Hollywood's Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus in The Passion of the Christ, has said he feels called by God to make Christian films to share the gospel.

The star plays the disciple Luke in his latest film, Paul, Apostle of Christ, which will be released later this month in the US.

'I'll be point blank with you, my industry has been around for a century, the word of God has been around for 5,000 years if you want to go back to Moses and Abraham,' he told The Christian Post when asked why he continues to plays religious roles in films.

'Am I the right guy [for the parts]? No, I never thought I was the right guy to play Jesus [either] but a friend of mine told me this, he said – "God doesn't always choose the best, but He chose you so what are you gonna do about it?"'

Caviezel is critical of the 'ego' focused nature of Hollywood and also of Christians' own reluctance to share their faith, warning that without evangelism church becomes like an 'elite country club'.

'I never focused on me, I just wanted to play the character well,' he said of his role as Luke. 'Christians need to understand that we are 2.3 billion, that's much bigger than 300 million people in the United States but if we want to hold the truth, we have to show it by love.'

He went on: 'If I said to you, "Why did you convert?" You'd say, "Because of his love towards me." Well then why won't you share that with others?'

Paul, Apostle of Christ stars Caviezel as Luke; James Faulkner (Game of Thrones) as Paul and Olivier Martinez (S.W.A.T.) as Mauritius, prefect of Mamertine Prison.