in Scripture is certainly a challenge.

With Netflix’s Mary (dropping Friday), D.J. Caruso becomes the latest director to step up to the plate.

JWK: You’re known for your work on thrillers like Disturbia, coming-of-age films like Standing Up, horror movies like The Disappointments Room and TV series like The Shield, Smallville and Dark Angel. What drew you to the story of Mary?

D.J. Caruso: I think she’s a most extraordinary woman. I felt cinematically there really hadn’t been a story anchored in her point of view. I wanted to make a film for a younger generation that might sort of underappreciate (her). I wanted to kind of create a film about Mary that put her in a human and relatable form. You know, something that just sort of says like this is a young woman and this is her story. To me that was a really compelling place to start to anchor a film in her point of view – where she’s not just part of the big story, the Nativity story, the birth of Christ obviously (and) the Passion but just to tell a story about what it would be like to be her, this young woman that actually, in a human way, had fears and apprehensions and had to make decisions. What would it be like?

I thought it would be a compelling story that…gives people a different perspective and a different look into her life that would make for good cinema. So, I thought it would be a great project for me to tackle. Like you said, I’ve kind of skirted all these genres from the horrors to coming-of-ages to big action movies. You know, it’s the character that draws it to you and I thought Mary is an extraordinary character – like I said one of the most extraordinary women that ever walked the planet.  

JWK: Joel Osteen is an executive producer on the film. What was it like working with him?

DJC: You know, Joel in executive producing he’s really just a big supporter of the film. He kind of got an board, was really part of the project and wanted to sort of promote it and do his thing. So, on a day-to-day basis, he wasn’t out there in Morocco with us but he was just always a champion and supporter of the script and the film. He followed it over the years. So, he really got behind it. It’s great to see him out there and really loving it.

JWK: And you got Anthony Hopkins/Hannibal Lecter to play Herod, another villain. What was it like working with him?

DJC: You feel blessed. You get to work with one of the greatest of all time. It’s just exciting for me to know that he really responded to the character. Obviously, he brings something to Herod that makes him more than just a villain. He brings a little bit more complexity, a little bit more insanity and sort of a rationale behind the insanity. It was great to see his process because, you know, you’ve witnessed and watched Sir Anthony’s work for so long. When you get to work with him as a filmmaker you go “Wow! I wonder what is his process? How do I create an atmosphere where he can do his thing and succeed?” It was just amazing to see this 86-year-old man, this amazing talent, come to set and do his thing. He was like teenager. He just loves what he’s doing. He loves work. He lit up the set and really, really brought a great energy to the movie.

JWK: I understand the film has received some online backlash because of the casting of Israeli actors Noa Cohen and Ido Tako to play Mary and Joseph. What was the basis for that and how have the actors dealt with it?

DJC: You know the world is obviously in a bit of unrest. People’s passions are running high. Whatever film it is – whoever you’re casting – there are always going to be some people out there who are gonna feel emotional in a certain way. Noa’s handled it with grace and Ido’s handled it with grace because they’re committed. The movie is really a celebration of grace, love (and) sacrifice that was embodied by Mary and Joseph. They’re tough.They’ve endured it. They did great jobs.

I’m a person of faith so I just prayed to God and said “God, please give me the best actors and most authentic talent that You can in this movie.” When I started looking at the auditions and I saw Noa, (she) just blew me away. Then I saw Ido and I was like “Wow!” The entire cast gave me dedication and beautiful performances. There’s a deep reverence that they brought to every moment.

Yes, they happen to be from within the region. Noa’s like an hour away from where Mary was born. So, we felt like it really was a blessing to find her because she hails from that region (that) is close to where Mary was born. It just gives a layer of authenticity to the portrayal of Mary. It was never an aim to get into the geopolitical aspect of “You’re from here, you’re from here, you’re from there.” It was about celebrating the grace, love and sacrifice by Mary. Noa has embraced it. Noa’s (performance) is great. She’s really proud. We’re all proud of the work that everyone did. It’s not that you dismiss it but it’s not anything about what the movies about. You gotta see the movie.

JWK: It’s a bit of a distraction, I guess.

DJC: Yeah.

JWK: About the film, I’m a believer but I don’t consider myself a biblical scholar – but, even me, as I watched it I found myself saying “Wait a minute. Is that really in the Bible?” I understand the need to fill in some of the narrative blanks but when you’re doing a movie like this it’s probably a good idea exercise a little bit of caution and respect for the subject matter. People still remember how Darren Aronofsky took the story of Noah and basically turned it into a comic book. How much dramatic license did you take? As a Catholic did you consult with any biblical experts on the final script?

DJC: Yes, I did. We had a biblical scholar that was sort of an all-knowing biblical scholar. Then, for me, my spiritual adviser was Bishop David O’Connell who has just passed away. He’s was a bishop here in Los Angeles who was actually murdered about a year ago. He was wonderful man. He was my connection to Mary. He brought me in. He was like “Look, this is great. You need to make this movie. People need to get close to the Blessed Mother.” So, he was my adviser on the film.

I think you’re right. We have the structure and we have the Scripture. We have Matthew. We have Luke. We know all about Mary. We know about the Nativity. We know about the Birth. But Joseph doesn’t speak a word in the Gospel, right? So, how do we interpret it? How do we give Joseph a voice? How do we stay reverent to it? So, we use the foundation of all the Scripture for our plot and the narrative…Then we looked at some non-canonized scripture. You know, the Protoevangelium of James that talked about Mary, her life and her birth which is something that, as a Catholic growing up, I always knew that story but didn’t know how I knew that story because…of the way the biblical stories were told. Then, Josephus, who was great historian, really had a wealth of material about King Herod and the times and all those sort of things.

So, taking all that into consideration and staying loyal to the Scripture we do then, as filmmakers, cinematically get to fill in the gaps and to do things with reverence. For example, if King Herod is sending the Roman soldiers and his men out to slaughter the children, what would it be like if those soldiers are in same house or the same structure where Mary and Joseph are hiding out – and how do you create tension in that?

JWK: There was that scene where they came very close to being captured. I think Joseph is even shown fighting off some of the soldiers. Is there any basis for that – or did you just want to introduce some action into the story?

DJC: For me, I wanted to give Joseph a voice. It was really important to me that people understand that this young man – or this man – got involved in a situation and, obviously, embraced it but that he, like any other father, would fight for his life, would fight for his family, whatever it takes, whatever self-sacrifice…I wanted to make Joseph a fighter. It was important to me to give Joseph a voice. It wasn’t like “Oh, we need to have action” or “We need to do this.” I mean Joseph was acting like any other father would in order to protect his wife and protect his Child. That included outsmarting a soldier, wrapping a soldier up in a net, running away, doing stuff (and) keeping the mob away from Mary. In humanizing Mary and Joseph, it was important to me that they did things that were relatable and human so that a father can understand it and a mother can understand it. That was the most important thing.

JWK: I did find some concerns among religious experts who viewed the trailer. I’d like to go through a few of them to give you the opportunity to respond. One of them that there’s nothing in the Bible about Mary’s father making a promise to Gabriel as is portrayed in the trailer. Do you have a response to that?

DJC: Yeah. The Protoevangelium of James is where the story of Mary and her parents was told…It’s not in the canonized Scripture. Also, in the canonized Scripture Joseph doesn’t say a word. So, anytime Joseph says a word in any movie or anything someone had to fill in the gap.

JWK: There’s a scene where Herod says “What need have we of a messiah?” One of the experts says he would be very unlikely to say such a thing since that would have offended the Jews – and his job was basically to keep the Jews in line.

DJC: Oh boy, did Herod offend the Jews like crazy! If anyone even understands…the political aspects of Herod, Herod wasn’t a Jew. He was an Arab. He was made king of the Jews (but) Herod wasn’t a Jew. He was trying to win over the Jews. At certain times he had to even slay his own people and his own family…There’s a geopolitical battle in the whole movie that is historically accurate. Herod was not adored by the Jews. That was the problem. The Jews viewed Herod as a Roman puppet. Being a Roman puppet, Herod was more interested in pleasing Rome to keep his power. That at certain times was misunderstood. He was trying to be a great king for the Jews but the Jews didn’t accept him.

JWK: Another concern from the trailer is that the film brings current cultural baggage into Scripture by portraying Mary as a feminist which kind of takes the focus off of Christ. What do you have to say about that?

DJC: To not show that Mary was courageous, had to endure certain things or had apprehensions? To make her a feminist because she’s fighting for her child, accepts this fiat and puts God in her heart? I don’t know. I just find that to be quite silly to be honest with you. You’re making a movie about a young woman and the power, the beauty and the grace of a young woman.

JWK: I’m just going through the list. Another one says – and, to be fair, they say that even very reverential movies make this mistake – that Mary is depicted an undergoing pain during childbirth. I guess the view is that, since she was without sin, she would not have experienced that pain.

DJC: We don’t know if Mary had labor pains or not, right? So, it’s open to interpretation. I think it was sort of something that came in maybe like 800 years after the Birth of Christ that someone decided that “Well, maybe Mary shouldn’t have labor pains.” Look, I believe that Mary is the Mother of Jesus, that she’s the Ever Virgin. It’s that simple. There’s no scientific argument that you can give me to say “Well, she’s no longer a virgin (because) she had labor pains.” I wanted to humanize Mary in this movie. I chose to show the beauty and transformative event of Christ’s Birth that all mothers can relate to. If you’ve been part of a birth or your wife’s given birth…we all know that it is the most formative event that someone can experience in their life. I believe Mary is the Mother of Jesus and she is the Ever Virgin. She was also very human to me. So, in order to do this story and to tell it correctly I felt it was okay. Like I said, there’s no definitive proof whether Mary did or did not have labor pains. It doesn’t make her not a virgin because she has labor pains. She’s the Ever Virgin. This is my interpretation of the Birth of Christ.

JWK: There seems to be an opening of a sequel centered more around Easter. Is that a possibility?

DJC: Obviously we know where the story goes from here. Anchored in Mary’s point of view and her perspective, there’s definitely a next stage for it. It would be an honor to kind of get everyone back together and do it again. So, yeah, it’s definitely a possibility.

JWK: Anything else you’d like to say as we wrap-up?

DJC: Thank you very much. I’d just like to just encourage people to see the movie. I think in faith sometimes things get lost – where it’s like “Oh, the Gospel says this” or “The Bible says this.” Just open your hearts. Enjoy the movie. Watch the movie. See the beauty of this woman. You know, the formality of the Scriptures – this changing or that changing, all that stuff –The Chosen has gone through that. People were all over The Chosen because “That didn’t happen in the Gospel.”…You have to understand that the artistic interpretation is from reverence, beauty and the celebration of Mary. I just want everyone to see this movie and celebrate who she was – and who she is.

Note: My review of Mary will run Friday.