Ten Commandments of Playing Moses: Do's and Don'ts for Christian Bale From Other Movie Prophets

Christian Bale as Moses in ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’

Hollywood has always known that the legend of Moses is ripe with cinematic moments. But bringing the larger-than-life character to the screen can be a challenge. In Exodus: Gods and Kings (in theaters today), Christian Bale takes on the role of the Hebrew prophet and liberator, following in the footsteps of other ambitious actors like Charlton Heston and Ben Kingsley. Here are ten guidelines for playing Moses, inspired by five of the men who have parted the Red Sea onscreen.

Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments (1956)

1. Thou shalt command the screen with big gestures, a big voice — everything that projects the authority of a man people would be willing to follow around in the desert for 40 years.

2. Thou shalt not play an entire love scene without looking at thy co-star.

Val Kilmer in Prince of Egypt (1998) and The Ten Commandments: The Musical (2004)

3. Thou shalt convey a sense of awe and humility, as Kilmer did with his moving voice performance in The Prince of Egypt.

4. Thou shalt not play Moses like he’s the lead singer of Nickelback, as Kilmer did in the regrettable Ten Commandments stage musical.

Ben Kingsley in the TNT television movie Moses (1995)

5. Thou shalt make sure that Moses cracks a smile once in a while.

6. Thou shalt not agree to make a Biblical epic on a basic-cable effects budget.

Christian Slater in The Ten Commandments animated movie (2007)

7. Thou shalt not underplay the big moments. The line is “Let my people go,” not “Let’s grab some lunch!” Come on, Uncanny Valley Moses, you can do better.

8. Thou shalt always include Ben Kingsley (who narrates this one and also appears in Exodus) and somebody named Christian in thy Moses movie.

Mel Brooks in History of the World: Part I (1981)

9. Thou shalt have an awesome beard.

10. Thou shalt not drop the tablets.