mary magdalene
MARY MAGDALENE I Lion director Garth Davis on the greatest story never told…
Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix adapt the Bible.
I’ve always loved Biblical movies, ever since I was a kid,” says Garth Davis. “They fascinated me.” The Australian director behind last year’s Oscar-nominated Lion is living the dream then, with his new film Mary Magdalene. A follower of Jesus said to have witnessed his crucifixion and the empty tomb after his resurrection, she’s rarely been focused on in film. “I thought it was astonishing that Mary’s story had never been told before.”
The reason is simple. “She’s often seen as the prostitute, which was really an invention by Pope Gregory in the year 591,” says Davis, whose screenwriters went back to the Gospels for research. “Her true story had just basically been hidden for such a long time. Ninety-nine per cent [of people] refer to her as a prostitute. It’s just one of those common understandings. For the first time, in any film that I’ve seen, we’re going to show what actually went on.”
Playing Mary is Davis’ Lion star Rooney Mara. “She’s my Ingrid Bergman!” remarks Davis, who was impressed by “her incredible mystery and mercurial nature” and calls her “the perfect soul for Mary”. He surrounded her with some major talent too: Joaquin Phoenix as Jesus, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Peter and A Prophet’s Tahar Rahim as Judas Iscariot. “Maybe I am in Heaven right now!” smiles Davis, saying he pretty much cast his favourite actors.
When it came to Jesus, Davis couldn’t envisage any other actor apart from Phoenix. “I really wanted to try and portray Jesus as very visceral – both the son of God and human… I just thought he had all the qualities that would make a larger-than-life and very realistic Jesus.” Did Phoenix ever consider it a stretch playing Jesus? “Well, that was just playing myself!” the actor chuckles. “Piece of cake!
I just said, ‘Finally, it’s about time!’”
Joking aside, Davis is taking the film very seriously. As the picketing of Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation Of Christ showed, religious groups can be highly sensitive towards portrayals of the good book. Is he expecting any heat? “We’re going to have criticism for sure. How can’t you? But at the end of the day, it really does celebrate love and faith and forgiveness and I think people can relate this to themselves.”
A bigger issue might be that, in certain territories, Mary Magdalene is being released by The Weinstein Company, currently mired in scandal due to Harvey Weinstein’s alleged misconduct. Was Davis concerned? “Of course. Very, very concerned,” he says. “I find it ironic that this is the story of a great female protagonist, coinciding with the revelations about Harvey. All I can hope is that it’s meant to be and we can find a new path.”
ETA | 16 MARCH / MARY MAGDALENE OPENS NExT MONTH.