No compensation was received for this post. I attended a press conference which facilitated the writing of this post.
2014 appears to be the year for religious films, a precedent set by producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, who own the Christian film and television production company LightWorkers Media. You may recall that their television miniseries titled The Bible, became the number one cable telecast in 2013 reaching more than 13 million viewers. Out of a need they perceived for our modern generation to see a visual depiction of Jesus onscreen, they compiled footage from the miniseries along with deleted scenes to produce Son of God, a stand-alone film which portrays the life of Jesus from birth to death and resurrection.
I had an opportunity to screen the film before its release, and despite the fact that I am a Christian, I still found myself deeply moved and humbled by the love of Christ so beautifully and powerfully illustrated onscreen. It takes incredible talent and personal introspection to prepare for a role as epic as the Son of God. So how did Portuguese actor Diogo Morgado prepare to portray Jesus in a way that was humble, poignant, powerful, and ultimately reverent? During a recent press conference, Morgado provided some insight on how he prepared for the role, the challenge of the crucifixion, and his personal passion for the project.
Portraying the role of Jesus is no small feat, and for actor Diogo Morgado, he felt the weight of that responsibility. As might be expected, Morgado’s preparation began with research. “I started reading everything about the Bible…in favor of the Bible, against the Bible, everything…[because] you need to understand the aspects of the book itself.” And while for any other role, this type of in-depth research would have sufficed, Morgado went a step further and took a trip to Jerusalem, where Jesus was ultimately crucified. Morgado recalls that moment when he realized the sheer magnitude of this role. “I was next to the crying wall and there was this father and a 10 year old kid praying next to the wall….I remember I stood there for almost 3 hours. I left and they were still praying. That was the moment that I realized there would be no acting skills or books that could help me with something like this.”
Out of that realization came a passion to reach a world that is rapidly changing…a generation who may not understand who Jesus is, what the Bible is, or why it is the most important book. As a Christian, Morgado’s faith lent believability and credibility as he portrayed Jesus, Son of God. I found it refreshing that he was so open about the fact that he grew up as a Christian and still professes Christianity as his faith.
In preparation for his role, Morgado understood that depicting Jesus would mean depicting his death on the cross. As soon as he confirmed the role, his thoughts immediately went to the crucifixion, which inarguably was the most challenging aspect of portraying the life of Jesus. But his perspective on why these scenes were the most difficult was thought-provoking. Undoubtedly, “the crucifixion is hard physically. [But] the most challenging thing is to crucify Christ…to build up someone that you love and invest in…and then see that figure being crucified.” These last scenes are admittedly difficult to watch, but it isn’t because the film is graphic or violent. “Son of God is an emotional journey of the life of Jesus. The violence is emotional, not visual.”
I was drawn to Son of God because I have a personal connection to the story of Jesus. I identified with Morgado’s reflection that if you are a believer, the film will likely cement what you already believe. But what would compel a non-believer to see Son of God?
Morgado’s only concern was with the nonbeliever, and his hope was that the film would give audiences something they didn’t have. “It was really important for me…that building up of someone that everyone could relate to regardless of their beliefs. If you don’t believe in anything, we worked to give you back something or add something you didn’t have.” According to Morgado, the story is epic and even nonbelievers can’t deny the figure of Jesus or certain concepts like loving your neighbor or turning the other cheek. He hopes that the film will at least spark questions such as “Who was this guy? Why are they so fixated with Jesus?” Morgado often gets letters from nonbelievers who outright profess that they don’t believe in anything, but that the story of Jesus made them think and search and seek to learn more about Him. “And sometimes that is the beginning of something.”
Son of God opens in theaters nationwide today, February 28th, 2014 and is available in English and Spanish. The studio has also released a version with Korean subtitles. For more information, visit SonofGodMovie.com. You can also connect via Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
Images: 20th Century Fox
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