A Miracle Testimony From The Passion of the Christ Actor

A Miracle Testimony From The Passion of the Christ Actor


Jim Caviezel is a Hollywood actor who casting Jesus Christ in "The Passion of Jesus Christ" movie. This is the testimony, Jim Caviezel is an ordinary actor with a small cast in many films. His best cast he have before The Passion is a collosal movie with the title "The Thin Red Line". In the movie he just have a small cast with many big actor in that film.In 'Thin Red Line', Jim play a role as a soldier who sacrifies for helping his injured friend and surrounded by the enemy, he run to lure the enemy to the other direction. Although he knows that he will die, and finally the enemy surrounded him and kill him. His charisma, friendly, and willing to sacrifice is interested by Mel Gibson who searching the right actor to play his movie that he long planned to.I was suprised that someday I received a script as a main character in a big movie. I never play in a big movie moreover as a main character. But the thing that make me more suprised is when I know my role. Come on, He is God, who can know what is inside HIS mind and how can I play as HIM? They must be kidding. Tomorrow morning, I got a call, "Hello, this is Mel", I answered him ,"Who's Mel?", I ask..
And I don't know that he is Mel Gibson,who is one of the greatest actor and director. Then Mel ask me to meet him and I agree him. When we meet, Mel explain about the movie, a movie about Jesus Christ with a different sequel from the other movie. And Mel said that it will be very difficult to cast this movie, one of the difficult thing is I must learn a very natural language and dialogue which used in that time. And Mel look with me and said that this is maybe a biggest risk for me to face. Because if you play this movie, maybe this is the end of your career become a Hollywood actor. Being a normal human, I'm scare with this risk. It is true that every actor who take a role as Jesus in Hollywood will not being used again in other movies. Plus,this film will be hated by a group of peoples who have a big influence in Hollywood movies. In a silence Mel waiting for my decision if I want to cast the film or not. Then I ask Mel, why he choose me for this role? Is it my initial name is similar with Jesus Christ (Jim Caviezel)? And my age is 33 years old now which is the age of Jesus when He is being crucified?

Mel is very suprised, and he is shocked, and he think this is very scary in sudden. Mel don't know about that or he didn't noticed it. He pick me because my movie In "Thin Red Line"

Ok, Mel, I think this not a coincident. This is my calling from God,every people must lift their cross. If he don't want to lift his cross, he will be destroyed by the cross. I take the risk, let's make this movie!

Then I join this project. In preparing the character for many months, I keep asking to myself,"can I do it?"
Hesitation following me upon the time. What is a Son of God think about, feel, and done. That question keep me confuse because it is so many references about Him in different view.

Finally I know what would I do, like Jesus did, Jesus pray more and I do it. And ask for His guidance to do all of this because I think who is me that can cast as Him who is almighty. In my past, I'm not in a close relation with God although I am from a catholic family who have a good habit and a good catholic. I'm just an ordinary guy who play a basketball in a high school league and university, and I have a dream to become a great NBA player. But an angkle injury stop my career as a basketball player. I was dissapointed to God because the injury, it likes that everything in my life is over and destroy. And then I try my luck in casting the movie. A very small role take me to a hope that the art of casting possibly can be the path of my life. I then learn more about casting in academy of art of cast. And now I'm really at the top of my career. It is true Lord, You planned it all and take me until here. You choosen me from my career in basketball and guide me to become an actor and take me until this point. Because You have choosen me. Then whatever it happen, Your will be done.

I don't imagine that this movie challenge is more difficult than I thought. Everyday I have been make-up for 8 hours without move and must stay standing, I'm the people who never sit. It's really pain to watch the other crew sit down enjoying their drink. An uncomfortabe rough costume make me itchy that made me so depressed.

The Cross is made as similar as the real one that was lift by Jesus that time. When they put the cross to my shoulder, I'm shocked and I shout loudly in pain, but they think it is my acting and it was a great acting. They don't know that i'm really shocked. The cross is too heavy, it is impossible for ordinary people to lift it, but I try with my best.

But what happen later when I try to walk, my shoulder is broken, then my body was struck down by that very heavy cross. And then I cried loudly and I'm asking for help. And Again all of the crews think that acting is really fantastic, they don't know that I'm in real accident. When I'm starting to mock, curse and almost passed out because I can't hold the great pain, they surprised and they realize what is happening. Then they quickly help me to have a paramedic to care.

I feel like a satan because I'm mocked and cursed like that, but I'm just an ordinary people who can't hold it. When I'm in rehabilitation, Mel come to me. He asked me if I want to continue in this movie? He said that He is really understand if I decline to continue the movie.

I said to Mel, I don't know the cross that Jesus lift is as heavy as this and as pain as this. But Jesus want to lift HIS cross for me, so I will embarrassed if I don't lift it even a just a small part, let's continue this movie.

After that event occured, they replace the cross with the small one so my shoulder will not broken again, and repeat the scene again. So the cross that people watch is smaller than the original one.

In the next part is the very scary part, even for the audience and for me, that is a scene where Jesus is being whipped. I'm shaking to face that scene, because the whip is a real one and my back is just protected by 3cm board.

While the Soldier of Rome start to whip, the whip hit the side of my body that isn't protected by the board. I'm very shocked and deeply in pain and I scream loudly , and rolling on the ground and scolding the people who mocked me. All of the crew is surprised and then surrounding me to give me help. But in a the most difficult scene and almost failed in taking is the scene where Jesus is being crucified. The location of the take is at a very cold Italy, it is very cold like a winter, and all of the crew must use a very thick mantle to keep their body warm. But I must naked and hung on the cross, on the tallest hill there. The win blowing to my body like a thousand of knife hitting my body. I'm in hypothermia and my all body is in paralyzed, and I can't control my mouth from shivering. They must stop the taking because my life is in bet.

All of the pressure, challenge, and incident and disease make me very depressed. The Scene is taking me to my human limit. In every scene, all of the crew just watching and waiting for me to my human limit, when I can't go on again, they stop the scene. This all take me to my physical limit and my soul limit as a human. I'm almost crazy and I can't hold on all of that. So everytime I must go to a place far form the taking place to pray. Just to pray, and shout to the Lord if I can't go on again, asked HIM to give me a strength to continue all of this. I can't, I still can't imagine how Jesus through this all alone, how in great pain is HIM, He's not just died, but He got a very long great pain, physically and soul.

And the last event that is a miracle in making this movie is when I was hanging on the cross. When that time, the location is dark and going to have a storm, a chain lightning is above us. But Mel doesn't stop the taking, because this type of weather is the perfect one. I'm very scared when I'm on the cross, beside that, we are in the highest hill, and I'm the highest object to struck by the thunder. Just a second I think that I want to get down because I'm afraid of the thunder, a very great pain hit me with a great light and a great loud sound. And I lost my conscious.

Then I know many peoples calling my name loudly, and when I opened my eyes, all of the crew surrounding me and shout loudly, "He alives, look he alives!!!"

"What happened?" I asked. They tell me that a thunder strucked me above the cross, so they get me down. And my body turn to black scorched, and my hair is smokey, and turned into a Don King hair model. It was really a miracle that I can survived from that thunder.

When I think and reflect all of that, many times I asked,"GOD, do you really want this movie to be made? why that so many difficult things happened? do you want this movie stopped?" But I keep go on, we must finish what we have done when that thing is right, we must keep move on. All of that is a test for our faith, to make us close to HIM, and to make our faith stronger in the next test.

Peoples ask me how's my feeling when I play Jesus role? Oh that's very amazing, and very exciting, I can't tell it by words. Along the taking of this movie, there's a strong GOD presence surrounding us all, it feels like GOD is standing there and being a director or GOD was inside me to play His own role.

That's an untold experience. Every people who involved in this film have a experience with GOD and changing in his life, with no exception. One of the people who cast the soldier of Rome who whipped me is a Muslim, from that scene, he cried and he accepted Jesus for his Saviour. That scene is very touching him. It's incredible. From the first they just come because their profession and job, for money. But in that experience, it changes us all, it is an unforgettable moment.


And God is so kind, although the movie become a controversion. But the prediction that my career will be end is not proved. God blessing keep flowing to my job as an actor.

I hope they who watching the Passion of Jesus Christ is not focusing in me for the actor. I'm just an ordinary people who work as an actor, and then don't link me in the other movie with my role in Passion of Christ and become dissapointed. But look at Jesus, because only Jesus not the other. After that movie, praying is my daily activity that cannot leave in myself. That movie has change my life. I hope this will happen to your life too

Amen.

"GOD JESUS BLESS US ALL"