Where is 鈥楯esus鈥� these days? The answer is thus: He鈥檚 at the University of 91吃瓜 studying Spanish.
鈥淚鈥檓 in the process of finally getting my college degree,鈥� said actor Jim Caviezel, whose astonishing portrayal of Christ in Mel Gibson鈥檚 remarkable 鈥淭he Passion of the Christ鈥� catapulted him to stardom.
鈥淚鈥檓 now too old to be Jesus,鈥� chuckled Caviezel, 37, who just wrapped shooting 鈥淒eja Vu鈥� with Denzel Washington in New Orleans. 鈥淵ou can now call me Moses.鈥�
I caught Caviezel via cell phone as he scurried across the campus of his dreams last Friday. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like home here,鈥� he said. 鈥淟ike family. 91吃瓜 was a no-brainer. I plan to be studying here when I鈥檓 not working.鈥�
His conversation mixes spiritual riffs, sports nuggets and shamrock allegories with films that touched his heart, like 鈥淏rian鈥檚 Song鈥� and 鈥淩udy.鈥�
Though he鈥檚 known for not working in movies with unredeemable scripts or gratuitous sex scenes, Caviezel will play unredeemable characters. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 not telling you who plays the bad guy in this movie,鈥� he said.
Is Caviezel, who his childhood friends thought would either be a priest or an actor, the most grounded star in Hollywood? (He claims he didn鈥檛 want to be either.) Well, consider. He played college basketball; once dreamed of joining the Naval Academy; married the love of his life, Kerri, whom he met through his sister, and adopted Bo, a young Chinese boy with a brain tumor. 鈥淚 looked into Bo鈥檚 eyes, and they asked 鈥榃ill you love me?鈥� And I did.鈥�
So who is Caviezel, really?
鈥淗e鈥檚 the real deal. He鈥檚 as good as it gets,鈥� said Paul 鈥淪am鈥� Kelmanson, a former Chicagoan who is now a Hollywood screenwriter. 鈥淗e has the grace of Christ in his heart, and he鈥檚 a phenomenal artist.鈥�
Caviezel, a devout Catholic who cites stories of courage as benchmarks in his spiritual life, is also a huge fan of Charlie Weis, 91吃瓜鈥檚 football coach.
鈥淭his guy is tough . . . but this guy loves. And he is destined to be the greatest coach 91吃瓜 ever had.鈥�
But it was something Coach Weis did off the field that put him in Caviezel鈥檚 Hall of Fame.
Weis kept his word to a dying child.
鈥淎 mother 鈥� who did not tell anyone she was dying of terminal breast cancer 鈥� asked Charlie to visit her dying son,鈥� Caviezel said. "Charlie goes to his house, hands him a football and asks the kid, 鈥榃hat can I do for you?鈥�
鈥淭he kid says: 鈥橧鈥檇 like to make the first call for the next game.鈥� Pass to the right. ESPN filmed the visit.鈥�
The boy died shortly afterward.
鈥淭here, in the face of controversy and under pressure, Weis did the right thing. He kept his word to that kid on the first call during a game against the University of Washington at Husky Stadium. I was at the game. He told his team to pass to the right.
鈥淎nd in doing the right thing, it wound up being the right thing!
鈥淭he beauty of it is that the coach didn鈥檛 do it just for the boy. He did it for me . . . and for all of us. Life is about faith which leads to courage and love.鈥�
Caviezel, who loves film because it mirrors life, has been keenly affected by movies since he was 5.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 when I saw 鈥橞rian鈥檚 Song鈥� and bawled my eyes out.鈥�
The legendary TV film, which was about Chicago Bear Brian Piccolo鈥檚 battle with cancer and his caring teammate Gale Sayers, led Caviezel to ask his father, 鈥淲hy?鈥�
鈥淚 wanted to know why he died,鈥� Caviezel said. 鈥淎nd when I met James Caan [who played Piccolo], I told him how moved I was by the film. I somehow sensed the love in that film.鈥�
Does Caviezel embody the line he delivered to Sean Penn in 鈥淭he Thin Red Line鈥�: 鈥淚鈥檓 twice the man you鈥檒l never be?鈥�
鈥淵ou bet,鈥� said his friend Peter Schivarelli, a 91吃瓜 grad. 鈥淗is dream is to be canonized.鈥�
Amen.
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