Mel Gibson’s choice to play the Virgin Mary in the upcoming film, The Resurrection of the Christ , is sparking backlash online. Gibson has cast the Polish Italian actress, Kasia Smutniak. Smutniak is pro-choice, and her casting has prompted backlash in Poland, which has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe. Newsweek has contacted Smutniak via email for comment. Depictions of Jesus in cinema have been the topic of controversy for decades. The original The Passion of Christ film