The Passion of the Christ was a force at the box office when it first came out over a decade ago. We all knew that it was going to change the course of religious film. Yet there are some little-known secrets about showing behind the scenes that you might not be aware of. From the actors and actresses and their thoughts on the film to the danger that they were exposed to each and every day, here are some interesting tidbits.
Intriguing Facts about Passion of the Christ
1 Calling All Catholics!
As you might expect, many non-believers working on the film ended up converting to Catholicism during the filming process.
2 Some of That Pain was Real
The actor who portrayed Jesus was accidentally hit with a whip twice, and it hurt really bad…oops!
3 It was Almost Without a Soundtrack
The producer toyed with the idea of including a musical score and eventually okay-ed it…and it earned a 2005 Oscar nod!
4 Beware of Lightning
The assistant producer was struck not once, but twice by lightning while they were shooting the film!
Related: Facts about Christmas Eve
5 His Eyes Were Changed, Too
Behind the scenes, magic continued as the actor’s eyes were changed digitally from blue to brown!
6 Behind-the-Scene Nose Job
Well kind of; because the actor who played Jesus was outfitted with a prosthetic nose.
7 This Film Made Bank
And by that, we mean $611,899,420!
8 Most Pre-Sold Tickets Ever
Yep, The Passion of the Christ exceeded the previous record for most tickets sold before it even came out in theaters.
9 That Cross Weighed 150 Pounds!
A mighty cross indeed, and it was made for a very believable item in the Jesus story.
10 Suffered a Displaced Shoulder
During the scene where Jesus walks up to the hill with his cross, actor Jim Caviezel dislocated his shoulder bearing the prop!
11 Movie was based on many historical accounts
Although the director was Catholic of the movie, he took information from a variety of sources, such as the Hebrew Bible (also called the Tanakh.)
12 Shot in Italy and NOT in the Middle East!
Mel Gibson also chose to shoot the entire movie in Italy, mostly in an abandoned village called Craco!
LEGO The Passion of Christ (Stop Motion)
The story of our Lord’s Passion retold in LEGO. It is appropriate for kids and not as violent as the actual movie we are talking about above.
“But he was pierced for our transgressions he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
-Isaiah 53:5
Quiz: How Much Do you REALLY Know about Jesus – Can you Score Higher than 70%
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I’m Natalie Garcia and I started this website to share my love of trivia, facts and fun knowledge tidbits. We cover things like celebrity gossip, historical facts, tv shows, world leaders and just odd and random fun things. I started this site to have some fun with my hobby and share some useful information with you, our community. Please feel to send me your suggestions and feedback through the contact form. And if you have suggestions for things to write about, please shoot me a message!