Hey, the Satan character looks like President Obama. Yes, that’s what many viewers decided Sunday night during the airing of “The Bible,” the epic, blockbuster miniseries that covers both Old and New Testaments.
Giddy press coverage followed, with comparative pictures of the character in question, and Mr. Obama. Needless to say, social media ran amok with speculation.
But it just is not so, the network says.
“HISTORY channel has the highest respect for President Obama. The series was produced with an international and diverse cast of respected actors. It’s unfortunate that anyone made this false connection. HISTORY’s ‘The Bible’ is meant to enlighten people on its rich stories and deep history,” the channel said in a statement on Monday.
“This is utter nonsense. The actor who played Satan, Mehdi Ouzaani, is a highly acclaimed Moroccan actor. He has previously played parts in several Biblical epics - including Satanic characters long before Barack Obama was elected as our president,” said producer Mark Burnett.
“Both Mark and I have nothing but respect and love our President, who is a fellow Christian,” added Roma Downey, executive producer. “False statements such as these are just designed as a foolish distraction to try and discredit the beauty of the story of the Bible.”
