Director shares why he wanted to make Biblical epic on Mary, mother of Jesus
"Mary" director D.J. Caruso shared with Fox News Digital why he wanted to retell the nativity story by focusing on the mother of Jesus.
The director of the Biblical epic "Mary," coming to Netflix this Christmas season, says he hopes audiences will feel "closer" to the famous mother of Jesus after watching his retelling of the classic Nativity story.
Coming to the streaming platform on December 6, "Mary" stars Noa Cohen as Mary, Ido Tako as Joseph, and Academy Award-winning actor Anthony Hopkins as King Herod.
"Chosen to bring the Messiah into the world, Mary is shunned following a miraculous conception and forced into hiding. When King Herod orders a murderous hunt for her newborn baby, Mary and Joseph go on the run – bound by faith and driven by courage – to save his life at all costs," Netflix writes.
Director D.J. Caruso told Fox News Digital he wanted to make a film focused on Mary because he felt she was an overlooked part of the Nativity story with an inspiring and "very human" story to tell.
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Mary and Joseph in Netflix's "Mary," directed by D.J. Caruso. (Netflix)
"I feel like she's one of the most extraordinary women to ever walk this earth. But in cinema, she hadn't really gotten her due," Caruso said.
"I also felt that it was important for the younger generation to see what it was like to be her when she was a young woman and all this was getting thrust upon her and the decisions she had to make and all the stuff she had to go through. So I just wanted to make it a celebration of a young woman who took on one of these great tasks and delivered us the greatest gift," he continued.
Caruso, who directed thrillers like "Eagle Eye" and more recently the film adaption of Francine Rivers' novel, "Redeeming Love," said he felt a great responsibility to get Mary's story right. Not just because of his Catholic faith, he said, but also because he believes it's important to elevate the storytelling and production quality of faith-based films.
"You feel like there's a responsibility — You have a high responsibility to represent Mary and all these other characters in a high light," he said.
Israeli actress Noa Cohen plays the titular character in Netflix's "MARY," coming to the streaming platform in December. (Netflix)
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"I feel like a lot of faith-based films, whether they're done by faith-based directors or not, they haven't been done at a really high cinematic level," Caruso said. "They were really simply well-intended message movies."
Hit series like Dallas Jenkins' "The Chosen" have turned that trend around in recent years, he said, and Hollywood has taken notice.
"I wanted to do the best that I could for God and then let it take care of itself," Caruso said.
After Netflix released the trailer for "Mary" on November 12, the film was relentlessly attacked by anti-Israel critics on social media who blasted the filmmakers for casting Israeli actors to play Mary and Joseph.
The film "Mary" depicts her on the run from King Herod's soldiers after Jesus' birth. (Netflix)
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Caruso told Fox News Digital that it was important for him to pay respect to all religions in his portrayal of the beloved and revered figure.
"I took her story and tried to tell it as true as I can," Caruso said.
The film draws on canonized Scripture as well as non-canonical texts such as the Gospel of James in its portrayal of Mary's early life.
The director said he wants audiences to "love and adore" Mary but also be inspired by the struggles she overcame.
Director D.J. Caruso said he wanted audiences to feel closer to Mary after seeing the film. (Netflix)
"I want people to be closer to Mary and to understand that in order for her to do this, like any hero in a book, in a movie and anything, there's going to be a great cost and sacrifice to do something great," he said.
"I want people to say, ‘I can relate now … Instead of being out here looking at what happened to them, I am now inside the story and get to see what it looks like to be her and feel what she had to go through,'" Caruso said. "And so it's a much more visceral experience than just sort of looking at it from a distance."
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