Opposition to The Passion of the Christ (2004) kind of put me back on my heels a little bit ... I expected some level of turbulence because when one delves into religion and politics - people's deeply held beliefs -- you're going to stir things up ... But it was a surprise to have shots being fired over the bow while I was still filming, and then to have various loud voices in the press - people who hadn't seen the work - really slinging mud.