stephornyak: Lady Gaga Gave Rick Gonzalez 'Freedom' To Play Jesus His Way In 'Judas'

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Lady Gaga Gave Rick Gonzalez 'Freedom' To Play Jesus His Way In 'Judas'

Actor tells MTV News that co-directors Gaga and Laurieann Gibson 'gave me a lot of confidence.'
By Matt Elias

Rick Gonzalez
Photo: MTV News

Just a day after Lady Gaga's video for "Judas" debuted, fans and foes alike are still buzzing with reactions. That includes actor/rapper Rick Gonzalez, who plays Jesus in the video. For Gonzalez, the experience was somewhat surreal, beginning with his initial casting.

"I'm sitting in my house, I get a call from my manager, [and] she says, 'Lady Gaga wants you to be in the video,' " Gonzalez recalled to MTV News. "I'm like, 'Oh, cool. Lady Gaga who?' and she's like, 'Rick, the Lady Gaga.' And I'm like, 'Wow, OK.' And the first thing that comes to my mind and what I tell her is, like, 'How does she know I even exist?'

"They send a treatment over and I read it, and I was like, 'Wow, I'm honored to be even a part of it.' I really love the story and what she did and [where] she was thinking of going with it and I was really honored to be a part of it. So I was really stoked."

Once on set, Gonzalez said it felt more like a film than a music video.

"Laurieann Gibson, who directed along with Gaga — I mean, they really had great shots and they had this amazing huge production set up for the video," Gonzalez said. "It really did feel that way. We were on a bike, on a flatbed truck, and I have Gaga behind me, and we're like moving around the lot, just running around. So it was definitely grand in that scheme."

While Gonzalez had the honor of manning Gaga's motorcycle in the opening shots, he was relieved that he didn't have to actually drive it for the wide shots.

"Those shots, that's not me riding," the actor revealed. "So the shots with me and her, we're literally being dragged on a truck. I didn't want the responsibility of dropping a bike with Gaga on it."

The actor developed newfound respect for Gaga after witnessing just how hands-on she was with all aspects of the clip. But there was one area that Gaga and co-director Gibson ceded to Gonzalez.

"The beautiful thing about playing Jesus in the video was they really gave me the freedom to find it in my own way and they gave me a lot of confidence in that, and I was really impressed in Laurieann's direction and just giving me the space and letting me find it," Gonzalez said.

He was equally impressed with how Gaga and Gibson communicated, which at times wasn't even verbal.

"I think the chemistry between Laurieann and Lady Gaga, it was interesting to watch because they were totally in sync with each other creatively, and I think that you're going to see a lot more amazing things with them, 'cause they totally have like this synergy with them," he predicted, adding, "And I've overheard them say they're totally gonna do a lot more things together, so I'm excited to see what that stuff's gonna be."

What do you think of Rick's portrayal of Jesus in the "Judas" video? Tell us in the comments.

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