FILM · 1988 · CANADA
The Last Temptation of Christ
26 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
26 Interesting Facts About The Last Temptation of Christ
Interesting Facts (17)
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The screenplay for this film sat in Martin Scorsese's lawyer's office for at least five years before it was made. Although Scorsese thought the film could be great, he was worried about how the public would react to the finished film. His lawyer agreed that the screenplay was great and very "brave," but advised against making the film because he thought moviegoers were not ready for such a story.
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Jeff Bridges, an avid fan of the writer Nikos Kazantzakis, actively pursued the role of Judas by writing to Martin Scorsese; the role ultimately went to Harvey Keitel.
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At a regional worship service, Christopher Lloyd said he had been offered the role of one of the disciples but turned it down. He says he has regretted that decision to this day.
- #009
Many theater chains refused to show the film. One of them, General Cinemas, later apologized to Martin Scorsese for this. Similarly, when it was released on home video and LaserDisc in the US, many video stores, including Blockbuster Video, did not carry the title because of the film's controversial reputation.
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Martin Scorsese initially wanted Steve Buscemi to play James.
Production Story (3)
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The film was to be produced by Paramount Pictures with a budget of 14 million dollars and shot in Israel. The project was cancelled at the last minute in December 1983 when the management of Paramount Pictures (and its parent company Gulf + Western) became concerned about the many protest letters they had received from religious organizations as well as the film's growing production budget. The film was to have been Martin Scorsese's follow-up to The King of Comedy (1982), but after it was cancelled he made After Hours (1985) instead. Eventually Universal Pictures and the theater chain Cineplex Odeon co-financed the film, reducing the budget to 7 million dollars, and shooting took place in Morocco.
- #020
The original production design concept was developed by Boris Leven, who had collaborated with Martin Scorsese since New York, New York (1977). However, Leven died in 1986 after completing The Color of Money (1986), and John Beard replaced him; many of Leven's original designs had to be abandoned because of budget limitations.
Behind the Scenes (2)
- #021
The filmmakers were given such a small budget for their controversial project that much of the economy had to be improvised. For example, Barbara Hershey (Mary Magdalene) had to constantly reapply her own mendhi tattoos because there were not enough makeup artists for everyone (the tattoos kept running in lines in the desert heat).
- #022
Barbara Hershey explained why she refused to use a body double in the sex scene: "My most important scene as a prostitute in Magdala was also the hardest, because I would be showing Magdalene with a series of men. Marty's films contain a lot of sexuality, but there was never any nudity in them - and he asked me if I wanted a double, so at first I said sure. Every atom of me wanted a double. But I didn't feel like a double. It would be Magdalene. I didn't feel she would move like me, and I knew that if I did the scene myself I would really feel like a prostitute."
Characters & Cast (3)
Deeper Meaning (1)
Related pages
- Donnie Darko — The Last Temptation of Christ comes up in the facts on that page
- Robert De Niro — The Last Temptation of Christ comes up in the facts on that page
- Martin Scorsese — The Last Temptation of Christ comes up in the facts on that page
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Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- IMDb
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