Chiwetel Ejiofor: ‘Mary Magdalene talks to our time very directly in a way we couldn’t have predicted’

Chiwetel Ejiofor has said that he thinks the story of Mary Magdalene is more relevant today than we “could have ever predicted”.

The Bafta-nominated actor, 40, plays Jesus’ disciple Peter in Garth Davis’ new big screen adaptation of the biblical tale, opposite Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara.

“The storyline talks to our time very directly in a way we couldn’t have predicted and that’s amazing,” he told the Standard.

“But I feel like people can start to look at the way is in which we look at history, the way we look at who’s writing the history, what their biases are, what their perspective may have been.”

Ejiofor said that the cast found themselves staying in character in between scenes due to the nature of the shoot.

“There was something about being in Sicily and walking all the time and about the sandals, the robes the freezing cold that kind of kept us a little bit in character,” he said.

“We were in the hills of Sicily trying to set up tents with the equipment that we had to make ourselves wind cheaters.

“We ended up feeling very connected to whatever the journey was of these guys and this woman. It does put you in that place and makes you wonder what that journey really was like."

Ejiofor was keen to “get under the surface” of Peter as much as he could, exploring historical records and gospels in his research.

“I wanted to get just little bit underneath the surface and understand Peter and understand his point of view,” he said.

“Because so much has been misrepresented it makes you question everything.

“You don’t question the overall circumstance because there’s so much corroboratory evidence about these people traveling to Jerusalem and the events that took place there.

“The outline is clear but you question a lot of how these characters have been depicted historically and in the record and in the gospels.”

Mary Magdalene is out in UK cinemas today.