Jim Caviezel Shares New Details About His Upcoming Film 'Zero A.D.'

Actor Jim Caveizel shared new details about his upcoming film Zero A.D., where he plays Herod.

Zero A.D. is the next film from Sound of Freedom director Alejandro Monteverde. It tells the story of the Epiphany and the Holy Family’s flight to Egypt to escape the genocide and persecution of Herod.

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Speaking with Raymond Arroyo as part of his Arroyo Grande show, Caviezel was asked about his role as Herod and the film.

He shared that he put his mark on the character especially when it came to the character’s presence and accent. He told Arroyo, “I knew he was Aramaic. And they were like, ‘Well, he’s kinda-.’ I said, ‘No. This is how he’s-.’ Because they were doing that freaking accent that I-. I was like, ‘Look, nobody here can do Aramaic.’ But I know how to do it. And I said, ‘This is an Aramaic one.’ And he said, ‘Well, he’s got this, that-.’ I said, ‘Yeah, because he would be meeting with this king over here from Egypt, from all these other areas. So he wouldn’t sound like any of these guys from a local town. He would be a king.’”

From there he shared, “I think that this guy, Herod, was a great athlete and then what sin does to, it distorts you, it destroys you. And I love history. I love the stories of what made those people change. And what the devil had planned. This guy was going to stop it at all cost. Nobody’s gonna get through this guy. And what they did on Bethlehem was nothing short of pure genocide like the Nazis. It was well orchestrated. It was well done. And he sought to make sure it was done.”

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Caviezel then shared, “And where he was, I think he was the head guy in Galilee. He had done such a great job with the shipping and the money. He was on a fast track. Now, his father was murdered, taken out by a faction and he moved fast and he removed all of these [people].”

After Arroyo noted that Herod was a great builder, Caviezel added, “That’s right. He was putting it back to its old glory. So he understood the people and what would keep him in power. And also the factions of individuals and why those other kingdoms and areas, Masada, had to be built for him to [flee to for protection if needed].”

Zero A.D. arrives in theaters on December 19, 2025. Alongside Caviezel, the film also stars Ben Mendelsohn, Sam Worthington, Gael García Bernal Deva Cassel, Jamie Ward, Marco Khan, and Luca Riemma.

What do you make of Caviezel’s comments about Zero A.D.?

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