Cliff Curtis is taking his new project playing Jesus Christ very seriously. Instead of just getting all his lines down pat, he also isolated himself for 30 days as a preparation for the role.
To prepare for the role of Jesus Christ in the movie, "Risen," Curtis needed to shut out his wife and family, Scout reported. Curtis said he lived on his own for a month in Malta.
"For a month I lived on my own in Malta and it was a really beautiful experience. I had very humble meals and I lived monastically pretty much," Curtis said. " I could not not speak to my wife because she's my other connection to the Divine. I didn't speak to anybody and I spent a lot of time in meditation and silence and would sit for hours alone."
It seems apparent that the actor is very grateful for the chance to play the holy character. He explained that in the past, he has already been typecast to play certain roles, especially villainous ones. He played the villain in both "Live Free or Die Hard" as well as "The Last Airbender." He added that he couldn't believe he was actually offered the role of Jesus Christ since previous actors who got the meaty role were often those with fairer skin complexions and much younger than him.
"Jesus was crucified by age 33 and I'm in my late 40s. And when you look at my work, what makes you think that I'm right for this role?" he wondered. "It was a miracle. just thought I wasn't fair complexioned enough to get the role and I needed blue eyes," he added.
Related: Joseph Fiennes' 'Risen' Movie 2016 Gives Jesus' Story Unique Viewpoint
The role is quite special to him because this is one of his dream roles, ever since he became an actor. "I was a devout Catholic as a child and I was an altar boy and served mass, and I did the whole thing and had the crucifix next to my bed, everything," he shared. "So when I became an actor and the question would arise, 'What roles do you want to play?' I'd say, 'Jesus,' and it had become a running joke."
"Risen" is a film about the events that took place after the Messiah's resurrection. The events are told from the perspective of a fictional Roman military official named Clavius. Clavius was given the responsibility of belying the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. Aside from Curtis, other cast members are Joseph Fiennes, Tom Felton, and Peter Firth. Fiennes recently gave an interview on what he thinks of the movie, and he said he is confident that they got it right.
