The new National Geographic Channel movie Killing Jesus premieres this Sunday at 8pm ET/PT with an all-star cast that includes Kelsey Grammer playing King Herod, Stephen Moyer as Pontius Pilate, Emmanuelle Chriqui as Herodia, and Haaz Sleiman as Jesus himself. Based on the Bill O’Reilly/Martin Dugard book, Killing Jesus tells the story of the crucifixion and requires an ensemble cast to do it.
Joe Doyle plays Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus for 30 silver coins, the act famous beyond religious circles so that any betrayer could be called a Judas. I met Doyle at the Television Critics Association press tour where Nat Geo was presenting a panel on Killing Jesus.
Judas isn’t just the villain, right? Is he a lot more complicated?
Joe Doyle: “That’s what I wanted to steer clear of completely as well is just looking at it with a kind of view that he is the archetypal and revered character that people know him for. What was interesting to me was to get his motives at the time, what drove him, what kind of person he was to be able to let that in, to let some sort of influence or persuasion in. For one, I think it was the best Judas that I’d seen written so far.
I got a sense of, I guess, a sensitivity to the guy. He was a young lad who was obviously passionate and obviously had political beliefs but he was easily led. It was a really interesting journey, a really interesting arc to play. In this version, he’s a scribe of the court and he sees Jesus and his disciples and is immediately fired up by his speech. But I think that’s the same mechanism that leads him to eventually start to doubt him.”
It is the persuasion and manipulation of politicians that drive him to do this, to turn on Jesus?
Joe Doyle: “Yes, and I think for me he was very aware of the political situation being a scribe and working in the courts, to then renounce it all and become a disciple. I think when he’s become aware or slightly toyed with by an ex-tax collector, I think that really hits home that he knows the fate of all the disciples.”
Was there a chance in the movie to show when Jesus and Judas were great friends?
Joe Doyle: “There was. I think what Chris [Menaul] did, our director, was kind of embellish that as well, just to really set up that kind of relationship. Maybe what makes that decision even harder to do for Judas maybe, and also the fact that there was a strong bond, there was really strong belief and he didn’t do anything intentionally. That was always the thing for me. Whether he was just fulfilling scripture and had this agreement with Jesus, or whether he was just blindsided by an offer of money, trying to find the balance between the two. We did get a couple of opportunities to get them close and have some kind of rapport.”
What accent did you use for Killing Jesus?
Joe Doyle: “For this one it was just a toned down British accent, I guess, like an old RP accent but much more toned down. There’s quite a few accents, because a lot of the actors were from all over the place. We didn’t agree on one thing specifically.”
Is there a great Last Supper scene?
Joe Doyle: “There is. I think what Chris wanted to do as well was strip it back, so like in everything, we wanted to portray the characters as completely real. So he didn’t want to set it up as if it was the sort of renowned Last Supper like you see in old classic paintings or like you imagine I guess, but it was just a very subtle dinner around low tables on the floor. It make it much more humble.”
How many days did you shoot that scene?
Joe Doyle: “We were on it for, I think, about two days.”
How much of the film shows Judas away from Jesus?
Joe Doyle: “I think it’s more suggested. I guess it comes down to the cut of where he positions certain things, but there’s suggestions. A lot happens after he does the deed and Jesus is handed over. I think there’s a lot going on with him and the Romans. That’s stuff that I didn’t get to see at all, but I think Judas is later seen in his final moments. A good bit goes on so I’ll be interested to see. It was the stuff where he goes to the Kidron Valley.”
Were you shooting in modern Morocco that was just dressed historically?
Joe Doyle: “We were shooting in old kasbahs and old little towns. People still lived there. Essentially some of them are much more run down. They look as though they’re abandoned but you’ve got new towns tacked onto them as well. It’s just an incredible place to film. Along with the costumes and set design as well, it was kind of like taking a real step back in time. It was incredible.”
What was your costume?
Joe Doyle: “It was two layers of Hessian tunic, essentially. It was green, had a green tint to it which maybe echoed the color of jealousy maybe in Judas. He was meant to be the scribe of the court so he was not wealthy, not affluent, but he had a bit of money and he wore slightly finer tunics.”
Were the other costumes thematically color coded?
Joe Doyle: “I don’t think so and I don’t know that it was necessarily intentional, but definitely it was such a contrast between the disciples and the Romans.”
It’s still fun to read that into it.
Joe Doyle: “Yeah, maybe that’s my take on it.”
Did making Killing Jesus illuminate any of Jesus’ philosophies for you that aren’t necessarily religious, but may just be good advice?
Joe Doyle: “Absolutely, and I was really surprised how clear and concise it was when I was reading the script. It was more so the morals behind it. Even though you’ve heard the sermons and you’ve heard everything spoken many times, but I was just surprised to see behind that, the moral of it. That was the first read I did of it, and then when it was actually put into play when we were actually doing them, it was even more so. I think it’s cause and effects. There’s a reason for those sayings. There’s a reason for the sentiment behind them. So it made a lot of things clearer for me.”
What are you doing after Killing Jesus?
Joe Doyle: “I just got a job down in Louisiana […] called Salem.”
You’ll be on the second season? What character are you playing?
Joe Doyle: “I’m going to be playing a baron, Baron Sebastian Marburg.”
Was he a real person?
Joe Doyle: “From what I can understand, he is real within the times. He’s a real character. I don’t know if he is, historically.”
Did you watch the first season of Salem?
Joe Doyle: “I did, I enjoyed it. I’d seen the pilot a while ago and I just caught up with it recently in the past couple of months but I really enjoyed it.”
Were you excited about the opportunity to further complicate their drama?
Joe Doyle: “I was very excited because that kind of stuff is sort of a dream to play. It’s blood and guts, folklore. It’s great to get stuck into and they’ve got a great cast. It looks like a lot of fun and great character as well. I’m really pleased with the character.”
Do you know how many episodes you have?
Joe Doyle: “I’m going to be on it for at least seven.”
