The passion of Caviezel

Film star takes on new miniseries "The Prisoner."

By Brian Truitt

While many of the other attendees at July's Comic-Con International in San Diego were decked out in "Star Wars" or superhero costumes, Jim Caviezel was wearing a military jacket made for him by a friend in the Navy SEALs. "I'm very partial to Obi-Wan Kenobi," the actor jokes. "I feel like I should have dressed up like him today, but I'd need to bring my beard."

It's a lighthearted moment from a guy who's serious about many things, including acting. He played Jesus in Mel Gibson's controversial 2004 film "The Passion of the Christ," and next Sunday he stars in the AMC miniseries "The Prisoner," a reimagining of the classic British '60s series. Caviezel plays a man who gets trapped in "The Village," where residents are known only by a number and are under 24/7 surveillance.

Caviezel, 41, also is serious about his connection with the Navy. While growing up in Washington state, he dreamed of attending the Naval Academy, where idol Roger Staubach once played football. He applied three times, met with his congressman, studied hard to boost his SAT scores -- but never made the cut. "I always thought, 'Maybe I'm supposed to be an actor,' " says the married father of two. "But I said, 'No, I can't do that. Who can do that?' " He moved to Hollywood in the early '90s; he took acting roles and also enrolled in military history courses, befriending several SEALs while working on Ridley Scott's "G.I. Jane." "Between 40,000 and 60,000 actors come to Hollywood every year, and less than 1% make it," says Caviezel, a veteran of USO tours with fellow actor Gary Sinise. "Nobody really gave me much hope coming down here, and I kind of like those odds. I was drawn to doing "The Prisoner" because anything that makes me scared, I'm kind of drawn to."