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According to numerous historians (in addition to documentaries from networks such as the Discovery Channel), Jesús de Nazareth would have been a dark man , with a somewhat robust build, short hair and a lush beard. Despite this, in the West, a completely different image of the prophet is handled: long hair, moderate beard, clear look and white complexion. A portrait to which, in 1977, other characteristics were added, such as wavy hair, striking thinness and blue eyes. The responsible? Italian director Franco Zefirelli, who presented his own version of Messiah 43 years ago in a five-episode miniseries . It was Jesus of Nazareth (today considered a classic of Easter), in which the British Robert Powell (75) played Jesus.
Zefirelli initially wanted to capture a great face of the industry to bring the icon to life. In fact, according to the BBC, the Florentine wanted Dustin Hoffman or Al Pacino to embody the son of God. However, when Powell showed up to play Judas, he knew that his physique could more closely match the religious images of Jesus. In that way, Zefirelli and Powell embarked on one of the greatest missions of their lives: to build the character of the son of God for the screen. "We wanted to combine the divine Christ with the human Christ. But we discovered that it was not possible. The moment you begin to interpret it as a real person, you lose divinity. And the most important element of this story is that the character has to be extraordinary" Powell told History in 2017.
However, Robert soon came up with the formula: he had to interpret a Christ with whom people could identify. And he did it, by far. After its premiere, Jesús de Nazaret was nominated for an Emmy and six BAFTA awards, in addition to becoming one of the most viewed religious films of all time. "I think the role and the film have had a big impact because we were so unspecific in our approach to Jesus. We presented the audience with something they could work with: a Jesus for everyone. No one has ever told me 'this is not how I I imagined it, '"Powell confessed three years ago. Although "transforming" into Christ also had strong consequences for the English, who even used to be confused with the Nazarene himself.
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"Once I was in Venezuela filming an Italian series, it was Easter and all my companions went to a mass in Puerto Ordaz. And when they returned, they were all laughing at lunch, saying 'good thing you did not accompany us to church, because, Behind the altar, the image they revere is yours. 'It was a magazine image,' The Wright Stuff revealed to the show in 2017. That was when Powell would have decided to seek psychiatric help. According to numerous means of the time, the actor would have begun to feel confused and it would have been difficult for him to get rid, in some other way, of his character of Jesus. Although Robert has never confirmed any of these speculations, unless he had come to merge the personality of Christ with his. But those weren't the only rumors he had to deal with.
Because, when he was chosen by Zefirelli for the role of Jesus, Powell was living with his girlfriend, without having formalized their relationship. "He had to deal with living with a woman without having married. After it became known that he would be the Messiah, headlines such as 'Jesus lives in sin with his girlfriend' appeared," journalist Quentin Falk published in his book. Strange, but true, moments in television history in 2014. Thus, Powell was pressured to arrive at the altar with the only woman in his life: the dancer Barbara Lord. "I met her when she was dancing in the group Pan's People. She was very glamorous, she still is, and we fell in love very quickly," the actor confessed to The Guardian in 2014, in addition to talking about his two children, Barney and Kate, his grandson. Oscar and the two Cockapoo dogs with whom he lives.
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And what happened to your career? After the success of Jesus of Nazareth , Powell's life was never the same again. What's more, he did not stand out again in the cinema or on television, despite having made more than 30 productions. Among them, the thriller Harlequin , the story about a Zulu king Shaka Zulu and the Italian film D'Annunzio. He has also lent his voice for various animations and documentaries, such as the one released by History, in 2017, about the Redeemer. On the other hand, at 75 years old, Powell defines himself as a calm person, who likes beer and cannot live without Google Maps. "I find it incredibly depressing that, like other people, I despair when I don't see my phone. I'm stuck with it a lot of the time and I like to watch Twitter and Facebook," he confessed to the Express in 2017. However, Powell rarely appears nearly never in the media.
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