Jesus has been portrayed on-screen countless times, but not all cinematic Sons of God are created equal. Some depictions aim for reverence, some for reinvention—and some spiral into straight-up chaos. Whether it’s a campy musical, a misguided sequel or a French art film fever dream, Hollywood has a long history of taking creative liberties with the Messiah.
Here are five of the most ridiculous, over-the-top, or just plain baffling portrayals of Jesus ever committed to film or stage—ranked from eyebrow-raising to full-blown sacrilegious.
5. Jeffrey Hunter in King of Kings (1961)
You can almost smell the Coppertone. Jeffrey Hunter’s blue-eyed Jesus in King of Kings looks less like a Nazarene rabbi and more like he just stepped off a Malibu surfboard to deliver the Sermon on the Mount. With feathered light brown hair and a permanent glisten, this was clearly less about historical accuracy and more about 1960s Hollywood asking, “What if Jesus was hot?” Unfortunately, this depiction is so whitewashed, it makes a Restoration Hardware catalog look diverse.
4. Bernard Verley in The Milky Way (1969)
If you’ve never heard of Luis Buñuel’s The Milky Way, imagine if Monty Python and your overly philosophical ex made a movie about heresy. In this surreal, French fever dream, Jesus shows up somewhere around the third act as a robed mystic babbling cryptic wisdom in the woods, like he just finished a drum circle. There’s no crucifixion, no resurrection—just vibes and vague theological tension. He’s less the Son of God and more your friend’s Burning Man shaman who quotes Scripture, or at least things he believes is in Scripture.
3. Victor Garber in Godspell (1973)
If you’ve ever wanted to see the Son of Man in full mime makeup, rainbow suspenders and a Superman T-shirt, congrats—Godspell exists. This Technicolor acid trip reimagines Jesus as a New York City street performer leading a band of hippie disciples through musical parables. The message might be heartfelt, but the aesthetic screams “clown cult summer camp.” The only miracle here is that this movie didn’t singlehandedly end Christianity in the ’70s.
2. Future Jim Caviezel in The Resurrection of the Christ
Nothing says “biblically accurate” like casting 55-year-old Jim Caviezel as a freshly risen 32-year-old Jesus. Yes, the Passion of the Christ actor is back for the sequel none of us asked for, playing the resurrected Lord with all the subtlety of a QAnon forum moderator (because, well, you know). If that wasn’t ridiculous enough, director Mel Gibson has shared his sequel will pick up where the last film left off, taking a closer look at what Jesus was up to during his brief death. And yes, it will require digitally de-aging the actor.
1. Cynthia Erivo in Jesus Christ Superstar
Over the weekend, Cynthia Erivo ditched the Elphaba hat and donned a costume that can only be described as her audition for a celestial episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race: Messiah Edition. The Hollywood Bowl production of Jesus Christ Superstar took Andrew Lloyd Webber’s already chaotic rock opera and cranked it to apocalyptic levels of camp. Erivo took on the role of Jesus, which really set the vibe for the absurdity of the whole play. Everyone involved seemed to be trying very, very hard to mock Christianity with jazz hands and eyeliner. This wasn’t reinterpretation—it was sacrilege with a spotlight. If the original Superstar flirted with irreverence, this version threw the Bible into a glitter cannon and shouted, “Let’s make the crucifixion fabulous!” It’s hard to tell if the production was more interested in telling the Gospel or trolling anyone who’s ever been to church. Either way, mission accomplished?
