The story of Jesus fascinates humanity for over 2,000 years, but the role of ,,Jesus’’ turned into a real mirage for actors from Hollywood. Just as in the Bible story, the actors who have played Jesus went through terrible moments on sets. From Robert Powell, who is the most popular actor who portrayed Jesus, Christian Bale and young Diogo Morgado from the phenomenon called ,,The Bible’’, the actors remained marked by the role.
For many, Robert Powell is Jesus of Nazareth, but in 2013 another actor had the courage to take on the role of Jesus. Diogo Morgado has fascinated millions of people into the series ,,The Bible’’ , produced by the History channel. With a wildly success, ,,The Bible’’ is among the most watched programs in the U.S. and managed audiences record, raising over 10 million viewers in front of televisions in each episode.
This portuguese actor, aged 32, told those from Yahoo how heavy they were filming the scene marked the crucifixion and how this role marked him:
“For the crucifixion scene, I went through hard times. I spent hours on the cross. We filmed that scene in 3 days. Was excruciating. But I can say that at some point while I was on the cross, I look around me at all the people who worked, and for a second I saw my whole life in the front of the eyes.
It’s a very strong feeling when you realise what role you play and what important character you must represent. If the goal of an actor is to tell stories, then none is greater than that of Jesus Christ. The way that touches the hearts of all humanity is a privilege for an actor. Still feel confused, I could not exceed that scene, it still haunts me. “
“We had scorpions and snakes on set and it was a snake charmer in charge to collect it from set. The day we shot crucifixion, 48 snakes were on set, I was terrified. Was overwhelming and exhausting for everyone implicitly, but we have mobilized to give viewers a unique moment”, said Roma Downey, co-producer of the miniseries.
Diogo Morgado was invited to the Oprah show, where he talked more about the scenes that haunts him even now. The actor, in tears, told how impressed he was for what Jesus did for humanity. “When you’re out there on the cross, you are overwhelmed by emotions and can understand the sacrifice that Jesus made for us: it is His unconditional love for people.”
For many fans, the actor who impressed the most in this role remains Robert Powell in ,,Jesus of Nazareth’’. Even after 35 years from the premiere, “Jesus of Nazareth” is considered a masterpiece and perhaps the best movie about the life of Jesus. Robert Powell said many times, after shooting the film, that the experience of interpreting the most important character in the history of Christianity was a demanding and even a traumatic one.
A significant detail of how closely Zeffirelli reconstructed the biography of Jesus is found in the way that the makeup team insisted on striking resemblance between Robert Powell and the iconographic representations most diffuses of Jesus.
After his role in Franco Zeffirelli’s production of ,,Jesus of Nazareth’’, british actor Robert Powell came to believe that it is truly a messenger of God, although he considered himself an atheist before he start shooting.
Mini-series “Jesus of Nazareth” , about 6 hours and a half, has become a jewel of the cinema: “I think the charm of this film is that we do not address to a limited audience, I tried to give an image to all cultures and audiences. I was impressed by the 10,000 fans letters, where they said to me: ,,You are as we imagined that it would have been him ‘’ .
At first, Powell, who was 33 when he played Jesus wanted to give to his character a human side, but came to the conclusion that the more makes it more human, much steals the divinity. Powell was totally fascinated by the role that he wanted to play. He has impressed by a scene that haunts him even now, that in which he was on the cross. “It was just me and crew along, with other actors, they were all excited and crying, and I could hear my voice echoing through those mountains. I believe that that scene is best written in history.”
After Jesus of Nazareth Robert Powell continued to be active, including the small screen, but never has been able to leave the image that forever marked his career. And after 35 years the british actor continues to be associated with the role of Zeffirelli’s film, and fans will never forget his magnificent interpretation.