Jim Caviezel
Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Short description Template:Infobox person James Patrick Caviezel Jr.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell; born September 26, 1968) is an American actor. He played Jesus in The Passion of the Christ (2004), Tim Ballard in Sound of Freedom (2023), and starred as John Reese on the CBS series Person of Interest (2011–2016).<ref name="AllMovie Bio">Template:Cite web</ref> He also played Slov in G.I. Jane (1997), Private Witt in The Thin Red Line (1998), Detective John Sullivan in Frequency (2000), Catch in Angel Eyes (2001), and Edmond Dantès in The Count of Monte Cristo (2002).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Early life
Caviezel was born in Mount Vernon, Washington, the son of Margaret (née Lavery), a homemaker and former stage actress, and James Caviezel, a chiropractor.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He has a younger brother, Timothy, and three sisters, Ann, Amy, and Erin. He was raised in a tight-knit Catholic family in Conway, Washington.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His surname is Romansh. His father is of Swiss and Slovak descent, while his mother is Irish.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref>
Caviezel played basketball in high school and at Bellevue College. He had aspirations of playing professionally, but suffered a foot injury in his second year. He said in a 2014 interview, "I would not have been able to play in the NBA. I would have been one of those bubble players that was a very good player. I played against some great NBA players. But there was a guy in our area named John Stockton. I had to go head to head with him a couple of times at Gonzaga when we were playing. That guy depressed me. I realized that I probably had to find another career, and thank God it was acting."<ref>Actor Jim Caviezel Lit Up the College Basketball Courts</ref> In another interview, Caviezel, who graduated from high school in 1987 and is six years younger than Stockton who played at Gonzaga from 1980 to 1984, states that this was during scrimmages and not during regular season play.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Career
Early roles
Caviezel says that at age 19 while watching a movie in a theater, he felt a sense of peace overcome him and that God was asking him to become an actor.<ref>‘You’re Here for a Reason’: Jim Caviezel Delivers Stunning Remarks at Liberty University</ref> After his basketball career fizzled out due to injury, he began acting in plays in Seattle, Washington. He earned his Screen Actors Guild card with a minor role in the 1991 film My Own Private Idaho. He then moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting. When he decided to move, "people thought I was out of my mind," he said.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was offered a scholarship to study acting at New York's Juilliard School in 1993, but he turned it down to portray Warren Earp in the 1994 film Wyatt Earp.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He later appeared in episodes of Murder, She Wrote and The Wonder Years, along with a role in G.I. Jane (1997).
Caviezel had a breakthrough performance in the 1998 Terrence Malick-directed World War II film The Thin Red Line. He had met with Malick several times before securing the role and had told his wife that if he did not get a role in the film, he intended to quit show business and move back to Washington.<ref>Actor charts course that led him to portray Jesus in 'Passion' movie</ref> He later played Black John, a Missouri bushwhacker, in Ride with the Devil (1999), an American Civil War film.<ref name="AllMovie Bio" />
Caviezel was originally cast to play Scott Summers / Cyclops in X-Men (2000), but dropped out because of a scheduling conflict with the film Frequency (2000). He starred in the mainstream films Pay It Forward (2000), Angel Eyes (2001), and The Count of Monte Cristo (2002). In 2000, he played the lead role in Madison, a film about hydroplane racing in Madison, Indiana. The film was completed in 2001, but did not appear in theaters until a limited release in 2005. In 2002, he played a pivotal role in the film I Am David.<ref name="AllMovie Filmography">Template:Cite web</ref>
The Passion of the Christ
Caviezel was first approached about playing Jesus Christ in The Passion of the Christ through his agent, who told him Mel Gibson and his partner were interested in him for a role in an unrelated screenplay, which he later learned was a cover story. Caviezel met with Gibson in Malibu, and after more than three hours of conversation, brought up the role of Jesus, which Caviezel accepted.<ref name="ce2004">Jim Caviezel: How The Passion Changed Him</ref> The following day, Gibson called Caviezel to ask if he was sure he wanted the role and told him he may never work in Hollywood again if he accepted the role.<ref>Why Jim Caviezel Was ‘Scared’ to Play Jesus</ref> Caviezel says he responded, "Each one of us has our own cross to carry — we either pick it up and carry it or we get crushed under the weight of it."<ref name="ce2004"/> During the conversation, Caviezel told Gibson he just realized he was 33 years old and his initials were J.C., to which Gibson responded "you're freaking me out" and hung up the phone.<ref>Actor Jim Caviezel tells students not to let fear get in the way of their faith</ref>
He described the filming of the movie as "torture". During filming in Italy in the winter, he was struck by lightning, scourged by accident, dislocated his shoulder, and suffered from pneumonia and hypothermia during extended filming sessions on the cross in cold, windy conditions.<ref name="fox12111">[[[:Template:Cite news]]]</ref> He awoke as early as 2:00 AM for eight-hour makeup sessions which led to skin infections, and headaches because one of his eyes was closed shut.<ref name="fox12111"/> He was accidentally scourged for real during the scourging at the pillar scene because one of the actors playing a Roman soldier missed the wooden board which had been set up behind his back. The real wound it made on his back was then used as a model for the makeup artist.<ref name="ce2004"/> The cross he carried in the film weighed over 150 pounds and at one point, Caviezel fell under the weight of it and bit his tongue. His own blood was streaming out of his mouth in one scene which was in the final cut of the movie.<ref name="fox7623">'The Passion of the Christ' star Jim Caviezel recalls being struck by lightning while filming</ref>
He was struck by lightning during the last shot of filming, which was the Sermon on the Mount scene. He recalled, "People started screaming and they said I had fire on both sides of my head and a light around me...I had locked eyes with people and it was very eerie because they made a weird sound - the kind of sound people made when they saw the jet plane run into the World Trade Center. It was a sickening feeling."<ref name="fox12111"/> The lightning strike caused complications for his heart, requiring two surgeries and several years to correct.<ref name="fox7623"/> Asked what part of the film had the greatest effect on him, he said, "I'll be honest with you, there are things that I went through that I can't even talk about."<ref>Jim Caviezel Talks About Playing Christ in 'The Passion'</ref>
Caviezel said the experience of filming The Passion deepened his faith. During filming, he regularly prayed the Rosary and went to confession.<ref name="ce2004"/> "As a result of playing this part, I have become even more passionate about the Way of the Cross. It is about Our Lord’s sacrifice for mankind, for our sins, bringing us back to God, and it’s love that did this."<ref name="ce2004"/>
Of the controversy that erupted over The Passion, including accusations of anti-Semitic undertones, Caviezel said, "It's been the most frustrating thing to watch. ... Our faith is grounded in our Jewish tradition. We believe we're from the House of David. We believe we're from the House of Abraham, so we cannot hate our own. That crowd standing before Pontius Pilate screaming for the head of Christ in no way convicts an entire race for the death of Jesus Christ any more than the actions of Mussolini condemn all Italians, or the heinous actions of Stalin condemn all Russians. We're all culpable in the death of Christ. My sins put him up there. Yours did. That's what this story is about."<ref>INTERVIEW: 'YOU WANT ME TO PLAY JESUS?'</ref>
After The Passion
Caviezel's career struggled in the years immediately following The Passion, which grossed over $600 million at the box office and was the second highest-grossing R-rated film ever made at the time after The Matrix Reloaded.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2018, he told People, "As soon as I did Passion, other [film offers] stopped coming in," but added, "I’m a big boy and I’m not going to play a victim."<ref name="people2018">Facing Backlash and Embracing Adoption: Inside Jim Caviezel's Life Since 'Passion of the Christ '</ref> He became more outspoken about his beliefs, saying, "I had no choice but to defend my faith at that point."<ref name="fox7623"/> He also said he had to be more protective of his family and his time because he became recognizable around the world, and struggled with how to approach future endeavors because he felt he could not top the Passion role.<ref>Man on a Mission: Jim Caviezel Focuses on Film, Family and Freedom</ref>
He did have roles in three films released in 2004 which had been filmed prior to the release of The Passion, starring in Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius and Highwaymen, and taking a supporting role in The Final Cut, which starred Robin Williams.
His career rebounded when he was cast as the villain opposite star Denzel Washington in the 2006 thriller Déjà Vu, which was a box office hit. He also had a leading role in Unknown (2006). He provided the voice of Jesus on the 2007 New Testament audio dramatization The Word of Promise.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He played Kainan in Outlander (2008). Also in 2008, he starred in Long Weekend.<ref name="AllMovie Long Weekend">Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2009, Caviezel played French-Iranian journalist Freidoune Sahebjam in The Stoning of Soraya M., a drama set in 1986 Iran about the execution of a young mother. When asked about how his Catholic faith was affected by this story, he said, "You don't have to go any further than the gospels to figure out what the right thing to do is, whether you should be more concerned helping someone regardless of their religion or where they're from".<ref>James Caviezel on "The Stoning of Soraya M.", CBN.com.</ref> That same year, he reprised the role of Jesus in the latest installment of The Word of Promise.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Caviezel starred in The Prisoner, a remake of the British science fiction series with the same name, in November 2009.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Person of Interest and other roles
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From 2011 to 2016, Caviezel starred in the CBS drama series Person of Interest as John Reese, a former CIA agent who now works for a mysterious billionaire as a vigilante. He drew on martial arts training he had done as a child and boxing experience as an adult to do most of his own stunts.<ref>'Person of Interest' Star Jim Caviezel on Guns and Jesus</ref> The show received the highest ratings in 15 years for a series pilot and consistently garnered over 10 million weekly viewers, with much critical acclaim.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Caviezel was nominated for the People's Choice Award for Favorite Dramatic TV Actor in 2014<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and again in 2016<ref name="PCA 2016">Template:Cite web</ref> for his work on Person of Interest.
After Person of Interest concluded in 2016, Caviezel signed on as lead character of CBS's SEAL Team series in 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, Caviezel left the project due to creative differences before production began and was replaced by David Boreanaz.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Caviezel starred in the 2014 football film When the Game Stands Tall as De La Salle High School coach Bob Ladouceur, whose Concord, California, Spartans prep team had a 151-game winning streak from 1992 to 2003, an American sporting record.<ref>Siegel, Tatiana (April 4. 2013). "Jim Caviezel, Laura Dern, Michael Chiklis to Star in 'When the Game Stands Tall'". Hollywood Reporter.</ref> He appeared in the 2013 film Escape Plan, playing a warden who maintains order in the world's most secret and secure prison.<ref name="Empire">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="AllMovie Escape Plan">Template:Cite web</ref>
Caviezel narrated two documentaries in 2016 regarding Christianity. One was Liberating a Continent: John Paul II and the Fall of Communism and the other was The Face of Mercy. In an interview about the former film, he stated that John Paul II had crushed communism "with love".<ref name="Adamski">Template:Cite news</ref>
Most recent projects
Caviezel portrayed the Apostle Luke in the film Paul, Apostle of Christ, which opened in theaters on March 23, 2018, to mixed reviews.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2018, Caviezel signed on to portray Tim Ballard, a DHS Agent and an anti-human-trafficking activist, in the film Sound of Freedom, about the organization Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.) and its mission to save children from sex trafficking and slavery. Ballard had specifically requested that Caviezel play him.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Caviezel stated, "This is the second most important film I have ever done since The Passion of the Christ. ... It's going to affect the saving of a lot of children and the changing of lives. It will also bring a lot of light into the darkness."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The film was completed in 2018 but spent five years in production limbo.<ref>"https://time.com/6304595/sound-of-freedom-controversy-success/ How Sound of Freedom Became the Surprise Box Office Hit of the Summer]</ref> It was the subject of much controversy, and Caviezel said two of his agents and his lawyer dropped him over the role. He said the controversy was due to the fact that human trafficking is a current problem: "Listen, you do Schindler’s List 50 years later, you’re a hero. Try doing Schindler’s List when the real Nazis are right there. Understand how that becomes more dangerous? I don’t understand why people are willing to let children be hurt, but in this time, Hollywood says, ‘No, no, let’s kick that down fifty years from now and then [see where we’re at]. That’s crap."<ref>Jim Caviezel: I Lost Two Agents Over ‘Sound of Freedom’</ref> The film was picked up by Angel Studios and theatrically released on July 3, 2023 and became a surprise box office hit, grossing over $251 million internationally.
Caviezel starred in the 2020 political thriller film Infidel, produced by Dinesh D'Souza.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Caviezel was originally set to reprise his role as Jesus in The Resurrection of the Christ, a sequel to The Passion of the Christ, having signed on with Gibson in 2018.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="USA TODAY 2018">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2020, Caviezel said, "Mel Gibson just sent me the third picture, the third draft. It's coming." He added, "It's going to be the biggest film in world history."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In a 2025 interview, Gibson said he still planned on Caviezel returning as Jesus, despite Caviezel being in his 50s, with plans to use de-aging special effects to make him appear younger.<ref>Mel Gibson says Passion of the Christ 2 will be an ‘acid trip’ with de-aged Jim Caviezel</ref> The sequel entered production, with principal photography commencing on August 2, 2025.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, on October 2025, it was reported that Caviezel was no longer cast as Jesus, and later he was replaced by Jaakko Ohtonen.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Personal life
Marriage and children
In 1996, Caviezel married Kerri Browitt, a high school English teacher. Out of respect for his wife and his faith, Caviezel avoids doing graphic sex scenes in his roles. He said, "I do love scenes—but not ones with gratuitous sex. I also don't do gratuitous violence. And it's not just about my wife, although that's important. It's sin, pure and simple. I mean, it's wrong."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Caviezel's wife requested that he wear a shirt and that Jennifer Lopez wear a top during a love scene in the film Angel Eyes,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and he refused to strip in a love scene with Ashley Judd in High Crimes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Caviezel and his wife have adopted three children from China.<ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref name="Adamski" /> All three children were suffering from major health problems when the Caviezels adopted them.<ref name="people2018">Facing Backlash and Embracing Adoption: Inside Jim Caviezel's Life Since 'Passion of the Christ '</ref> Their first child, Bo, had been abandoned on a train as a baby and was raised in an orphanage. When they adopted him in 2007, Bo had a large brain tumor requiring multiple surgeries.<ref>Facing Backlash and Embracing Adoption: Inside Jim Caviezel's Life Since Passion of the Christ</ref> Caviezel said he was "completely terrified" at the possibility of adopting a disabled child but knew God wanted him to do it.<ref name="cna2008">Jim Caviezel and wife respond to God’s call, adopt two children</ref> When they decided to adopt a second from China, the agency proposed a healthy newborn baby, but during the process they met a five-year-old girl in a foster home who had a brain tumor. Reasoning that the healthy newborn would find a good home but the ill five-year-old would not, they adopted the five-year-old.<ref name="cna2008"/> Their third child was suffering from cancer at the time they adopted him.<ref name="people2018"/>
Religious beliefs
Caviezel is a devout Catholic. In a 2017 interview, Caviezel talked about the importance of his Catholic faith, the lasting impact that The Passion of the Christ has had on his life, and his special devotion to the Virgin Mary.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Christ Complex – Interview with actor Jim Caviezel – Gayle MacDonald; The Globe and Mail, December 27, 2002</ref> During the filming of The Passion of the Christ in Italy, he received daily counsel, confession, and Holy Communion from a local Catholic priest, with an interpreter.<ref>Template:Cite book pp 13-14</ref>
In 2024, on Christmas Day, Jim Caviezel posted a Christmas message on social media platforms along with his photograph posing beside the birthplace of Jesus Christ in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.<ref>Jim Caviezel and Eduardo Verastegui posted Christmas wishes on social media</ref>
Political views
Caviezel is publicly against abortion.<ref name="Adamski" /> In 2006, Caviezel was featured with actress Patricia Heaton and Missouri athletes Kurt Warner and Mike Sweeney in an advertisement opposing Missouri Constitutional Amendment 2, which allowed any form of embryonic stem cell research and therapy in Missouri that is otherwise legal under federal law. He began the advertisement by saying, "Le-bar nash be-neshak" (Aramaic for "(to) the Son of Man with a kiss"), a reference to Judas's betrayal of Jesus Christ and a phrase used in the Gospel According to Luke.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Jesus' words used vs. stem-cell initiative, The Washington Times, October 25, 2006. Accessed June 10, 2008.</ref> (In the advertisement, the line did not include a translation into English.) Caviezel closed the commercial with the line, "You know now. Don't do it. Vote no on 2." The advertisement was a response to a commercial featuring Michael J. Fox, who favored embryonic stem cell research.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Support of QAnon
Beginning in 2021, Caviezel endorsed elements of the QAnon conspiracy theory,<ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> first doing so during a remote appearance at the "Health and Freedom Conference"<ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref>Template:Citation</ref> at Rhema Bible Training College in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> The appearance was to promote the film Sound of Freedom, centering on anti-human trafficking activist Tim Ballard. Ballard's activism has been alleged to correspond to the rise of QAnon, though he denies any connection to the movement.<ref>Citations:
- Template:Cite news
- Template:Cite magazine
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- Template:Cite web</ref> Caviezel mentioned that Ballard was supposed to be appearing at the conference but was "saving victims of trafficking" who were victims of "adrenochroming", a practice whose existence is suggested by QAnon adherents.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Caviezel suggested he had seen evidence of children being subjected to the practice.<ref>Citations:
- Template:Cite magazine
- Template:Cite web
- Template:Cite web
- Template:Citation</ref> The event included appearances by other QAnon promoters, such as L. Lin Wood<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Michael Flynn.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In October of the same year, Caviezel spoke in Las Vegas at the "For God & Country: Patriot Double Down" conference, where he mentioned the need to fight child sex trafficking, Satan and liberal values. He claimed that "the storm is upon us", a slogan associated with QAnon echoing the belief in a final battle against evil and repeated the battle cry of William Wallace in Braveheart, also urging the audience to Template:Nobr Lucifer and his henchmen straight back to hell where they belong".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
After Sound of Freedom was released in 2023, Caviezel continued to promote QAnon during interviews and media appearances related to the film.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During a July 2023 appearance on The Charlie Kirk Show, Kirk asked Caviezel to address claims of his belief in QAnon. He claimed he was unaware of QAnon when the movie was filmed in 2018, and subsequently defended followers of QAnon, claiming that they were being persecuted and comparing them to the Christians in the New Testament. Caviezel also made more remarks about adrenochrome and claimed that "QAnon" does not exist, only "Q" and "anons" – a common talking point used by QAnon followers to deflect from their support for the movement.
Filmography
| Template:Dagger | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Film
| Year | Title<ref name="AllMovie Filmography"/> | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | My Own Private Idaho | Airline Clerk | |
| 1992 | Diggstown | Billy Hargrove | |
| 1994 | Blue Chips | Basketball Player | Uncredited |
| Wyatt Earp | Warren Earp | ||
| 1996 | Ed | Dizzy Anderson | |
| The Rock | FA-18 Pilot | ||
| 1997 | G.I. Jane | "Slov" Slovnik | |
| 1998 | The Thin Red Line | Private Witt | |
| 1999 | Ride with the Devil | Black John | |
| 2000 | Frequency | John Sullivan | |
| Pay It Forward | Jerry | ||
| 2001 | Angel Eyes | Steven "Catch" Lambert | |
| Madison | Jim McCormick | ||
| 2002 | The Count of Monte Cristo | Edmond Dantès | |
| High Crimes | Tom Kubik | ||
| 2003 | I Am David | Johannes | |
| 2004 | The Passion of the Christ | Jesus Christ | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| The Final Cut | Fletcher | ||
| Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius | Bobby Jones | ||
| Highwaymen | James "Rennie" Cray | ||
| 2006 | Unknown | Jean Jacket | |
| Déjà Vu | Carroll Oerstadt | ||
| 2008 | Outlander | Kainan | |
| Long Weekend | Peter | ||
| The Stoning of Soraya M. | Freidoune Sahebjam | ||
| 2011 | Transit | Nate | |
| 2013 | Escape Plan | Willard Hobbes | |
| Savannah | Ward Allen | ||
| 2014 | When the Game Stands Tall | Bob Ladouceur | |
| 2017 | The Ballad of Lefty Brown | Jimmy Bierce | |
| 2018 | Paul, Apostle of Christ | St. Luke | |
| Running for Grace | Doctor Reyes | ||
| Onyx, Kings of the Grail | Narrator | ||
| 2020 | Infidel | Doug Rawlings | |
| 2023 | Sweetwater | Sports Writer | <ref name="Briarcliff">Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Sound of Freedom | Tim Ballard | ||
| 2026 | Template:Pending film | Herod the Great | Post-production |
| Template:Pending film | Henry "Fitz" Fitzgerald | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title<ref name="AllMovie Filmography"/> | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Wonder Years | Bobby Riddle | Episode: "Hero" |
| 1995 | Murder, She Wrote | Darryl Harding | Episode "Film Flam" |
| Children of the Dust | Dexter | Miniseries | |
| 2009 | The Prisoner | Michael / Six | |
| 2011–2016 | Person of Interest | John Reese | 103 episodes |
Documentary
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Guadalupe: The Miracle and the Message | Narrator | |
| 2016 | Liberating a Continent: John Paul II and the Fall of Communism | ||
| The Face of Mercy | |||
| 2018 | John Paul II in Ireland: A Plea for Peace |
References
External links
- Pages with broken file links
- 1968 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American male actors
- 20th-century Roman Catholics
- 21st-century American male actors
- 21st-century Roman Catholics
- American anti-abortion activists
- American conspiracy theorists
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- American people of Irish descent
- American people of Slovak descent
- American people of Romansh descent
- Male actors from Seattle
- Male actors from Washington (state)
- People from Burien, Washington
- People from Mount Vernon, Washington
- Bellevue College alumni
- University of Washington alumni
- Catholics from Washington (state)
- Roman Catholic conspiracy theorists