Jim Caviezel Was Struck by Lightning While Filming ‘The Passion of the Christ’

Some level of risk just comes with the job for many actors. Whether actors are attempting their own dangerous stunts, traversing hazardous terrain to get the perfect shot, or working on a set with lots of complicated machinery, the magic of Hollywood doesn’t come without some accidents and mishaps. 

One hazard that doesn’t usually come to mind is a lightning strike, but that’s precisely the threat Jim Caviezel faced while filming The Passion of the Christ — and it’s not the only one! 

Jim Caviezel played Jesus in ‘The Passion of the Christ’

When it hit theaters in 2004, The Passion of the Christ represented one of Mel Gibson’s (pardon the pun) passion projects. As co-writer for the screenplay and director, Gibson had a heavy hand involved in the production (and even insisted on the cast members learning to speak Aramaic for their roles). 

The movie depicts the last 12 hours of Jesus’ life, a time period that begins immediately after the Last Supper, and takes viewers through a brutal depiction of the crucifixion. At the center of this story is, of course, Jesus himself, and Jim Caviezel had his work cut out for him in playing such an iconic role. Prior roles included work in dramas like G.I. Jane (1997) and Pay it Forward (2000) as well as starring alongside Jennifer Lopez in Angel Eyes (2001). 

To date, playing Jesus in The Passion of the Christ has been one of Caviezel’s most recognizable roles, and he looks poised to reprise the part for a sequel (once again headed by Mel Gibson) that focuses on the resurrection. 

Jim Caviezel was struck by lightning while filming ‘The Passion of the Christ’

Caviezel’s work on The Passion of the Christ was grueling not only because of the brutal content he had to depict but also because of some bizarre accidents on the set. As The Guardian reports, the crew was filming in a remote location a few hours from Rome when Caviezel was struck by lightning. Amazingly, it was reported as the second time he was struck on the set. 

According to The Words, Caviezel reflected on the harrowing experience:

“About four seconds before it happened it was quiet, and then it was like someone slapped my ears. I had seven or eight seconds of, like, a pink, fuzzy color, and people started screaming. They said I had fire on the left side of my head and light around my body. All I can tell you is that I looked like I went to Don King’s hairstylist.”

A list of Jim Caviezel’s injuries from the set had fans skeptical

While getting struck by lightning is certainly a noteworthy trauma, it’s not the only one that Caviezel faced while filming The Passion of the Christ. In fact, when a list of his supposed injuries from the film went viral on social media, some fans couldn’t believe their eyes. 

Snopes, however, verified that the list was authentic. Caviezel really did lose 45 pounds for the role and now has a 14-inch scar from an accidental whip injury. He got a dislocated shoulder and suffered from pneumonia and hypothermia from his time on the set. 

The filming — especially the lightning strikes — took such a toll on Caviezel that he ended up needing open-heart surgery after the work wrapped up. As Catholic Courier reports, though, Caviezel says it was all worth it to create a film that showcased the trauma Jesus faced in a realistic setting:

“[I]f we had shot that film in a studio, you wouldn’t have seen that performance. Was it worth it? Absolutely.”