MovieChat Forums > Jesus of Nazareth (1977) Discussion > Robert Powell was supposed to be Judas.....

Robert Powell was supposed to be Judas....

posted 15 years ago by oscarinca
2 replies | jump to latest

... until Zeffirelli saw his eyes and finally Ian Mc Shane did Judas. Watch Powell with a shawl on and without the "Jesus" wig on (even his moustache and beard are different) :

http://fotolog.terra.com.mx/inca:166

His hair was chemically straightened, his features enhanced. Apparently, when Powell came out on to the set the crew gasped.

"I looked in the mirror and realised I was looking at the image of Jesus I had retained from my childhood. It was the image English people recognise as Christ: Holman Hunt's Light Of The World. Except I wasn't blonde. But my silhouette could only have been of one man- Christ. It was extraordinary".

There's a thin gap between skepticism and cynicism

[–] life4all 15 years ago

His hair was chemically straightened, his features enhanced. Apparently, when Powell came out on to the set the crew gasped.

Yes, it was an amazing transformation! They say the crew even refrained from swearing when Powell was on the set. Regardless of what we know about ancient Semitic features, there was something very compelling about Powell in this role.

[–] avalhon 15 years ago

I heard about that too. That he was auditioning for Judas. I remember that I went "No way...".