Modern twist on the story of Jesus
A strong “Mary Magdalene” hits theaters.
Rooney Mara never thought she’d go viral.
In 2017, the actress became a minor internet sensation when a photo leaked from the set of biblical drama “Mary Magdalene,” showing her smoking a cigarette in full costume right next to a crucified Jesus (Joaquin Phoenix) on the cross. The anachronistic image quickly became a meme on social media and was picked up by sites such as BuzzFeed, which declared it “art.”
Mara, 33, laughs at the mention of the picture, which was snapped in between takes.
“My grandparents have it framed in their house, actually,” she says. “I was lighting it for (Phoenix) because he couldn’t use his hands.”
Although you won’t see any disciples taking smoke breaks during the Last Supper, “Mary Magdalene” (in theaters Friday, on digital HD platforms April 19) still puts a decidedly modern spin on the Jesus story. The film is told from the perspective of Mary, who rebels against her family’s attempt to marry her off and leaves them to follow a traveling rabbi known as Jesus, who spreads the gospel with the help of his apostles Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Judas (Tahar Rahim).
But unlike past depictions of Mary, the movie rejects the longstanding myth that she was a prostitute (a fabrication of Pope Gregory the Great in 591). And by film’s end, Mary helps lead the apostles in
preaching the word of God after Jesus’ crucifixion.
“I wasn’t that familiar with Mary’s story but I had always heard that story of her being a prostitute,” says Phoenix, 44, who wasn’t raised Christian but considers himself “spiritual.” “But it was incredible what a significant role she played in this movement. You realize how much the women in this story had been dismissed and disregarded.”
Some biblical scholars have gone so far as to call Mary history’s “first feminist,” given that she was an independent, strong-willed woman who refused to let men try to put her in
her place and instead became an influential prophet, now regarded as the first witness to Jesus’ resurrection.
“It feels feminist now ... because she does think about the injustices and unfairness between men and women,” Mara says. “She was also fiercely brave to leave everything behind and go follow a group of men. I can’t even imagine how scary that must have been.”
“Mary Magdalene” marks the third feature that Phoenix and Mara have starred in together, after 2013’s “Her” and last year’s “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot.” The real-life couple began dating during the shoot and took their relationship public two years ago at Cannes Film Festival in France. (Asked how he feels about the media attention paid to their romance, the deeply private Phoenix says, “I’m just totally unaware of it. I’m not on social media and don’t read any entertainment sites.”)
The film has been embroiled in its share of controversy. It was roundly criticized online for its “whitewashed” casting, given that neither Phoenix nor Mara are of Middle Eastern descent. (Mara similarly received backlash for playing a Native American in 2015’s “Pan.”) Director Garth Davis (”Lion”) defends the decision, noting that there are African and Israeli actors in the cast.
“The casting was an opportunity to modernize the story and make it reflect the multicultural world we’re living in now,” he says. “And ultimately, the most important thing for me was finding actors who captured those characters in a soulful and emotional way.”
The movie was planned for release in late 2017 but was repeatedly pushed back after The Weinstein Co. shuttered in the wake of multiple accusations of sexual assault against producer Harvey Weinstein. (IFC Films ultimately released it.)
“The irony of it was that it’s taken 2,000 years to get Mary’s story out, and then there’s a roadblock,” Davis says.