Mel Gibson faces backlash from conservatives after casting pro-choice actor as Virgin Mary
Mel Gibson angers far-right groups with latest casting decision
- Mel Gibson's new film, The Resurrection of the Christ, has drawn criticism from far-right Polish groups over its casting decisions.
- Polish actor Kasia Smutniak, a prominent supporter of women's rights and the Strajk Kobiet movement against strict abortion laws, has been cast as Jesus's mother, Mary.
- Supporters of Poland's right-wing Law and Justice party (PiS) have reportedly protested Smutniak's casting to Gibson's production company, citing her pro-choice stance.
- Gibson's publicist stated he was unaware of the protests, while the film, which has begun shooting in Rome, is set for a 2027 release and will be split into two parts.
- Despite Gibson's known opposition to abortion, this is not the first instance of a pro-choice actor being cast in his biblical films, as Monica Bellucci, who supported the right to choose, starred in The Passion of Christ.