Two Bulgarian actors, playing in the Hollywood blockbuster "Passion of the Christ" produced by Mel Gibson, have been featured in February 16 issue of Newsweek Magazine.

Hristo Shopov, who is playing the role of Pilatus the Pontius, and Hristo Zhivkov, reincarnated into John, Christ's favorite pupil, refused to comment on their performance before the movie's premiere.

Shootings of The Passion of the Christ started in December 2002 in Rome. The casting team includes world famous stars such as Monika Bellucci, Maja Morgenstern and Claudia Gerini. James Caviezel plays the central role of crucified Jesus Christ.

Gibson's version on Jesus' end of life, The Passion of the Christ, covers only his final 12 hours, zeroing in on the crucifixion. The movie's debut is expected in thousands of cinema starts on February 25.

Mel Gibson, once famous for playing Mad Max, seems to have left the Thunderdome behind and redirected his life from Babylon to Jerusalem, cinema critiques pointed out. Reviewers say his cinematic skills are better than ever. Many who saw the preview say watching it was a religious experience.

All the dialogue is in Latin, Aramaic and Hebrew (languages of Gospel times), offering only a handful of subtitles. Not a single English word is spoken. Gibson said he wanted to leave the viewer with no other choice than to sit and stare at Jesus.

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