(Fox News) – Joaquin Phoenix is playing Jesus in the upcoming film “Mary Magdalene,” but he refused to perform one of the miracles recorded in the Gospels. An early scene in the movie required the 44-year-old actor to perform a miracle from John’s Gospel, in which Jesus healed a blind man by rubbing mud in his eyes — portrayed by a woman in the film. “I knew about that scene from the Bible, but I guess I had never
really considered it,” Phoenix told CNN. “When I got there, I thought, ‘I’m not going to rub dirt in her eyes. Who the f— would do that?’ It doesn’t make any sense. That is a horrible introduction to seeing.” Phoenix took matters into his own hands, by simply licking his thumb and rubbing the woman’s eyes. The actor, who recently played Joker, argues ditching the mud doesn’t take away from the miracle Jesus performed. READ MORE