‘Ben-Hur’ Jesus Christ Actor Rodrigo Santoro Blessed by Pope Francis
Rodrigo Santoro, the actor who is portraying Jesus Christ in the new version of "Ben-Hur," has received a special gift -- Pope Francis' blessing.
The papal blessing was granted to Santoro, 39, on Wednesday while the movie's cast was attending a weekly papal audience event. The special moment was captured by the actor's co-star Nazanin Boniadi, who plays the role of Esther in the film, The Guardian wrote.
Check out the photo Boniadi posted on her Instagram page below.
Boniadi also shared several snapshots of the excursion, including a photo with Santoro in front of the Vatican and another one with the cast of "Ben-Hur."
Santoro previously appeared in American movies as Laura Linney's love interest in "Love, Actually" and as Xerxes in "300" and its sequel, 2014's "300: Rise of an Empire," PEOPLE reported. The Brazilian actor also had a guest appearance on ABC's "Lost" as Paolo.
Formerly named as one of the news outlet's Most Beautiful People, Santoro also starred in the February thriller "Focus" alongside Will Smith and Margot Robbie, The Hollywood Reporter added.
"Ben-Hur," which also features Jack Huston, Morgan Freeman, Toby Kebbell, Ayelet Zurer, and Sofia Black D'Elia, is directed by Timur Bekmambetov and is currently in production in Rome, The Guardian reported. According to the news outlet, the filmmaker's adaptation is expected "to go further as it courts religious audiences in the U.S."
The movie is based on the William Wyler 1959 Oscar-winning blockbuster, which was adapted from Lew Wallace's well-known 1880 novel titled "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ," The Guardian added. "Boardwalk Empire" star Huston portrays the title role of Judah Ben-Hur, the fictional Jewish prince who was first introduced in the book.
The Hollywood Reporter also wrote that despite the expected bloodshed in "Ben-Hur," the story "will have a message of forgiveness and Jesus Christ appears several times in the piece." Ben-Hur will also witness Jesus preaching to people in Jerusalem and will later see his crucifixion.
Kebbell, on the other hand, is playing the role of Messala, a friend of Ben-Hur who will betray the prince into slavery. Freeman's character will train Ben-Hur how to win at chariot-racing, The Hollywood Reporter noted.
The film's production was met with interruptions in the past. According to The Guardian, Italian archeological officials "banned producers from shooting in Rome's Circus Maximus, the chariot-racing site that was immortalized by the original 'Ben-Hur' film." The scenes at the ancient site had to be re-created in a local studio instead.
"Ben-Hur" is set to be released in theaters in February 2016.