{"id":43873,"date":"2025-04-21T13:57:20","date_gmt":"2025-04-21T17:57:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=43873"},"modified":"2025-04-21T13:57:20","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T17:57:20","slug":"jim-cavizel-the-resurrection-of-the-christ-is-my-greatest-fear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2025\/04\/jim-cavizel-the-resurrection-of-the-christ-is-my-greatest-fear.html","title":{"rendered":"Jim Cavizel: “The Resurrection of the Christ is My Greatest Fear.”"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Genevieve \/ Flickr | Inset: Newmarket Films<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Arguably, the most anticipated movie in Christendom is the sequel to <\/span>The Passion of the Christ. <\/span><\/i>And yet, the man who became seminal with the role of Jesus Christ is afraid to become him again in what is now officially entitled <\/span>The Resurrection of the Christ<\/i><\/a>.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Jim Caviezel, 56, was mesmerizing in Mel Gibson\u2019s 2004 box-office juggernaut. Many Christians left the theaters weeping. Others fell to their knees amid fallen popcorn and spilled soda. At the time, it was the most successful R-rated movie ever made earning over $610 million during its theatrical run.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To help raise awareness of the long-awaited sequel\u2019s confirmation, Gibson <\/span>appeared on the largest podcast in the world<\/span><\/a>, \u201cThe Joe Rogan Experience.\u201d Some of his descriptions may have led to this fear as he shared the film is in pre-production now and will begin filming \u201cnext year sometime.\u201d Then, he offered, \u201cThere\u2019s a lot required [for the film] because it\u2019s an acid trip. I\u2019ve never read anything like it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Recently, Caviezel provided an intimate interview on Raymond Arroyo\u2019s podcast, \u201cArroyo Grande.\u201d On the show, the actor navigates some harrowing scenes during the first movie, a few unknown and stunning things that happened to him following the movie\u2019s production (like actually dying on an operating table), and why this movie brings him fear.
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A devout Catholic with a burning faith for God, Caviezel revealed how the thought of <\/span>The Passion of the Christ <\/span><\/i>sequel scares him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

[All the pain he experienced] was okay, though, because it was part of the purpose of why I was born. I take it very seriously… Am I scared [for the sequel]? Yes! But if I weren\u2019t, I wouldn\u2019t want to work with that actor because you\u2019re not ready and this is a war.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The Bible <\/span>reads in Proverbs 19:23<\/span><\/a>, \u201c<\/span>The fear of the Lord <\/span>leads<\/span><\/i> to life, And <\/span>he who has it<\/span><\/i> will abide in satisfaction; He will not be visited with evil.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Most Christians know this \u201cfear\u201d is not terror or horror but rather an earnest respect for God, a reverential fear toward Jesus and His teachings. Those who walk according to Christ’s red-letter words understand that those are the cornerstone of belief and how to find eternal peace with our Father in Heaven.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The instance of <\/span>The Resurrection of the Christ<\/span><\/i> provides Caviezel with a more literal sense of the Scripture. He is a little apprehensive, even scared, to play this role for a second and final time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As he shared in the Arroyo podcast, he trusts Gibson with the subject matter and script. During <\/span>The Passion of the Christ, <\/span><\/i>a Jesuit priest on set provided Gibson and Caviezel with the Catholic sacraments daily. Before filming, they (and anyone else on the crew who desired) would gain spiritual counsel, offer confessions, and take Holy Communion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet, two decades later, that admitted fear still exists. <\/span>The unconscionable thing about Cavizel\u2019s metamorphosis into the King of Kings is what he endured filming the role, ironically during the crucifixion itself:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n