Mel Gibson drew media attention earlier this month when it was announced that Jim Caviezel would not reprise his role as Jesus in the sequel to *The Passion of the Christ*. Instead, Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen will step into the coveted portrayal for the highly anticipated film, *The Resurrection of the Christ*, slated for a two-part release beginning on Good Friday in 2027.
The reason for Gibson’s decision not to recast Caviezel is simple: it’s a matter of chronology. The *Person of Interest* star has aged too much over the past two decades to portray Jesus in a film that picks up only three days after the crucifixion.
Until the announcement of *The Resurrection*, many were unfamiliar with Ohtonen—and some may still be. Here are a few of the roles he’s best known for:
### The Last Kingdom
Ohtonen’s biggest role so far is likely his portrayal of the warrior Wolland in season five of the popular Netflix series *The Last Kingdom*. The show, a British historical drama, is based on the novel series *The Saxon Stories* by Bernard Cornwell. It aired from 2018 to 2022, telling the story of a Saxon noble captured and raised by Danes after his family was killed.
Ohtonen’s character, Wolland, appeared in the final season as a mercenary and manipulative schemer, often helping orchestrate smuggling crimes and assassination plots. According to Common Sense Media, the series contains gore, inappropriate language, and sexually explicit content.
### Vikings: Valhalla
The 36-year-old Finnish actor also played Johan in the first season of Netflix’s *Vikings: Valhalla*. Now airing its third and final season in 2024, the show was created by Jeb Stuart as a follow-up to the series *Vikings*, which originally premiered on the History Channel.
*Vikings: Valhalla* centers on the growing tensions between the descendants of the Vikings and the native English, with internal Norse conflicts over conflicting pagan and Christian beliefs. Like *The Last Kingdom*, Common Sense Media notes that the series contains violent depictions, explicit language, and sexual content.
### To Cook a Bear
Ohtonen stars in the new Sweden-based Disney+ series *To Cook a Bear*, playing the character Roope. The show is a six-episode historical thriller set in a remote northern Swedish village in 1852 and revolves around a pastor, his family, and their foster son.
An adaptation of Mikael Niemi’s novel by the same name, the series follows a runaway boy and the priest as they team up to search for a killer bear in the nearby wilderness. IMDb classifies the series as containing “mild” sexual content, “moderate” profanity, and “severe” violence.
CBN News has reached out to Ohtonen for an interview and will provide updates as they become available.
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