David Bowie’s Pontius Pilate stands out in Scorsese’s The Last Temptation

Collider says David Bowie delivered one of his strongest film performances in Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ, appearing in the film as Pontius Pilate. According to Michael Wilson’s 2001 biography Scorsese on Scorsese, Bowie took the role after Sting dropped out; his screen time is little more than a cameo but his fame made Pilate feel imposing opposite Willem Dafoe’s Jesus.

The film, loosely inspired by Nikos Kazantzakis’s 1955 novel, drew major controversy for depicting Jesus as a fully human character tempted by ordinary life — a depiction that provoked protests, death threats, and a terrorist scare that required the FBI to give Scorsese protection.

Supporting players included Barbara Hershey, Harry Dean Stanton, Irvin Kershner and a cameo by Scorsese as Isaiah. Bowie’s restrained, monotonous turn — a terse, pragmatic Pilate rather than a theatrical villain — fits Scorsese’s aim to humanize the story and keep the true antagonist ambiguous.

Key Topics

Culture, David Bowie, Martin Scorsese, Pontius Pilate, Willem Dafoe, Nikos Kazantzakis