CASTING PARTS FOR THE BIBLE

There are some books that just cry out to be made into movies, especially those in which the authors seem to write in almost cinematic terms. I remember years ago reading Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury and being especially struck by one scene in the book in particular in which the young hero is hiding underneath a drainage grate from a man of supernatural evil who is hunting him down. The villain stands right on top of the grate while the boy attempts to remain perfectly still.

The film version of this novel came out a little later. While it was not wholly faithful to the book, I was gratified to see that at least this particular incident was shot exactly as I had imagined it. And a great deal of the effectiveness of the movie was due to the perfect casting of Jonathan Pryce as the powerful antagonist of the story. The next time I saw that actor appear in a movie was as the poor, hapless hero of Terry Gilliam's wonderful but highly disturbing movie “Brazil.” And more recently, he garnered an Academy Award nomination for playing one of the “Two Popes” opposite Anthony Hopkins. If you should view all three movies some time, I highly doubt you would recognize Pryce as the same actor in each of them. It is a tribute to both Pryce's acting ability and the casting directors who refused to typecast him.

With the above as prelude, I have sometimes read biblical narratives in cinematic terms and thought about what actor would best play the various roles if a movie were made. Of course, this is not a new idea since biblical epics were all the rage in Hollywood when I was growing up almost literally in the shadow of MGM Studios. But with few exceptions, these blockbusters totally failed to capture the spirit of the biblical narratives. The problem with the movie studies was that they were too afraid of antagonizing their potential audience by portraying the characters as the real flesh-and-blood people which are so clearly described in the Bible. And even the minor parts in the Bible manage to bring out nuances in their personality hinted at in the text.

Let's start with a few leading characters such as Moses, Samson, and David. Of course, Charlton Heston would be hard to replace as the leader of the Israelites out of Egypt. But they certainly could do a better job today if “Samson and Delilah” were remade. Victor Mature may have the physical attributes of the seriously flawed judge, but no one would ever accuse him of being an actor. He stumbles through the whole epic with a slightly pained look on his face. By contrast, the biblical original can be seen to possess a great lust for life and a wicked sense of humor. For that reason, I would seriously suggest Dwayne “Rock” Johnson in the starring role of a remake. It is true that he will probably never win an Academy Award nomination, but he has demonstrated his ability to depict men with a self-depreciating sense of humor, which would stand him in good stead in such a movie.

King David is another person who cries out to have a good movie made about his life, but only if the hagiographic tendencies of Hollywood are left behind and his weaknesses are portrayed honestly instead. For that reason I would suggest Liam Neeson in the part. Not only is he excellent in registering pain, regret and power all at the same time, but it would add to the long string of Neeson movies in which someone is always out to kill him. What better person could portray a person who is constantly under threat from either Goliath, Saul, or even his own son.

Moving on to the supporting players, there are numerous bit parts in the biblical narratives. And even in the few verses in the Bible devotes to these people, there are more than enough clues into their personalities for good actors to develop a back story to guide them in their portrayals.

Let's start casting a few female parts first. Queen Jezebel is probably an easy one with which to begin. She certainly demonstrates regal tendencies in every move she makes along with her blatant abuse of power whenever it suits her. And she has a fantastic death scene which any actress would literally die for. She meets her inevitable demise by fixing her make-up and dressing in her finest clothes before daring Jehu to do his worst. In that scene, she certainly comes off better than her bloodthirsty nemesis.

I think that Helen Mirren could handle that role in her sleep.

There is another regal role in the New Testament that needs an experienced actress, that of Herodias. She was born into noble circumstances and proceeded to cement her standing there by first marrying her uncle Herod Philip. But she left him in her climb upward only to marry another uncle instead, Herod Antipas. Even at her age when we first encounter her in Mark 6:17 // Luke 3:19, she must have still retained some of her earlier attractiveness. But that appeal was apparently not enough to convince her husband to kill John the Baptist, who had openly denounced her second marriage as illegal. However, her daughter (who may or may not have been Salome), who had apparently inherited her mother's sex appeal enchanted Herod with her dancing enough that he promised her anything she desired. And that was the end of John the Baptist.

If I were casting the female roles in the story, I believe I would put Nicole Kidman in as Herodias. And since Salome is not a speaking part, practically any of the current attractive young women entertainers would do. How about Taylor Swift for example?

There are even parts for child actresses in the Bible. I think of the little Jewish servant girl who, along with his other servants, cares enough for the welfare of her master Naaman to convince him to come off his high horse and do as Elisha told him in order to cure his leprosy. There must be enough budding future stars in the tradition of Margaret O'Brien, Natalie Wood, and Abigail Breslin who could portray this part with the proper emotions.

Supporting actors are the next category to cast. And people like Dustin Hoffman have certainly demonstrated that a good leading actor can also play supporting parts excellently. As the great acting coach Konstantin Stanislavsky once said, “There are no small parts, only small actors.” Speaking of small actors, I think I can envision Danny DeVito as the wee Zacchaeus of Luke 19:1-10. He certainly meets the physical requirements of the role. And in addition, DeVito has made a living portraying rather sneaky characters always looking for an edge up. That seems to be the backstory of the biblical Zacchaeus, who admits to having swindled others in his hated profession of tax collector.

Finally, there is perhaps one of the most challenging roles in the whole Bible – that of David's long-time right-hand man, Joab. J.D. Douglas says of him,
    “Joab proved himself a skilful general who greatly helped the establishment of the monarchy, but his character was a strange mixture. Apart from his personal deeds of violence and his opportunism, his cruelty can be seen in the way he swiftly comprehended and carried out David's plan to kill Uriah (2 Sa. xi. 6-26). Yet he could be magnanimous also, as when he gave David the credit after the capture of Rabboth-ammon (2 Sa. xii. 26-31). Perhaps most notably and surprisingly, he tried to dissuade David from numbering the people (2 Sa. xxiv. 2-4).”

There are two ways to approach the casting of such a role as David's multi-faceted commander-in-chief. The first is to choose an actor of wide range such as Russell Crowe in his prime. But I would personally opt for Jake Gyllenhall. He demonstrated in “Road House” that he has the physical attributes of a man of action. But on the other hand, he almost always plays characters, whether heroes or villains, whose inward thoughts are impossible to gauge by his facial expressions. He has just that hint of mystery that Joab possesses.

I could go on and on, but for you movie buffs I will mention just a few more meaty parts and let you do your own casting:

    The loyal, but doomed, soldier Uriah the Hittite who placed all his loyalty on a leader who only betrayed him with his wife and with his life (II Samuel 11)

    Elisha's sometimes faithful servant Gehazi who tries to make a little money on the side (II Kings 5)

    The constantly put-upon and frustrated prophet of both hope and gloom, Jeremiah

    The Syro-phoenician woman who engages in a battle of wits with Jesus (Mark 7)

    Pontius Pilate, who is torn between his belief in Jesus' innocence, the demands of his office, fear of causing a riot among the Jews, pressure from his wife, and hatred of the Jewish leaders who have put him into a no-win situation. In the end, he gives in to these leaders, but not without putting in a final dig at them in his wording of the placard over the cross (John 19)

    Simon Magus, the apparent Christian convert who yielded to the temptation of resuming his career as a successful magician, but with renewed supernatural powers (Acts 8)

    John Mark, the missionary who is seen to mature as he appears off and on in the New Testament. He begins as one who flees from danger and hardship, but ends up as one of Paul's most loyal companions.

The list could go on and on since there are so many different people who appear in the pages of Scripture, most of whom are deftly portrayed as three-dimensional personalities in as few as one or two verses. But, of course, that is the advantage of writing history and biography over the task of a novelist – there are real flesh-and-blood people behind the writing.