the character of ben-hur was initially cast with walker whiteside, but he was replaced by edward j. morgan at the last minute. william farnum replaced morgan after the show's first season. william s. hart played messala. hart would go on to leading roles in silent films such as "the aryan" (1916), and became a silent screen cowboy hero. farnum also appeared in several films, including "the spoilers" (1914). the character of christ was "represented as a 25,000-candlepower beam of light" and not portrayed by an actor.