Kasia Smutniak Backlash Over Abortion Views
The casting of Polish-born actress Kasia Smutniak as Mary in Mel Gibson‘s “The Resurrection of the Christ” is sparking controversy from far-right Catholic groups in her native country, where Smutniak is known as a pro-abortion activist.
As reported exclusively by Variety, shooting started in early October at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios on Gibson’s long-delayed follow up to 2004’s “The Passion of the Christ,” with its main ensemble cast having been entirely recast. Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen (“The Last Kingdom”) is playing the role of Jesus, replacing original star Jim Caviezel. Mary Magdalene, a role held in “Passion” by Monica Bellucci, is being played in “Resurrection” by Cuban actress Mariela Garriga, and Smutniak is replacing Maia Morgenstern as Mary.
Polish media are reporting that supporters of the country’s conservative pro-life Law and Justice party (PiS) have written to Gibson’s Icon Productions banner to protest Smutniak’s casting, citing her support for the Strajk Kobiet (Women’s Strike) movement — the silhouette of which is a suffragette with a red lightning bolt — that has been behind a nationwide campaign against Poland’s strict abortion laws.
When reached by Variety, Gibson’s publicist Alan Nierob said that he was not aware of this protest. There was no comment from Smutniak through her agent.
Smutniak lives in Italy, where she has acted in more than 40 films and TV shows including Sky series “Devils” and “Domina,” in which she plays the lead role of Livia Drusilla. Smutniak made her directorial debut with the Toronto-premiering 2023 documentary “Walls” (“Mur”), a travel diary in her home country denouncing the wall that the Polish government built in the so-called red zone in eastern Poland to prevent the entry of migrants.
Some Polish opponents of Smutniak’s casting are even trying to drum up support on X from conservative U.S. commentators like Candace Owens, as is evident in the post below.
“Passion of the Christ” star Caviezel is known to be an outspoken Catholic who opposes abortion; however, Monica Bellucci has spoken out in favor of a woman’s right to choose, calling its ban a “moral falsehood.” Therefore, Gibson’s casting of a pro-abortion actress is not a novelty, though he is a conservative icon known to oppose both birth control and abortion.
