I imagine film makers make Jesus look the way their potential audience would want him to work. You gotta keep the customers happy when there’s millions of dollars at stake.
The BBC figured out what he would have most likely looked like using historical texts and modern forensics. Popular Mechanics featured the findings a while ago.
Real Face Of Jesus: December 2002 Cover Story
He looks like Saddam Hussein to me. Which is pretty much like every Arab, which Jesus was. * gasps *
And to add to squirbel: It’s important to note that those paintings were done by white Europeans using the popular painting methods of the time, which were highly stylized, not accurate by a long shot. Essentially meaning, they painted everyone the exact same way, including Jesus Christ a.k.a. Turbo Arab.
I’m sure if Jesus got on a airplane today, white Christians would be giving him dirty suspicious looks, watching for any signs of potentially terroristic motives.