COMMENTARY: Precaution Could Have Prevented "Judas Actor" from Dying

A Brazilian actor -- who played the part of the apostle Judas in a play in Sao Paulo -- died this week as a result of accidentally hanging himself.

Tiago Klimeck, 27, was playing Judas in a scene in "The Passion of Christ" in which Judas hangs himself because he betrayed Christ.

The other members of the play did not realize that Klimeck was really dying, as they thought he was simply playing the role of Judas.

After noticing that Klimeck appeared motionless for four minutes, some members of the cast freed him from the rope that was tied around his neck; however, by that time, Klimeck was stricken too severely to be saved.

There is an important lesson to be learned from this scenario; namely, that actors must not take their work too seriously -- especially when the scenes in which they are acting involve a hanging rope, a gun, a knife, or other deadly weapon.

Indeed, it is wiser for actors to consider their lives and their safety more important than making a scene appear more realistic. Had the rope simply been placed around Klimeck's neck -- without having a knot  -- he would be alive today.

This kind of precaution, then, is essential in order to prevent similar deaths and serious injuries from occurring in the world of acting in the future.

An adage by the 16th century Dutch theologian Erasmus is appropriate for this situation: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."