Copyright Newsweek
Mel Gibson’s choice to play the Virgin Mary in the upcoming film, The Resurrection of the Christ, is sparking backlash online. Gibson has cast the Polish Italian actress, Kasia Smutniak. Smutniak is pro-choice, and her casting has prompted backlash in Poland, which has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe. Newsweek has contacted Smutniak via email for comment. Why It Matters Depictions of Jesus in cinema have been the topic of controversy for decades. The original The Passion of Christ film was widely criticized and named the most controversial film of all time in a 2006 issue of Entertainment Weekly. Martin Scorsese’s 1998 film, The Last Temptation of Christ, meanwhile, saw an Integralist Catholic Group set fire to a cinema that was showing the film. Scorsese was subject to death threats to the extent that he had to use bodyguards during public appearances for years. More recently, Netflix’s film Mary, about the life of the mother of Jesus Christ, sparked debate among viewers when it was released in 2024, and the upcoming horror film The Carpenter’s Son about Jesus Christ was described as blasphemy online. What To Know The backlash for Smutniak’s casting has come from far-right Catholic groups in Poland. In 2020, abortion laws in Poland were tightened to a near-total ban, and the procedure is currently allowed only in cases of rape or incest or if the woman’s life is in danger. Smutniak regularly shares political content on her Instagram and has shared multiple pro-Palestine posts, including advocating for a ceasefire. Polish media outlets have reported that the country’s conservative pro-life Law and Justice party has been writing to Gibson’s Icon Production to protest her casting, citing her support for the Strajk Kobiet, which campaigns about Poland’s abortion laws. Smutniak has previously shared posts on Instagram in support of Strajk Kobiet. Left-wing politics are not unique for Hollywood stars, with many A-listers skewing liberal. What People Are Saying Kasia Smutniak, in a 2020 Instagram post: “Today we are celebrating the 102nd anniversary of gaining electoral rights by Polish women. There is a lot to celebrate girls! Although we are forced to continue fighting for our rights. Today, on the streets, at home and at work. We must remember that the right to vote was not given to us for free, out of a good heart. It was won thanks to the commitment, hard work and sometimes the total dedication of the first feminists. Today we are celebrating the 102nd anniversary and today we are adding another page to our story. I hope our grandsons will read with amazement about the abortion ban in Poland as a failed attempt to return to the dark past.” Dom Lucre, a journalist in a post on X: “Kasia Smutniak, a Polish actress, model and outspoken pro abortion supporter just got casted as the Virgin Mary in Mel Gibson’s sequel to the Passion of the Christ which has infuriated Christians.” Social media user @Ulalala79616, in a post on X: “Dear Mr. Mel Gibson, @MelGibsonQ would you really want Kasia Smutniak to play Mary, the mother of Jesus? Please explain what this woman wants - all this inscriptions from her face. If she played this role, more than half of Poles would not watch ypur movie." Oli London, a media personality, in a post on X: “Polish actress known for pro-abortion and Free Palestine activism cast to play Jesus’ mother in Mel Gibson’s ‘Passion of Christ’ sequel. Kasia Smutniak will play Jesus’ mother Mary in Gibson’s film, which has begun filming in Rome. Her casting has sparked backlash from the Christian community for her abortion stance and her activism as well as backlash for her pro-Palestine activism.” @romanian-news.bsky.social, in a post on Bluesky: “Because she is pro-abortion, Polish Catholics do not want actress Kasia Smutniak to play the Virgin Mary in Mel Gibson's film 'The Resurrection of Christ.'” What’s Next Shooting has begun for The Resurrection of the Christ, the long-delayed follow-up to The Passion of the Christ, and it will be released in two parts in 2027.
