HOLLYWOOD, CA
Director Christopher Nolan has stirred up controversy for his casting decisions yet again this week after replacing Matt Damon with 83-year-old retired Mennonite farmer/minister David Unrau. Unrau will star as legendary Greek hero Odysseus.
“Shaving my chest was a bit much, but growing the beard was no problem,” said Unrau. “And, hey, at least they’re not asking me to wield a firearm.”
The casting of Unrau, however, has fans up in arms.
“He’s just not right for the part,” said movie fan Ralph Hiebert. “I mean, I hardly think that Odysseus was baptized upon confession of his faith, now was he? And what does he know about the Schleitheim Confession?”
Unrau says he’s been bulking up for the part by doing a lot of plowing and eating a heck of a lot of farmer sausage.
“With tzatziki, of course,” said Unrau. “You know this whole movie thing has really challenged a lot of pre-conceived notions I had about Anabaptism.”
Most challenging for Unrau was reconciling with non-resistant beliefs with the presence of a large wooden horse filled with bloodthirsty soldiers.
