Passion’s not for children: Bellucci

ROME: Monica Bellucci, the sexy Italian star who plays Mary Magdalene in ‘The Passion of Christ’, says Mel Gibson’s film is an “honest” work but it’s not for children. “Gibson wanted to recount the last 12 hours of Jesus, and the last 12 hours were very violent, so it couldn’t have been any different,” Bellucci told Italian state TV in an interview when asked about criticism that the movie was too graphically brutal. “Right or not, he made an honest film,” she said. Asked if children should see the film, Bellucci responded with a firm, “No.” — AP