It has been over five decades since the last "Ben-Hur" film was made. As such, there is a lot of excitement attached to the modern adaptation of the epic film.
Executive producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey put a lot of heart, time and effort to create this movie. The original film, which was based on the classic novel written by Lew Wallace, was driven by revenge. But this year's adaptation is all about forgiveness and reconciliation, which the Christian couple loves to project.
But what made the project extra special for them was the fact that Rodrigo Santoro, who plays Jesus Christ in the film, got a special blessing from Pope Francis.
Both Burnett and Downey "had the opportunity to get a blessing from the Pope," according to the Catholic Herald. But "Pope Francis personally blessed Rodrigo Santoro. That was an extraordinary moment for him, and for us," adds Downey.
Downey has nothing but praises for the Brazilian actor, who was able to do a good job balancing the role as the Son of God and the Son of man.
"He brings a gentle strength but also a beautiful timelessness to the role," gushes Downey. "Jesus was more of an imperial presence, He wasn't interpreted as a person you could see or feel His presence. That's something John Ridley addressed in his script. Not only is He [Jesus] the Son of God, but the Son of man" as well.
Meanwhile, Burnett also shares that prayer helped them a lot while making the film. No matter how demanding their schedules got, they always made it a point to bow their heads and talk to God "every day," he says.
"For me personally I try to start my day with small prayers, and then I try to train physically for a couple of hours, then I take a solid half an hour after training to do nothing but praying," Burnett says.
"Ben-Hur" was released on Aug. 19 in the United States in 2D, 3D, RealD 3D, Digital 3D and IMAX 3D.
