Ten Actors Who Have Played God (In Film)

  • Isaac Andrews, Exodus: Gods and Kings In Exodus, God speaks through Malak, a young boy played by Isaac Andrews. The British preteen is no stranger to the ancient world, having previously appeared in the Dwayne Johnson Hercules; his next big role is in the Avengers sequel.
    Gareth Cattermole—Getty Images; 20th Century Fox
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  • John Huston, The Bible: In The Beginning When casting a powerful, commanding leading man, iconic director John Huston knew to look no further than himself. Huston appeared in his own film as both Noah and the voice of God, part of a side career in acting that went on to include the downright devilish villain in Chinatown.
    20th Century Fox
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  • Alanis Morissette, Dogma This goofy religious satire from the mind of Kevin Smith featured Ben Affleck and Matt Damon as fallen angels and Morissette, in a cameo, as the Almighty. Morissette was in the midst of promoting Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, an album inspired by Eastern religion that put forward a more spiritual, enlightened rock star.
    Lionsgate
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  • Morgan Freeman, Bruce Almighty He'd already played the president, so God wasn't much of a stretch; Freeman, one of America's most trusted actors, brought his resounding tones to bear on the loopy Jim Carrey comedy. Playing God must have its perks: Unlike stars Carrey and Jennifer Aniston, Freeman returned for the sequel Evan Almighty.
    Universal
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  • Val Kilmer, Prince of Egypt Like John Huston, Kilmer played a double role, inhabiting both Moses and the voice of God, a purposeful statement meant to invoke the manner in which regular people "hear God."
    JB Lacroix—WireImage/Getty Images; Dreamworks
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  • Graham Chapman, Monty Python and the Holy Grail The late Chapman (pictured right) played multiple roles, just like the rest of the Monty Python troupe; he wasn't just God but also King Arthur and one of the Three-Headed Knight's three heads.
    John Downing—Express/Getty Images
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  • Rob Zombie, Super Zombie's voice, previously heard on albums including Hellbilly Deluxe and The Sinister Urge, helped motivate Rainn Wilson to become a superhero in the indie Super; director James Gunn used Zombie's voice again in his Guardians of the Galaxy.
    Getty Images/IFC Films
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  • Whoopi Goldberg, A little Bit of Heaven The Oscar winner was part of the deeply strange Kate Hudson rom-com, in which she appears as God before a terminally-ill Hudson and grants her three wishes. This wasn't new for Goldberg, though: she'd previously played a spin on God in 2002's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie.
    Millenium Entertainment
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  • George Burns, Oh, God! The former vaudevillian played God in Oh, God! and two cutely-titled sequels: Oh, God! Book II and Oh, God! You Devil. In the latter, he played — predictably enough — both God and Satan.
    Warner Bros./Getty Images
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  • Will.i.am, Joan of Arcadia (TV) The Black Eyed Peas frontman was one of many performers to have appeared as the Almighty on the CBS soap opera about a girl in communication with divine powers. Other Gods included future Star Trek actor Zachary Quinto and The West Wing star Kathryn Joosten.
    CBS
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By Daniel D'Addario and TIME Photo
December 12, 2014 9:00 AM EST

Exodus: Gods and Kings, out Dec. 12, features Christian Bale, Sigourney Weaver — and, in the role of God, an eleven-year-old boy. Young Isaac Andrews is a surprising choice for the role, in keeping with Hollywood tradition; the only predictable thing about who’s played God on film is just how unpredictable the choices have been. Here are some of the most memorable examples.

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