Category:1965 * Monet, Lorenzo (actor) ITA

Lorenzo Monet (b.1965) is a former Italian child actor.

Monet was chosen to play Child Jesus for his blond hair and distinctive blue eyes. Filmmaker Franco Zeffirelli's goal was to create a sharp contrast between Jesus' appearance, on one hand, and on the other, the "normality" of his family (Joseph now had the age and behavior of a real father) and the very realistic Jewish setting in which Jesus lived. The contrast reminded the viewers that Jesus, although living in this world, did not really "belong" to it but came from "elsewhere." Zeffirelli insisted in having Young Jesus perform a Bar Mitzvah ceremony, even though consultant Rabbi Albert Friedlander reminded him that such ceremonies were practiced only from the 15th century.