Him, Clavius
Joseph Fiennes gets gladiatorial in Risen
LOS A NGELES • Joseph Fiennes’ recent headlines may be more about controversy over his being cast as Michael Jackson in a TV special than his acting, but on the big screen, his sights are set on another role, of Biblical proportions.
The actor has a headlining turn portraying powerful Roman military tribune Clavius in Risen.
Fiennes’ Clavius is a skeptic who ends up investigating rumours that Jesus of Nazareth transforms into a risen Messiah after his crucifixion.
Peter Firth co-stars as Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea who assigns Clavius to monitor Jerusalem for a possible Christian uprising post- Resurrection. Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, is Clavius’ loyal aidede- camp Lucius. And Cliff Curtis defines Jesus as “a benevolent-type father-figure.”
What Fiennes enjoys most about the finished film is the narrative’s delicate balance of tone managed by director Kevin Reynolds.
“Risen isn’t too revisionist or too Sunday school,” says the 45- year- old best known for playing William Shakespeare in the Oscar-winning picture Shakespeare in Love. “(Risen) is for cinephiles and for people who love the story of Christ.”
For Risen, he obsessed over all things Clavius. That was before the Risen shoot on the island of Malta and the Almeria province in Spain where filmmaker Sergio Leone filmed many of his Westerns.
To refine his f i ghting skills, Fiennes studied gladiatorial styles associated with Roman techniques in combat. He also spent time with police detectives to learn about the interrogation process that might apply to Clavius’ duties.
“Preparation is everything to me — I know that’s a given,” says Fiennes.
On t he physical side, “the door opened for me with gladiator school and working with the detectives.” Although, he’s quick to add that gladiator school “sounds like more fun and romantic than it really is.”
Psychologically, Fiennes decided early on that the formerly ambitious Clavius seemed to be at crossroads as his investigation into the Resurrection progresses.
“I really felt like ( Clavius) was a man at the end of his career,” he says. “He was done with the industry of death. He was possibly suffering post- traumatic stress in some ways, but he wants to find the truth.”
Fiennes considers the seriousness of the assessment and then sums up his Risen experience more objectively: “What really affected me the most was wearing sandals for 2 1/2 months.”