evidence: Monteverde obviously couldn’t have predicted any of this when pre-production began on Sound of Freedom, and he met with actor Jim Caviezel. Monteverde was taken by the actor’s conviction about the subject of child trafficking and cast him as Ballard. Still best known then for his portrayal of Jesus in Mel Gibson’s 2004 film The Passion of the Christ, Caviezel, who for many years had been vocal about his strict Catholic faith, was just coming off Person of Interest, a five-season CBS sci-fi crime drama.