Actress Odeya Rush. Photo: wiki commons.

Israeli actress Odeya Rush has been picked to portray a young Virgin Mary in the upcoming film “Mary, Mother of Christ”, intended to be a prequel to “Passion of the Christ”.

Benedict Fitzgerland, who screen wrote “Passion” with Mel Gibson will write the prequel, and Rush, who has appeared on HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and NBC’s “Law and Order”, will play the Virgin Mary at the ages of 8, 15, and 19.  There was an alternative plan to have three different actresses split the roles at different ages, but the casting directors decided to go with Rush only.

Gibson will not be part of the upcoming film, which is expected to be announced at the Cannes Film Festival later this week, and according to Rush, unlike “Passion”, this script has no traces of anti-Semitism attached to it.

“On the contrary,” she said.  “The film emphasizes the suffering inflicted on the Jews by the Romans in those days. It is very exciting for me.”