Jesus Actor Hit By Lightning
Actor Jim Caviezel has been struck by lightning while playing Jesus in Mel Gibson's controversial film The Passion Of Christ.
The lightning bolt hit Caviezel and the film's assistant director Jan Michelini while they were filming in a remote location a few hours from Rome.
It was the second time Michelini had been hit by lightning during the shoot.
Neither of them was badly hurt, according to the film's producer Steve McEveety.
Michelini had previously been struck during filming in Matera, Italy, when he suffered light burns to his fingers after lightning hit his umbrella.
Describing the second lightning strike, McEveety told VLife, a supplement of the trade paper Variety: "I'm about a hundred feet away from them when I glance over and see smoke coming out of Caviezel's ears."
Director Gibson said he planned to continue filming, saying that the repeated lightning strikes were in no way a sign that J-W-H is affronted by the movie. "Did we stop when the frogs plagued the set? Heck no!" asserted the former action-movie hero. "Did we stop when the craft table ran red with blood instead of the spring water they normally carry? OK, we did lose a day or two, but we came right back."
Observers report that the unfortunate weather was seen as just one more obstacle to a film that has created a negative advance buzz amongst Jewish groups based on fears that it will depict Jews as responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. "Mel didn't back down from the Anti-Defamation league, and he's not going to back down to a a few statistically expected lightning strikes, an outbreak of leprosy, and a technical crew that all of a sudden speaks fifteen different languages," said one assistant grip. "Admittedly, he was a little rattled when that pillar of fire appeared on the set and said 'I want a piece of the gross, and some back end action on the merchandising', but who wouldn't be surprised at that kind of chutzpah?"
Gibson is reported to be motivated by a strong, if somewhat conservative faith. He is reported to be a member of the secretive and ultraorthodox Opus Dei movement, keeps a chaplain on his personal staff to perform the mass in Latin, and has one-upped the notorious Hollywood transportation game of limos, Hummers, and hybrid cars, by riding to all of his recent studio meetings on a donkey. He is reportedly angling for the role of Pope in the upcoming sequel "Vatican III," which will begin pre-production right after the next State Funeral in Vatican City.
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