Actor Jim Caviezel has been struck by lightning while
playing Jesus in Mel Gibson's controversial film The Passion Of
Christ.
Jim Caviezel (left) was struck by lightning while filming
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."
The Passion Of Christ, which was filmed in the ancient languages of
Latin and Aramaic, is directed and co-written by actor Mel Gibson
and focuses on the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus.
Although it is not due for release until early next year, it has
already hit headlines after Jewish figures in the United States
slated it for being "dangerous" and portraying Jews in a negative
way.
Originally titled The Passion, the film changed its title last week
after Miramax claimed the rights to the title for one of its own
projects, a historical epic based on a Jeanette Winterson
novel.
The film now looks set to be released in the States by independent
distributors Newmarket Films, who released Memento and Whale Rider
in the US.
