CHICAGO (NewsNation) — “The Chosen” has taken the entertainment world by storm.
The show’s historical depiction of Jesus Christ is seen as relatable and relevant. The show’s audience has invested millions of dollars in donations.
The show is fueled by the testimonies of viewers who see themselves in the gospel message, overcoming adversity and being dedicated to something larger than oneself.
“Morning in America” host Adrienne Bankert sat down with the show’s creator Dallas Jenkins and some of the cast, who were all in their own time of suffering just before their dreams were resurrected in the show. Actor Jonathan Roumie, who portrays Jesus in the show, has also shared a life of faith, humility and sacrifice.
Here’s what they had to say about the show and their journey filming it.
This story has been edited for clarity and brevity. The show airs on the CW, is owned by NewsNation’s parent company, Nexstar.
Q: Are you making Jesus cool?
Dallas Jenkins: I am not making Jesus anything. Jesus is who He is. I am just happening to tell a story about Him and trying to portray Him as accurately as I can. People’s response to it is not up to me.
Q: What influenced you to create “The Chosen”?
Jenkins: A year before “The Chosen,” I had a huge career failure. I had a feature film that had finally achieved the goals that I had set out for. My goals were success, attention and I wanted to win awards. I finally got my chance with a movie that was released nationwide with some of the biggest producers in Hollywood and it completely failed. I went from being a director with a very bright future to a director with no future in just a couple of hours. I got to a place where I genuinely surrendered, and I genuinely said, ‘OK God, I am willing to not make another movie if that’s what you want.’ I had a strong come-to-Jesus meeting, and I think that’s when God said, “Now you’re ready for the Chosen.”
Q: Do you feel responsible for making Jesus known?
Jonathan Roumie, plays “Jesus”: I feel responsible to show up and give everything I have to this role. And then what God does with it. It is up to Him.
Q: How much has Jonathan Roumie’s life changed?
Roumie: It’s indescribably different. You have an idea of how your career is going to go, what steps to follow and then you have reality. And very often the two don’t quite line up. I got to a point where I was desperate and out of money and out of food. I just realized in that moment that I had no other alternative but to completely and wholly rely on my faith, and just say ‘God, you just show me where you want me to go and what you want me to do because at this point, I’m out of options and I’m giving it to you. And He did. He did that very day that I had made that prayer and changed my life in an instant.
Q: Do you believe you are divinely connected?
Roumie: Yeah, I believe this is part of God’s plan for sure.
Q: How did Elizabeth Tabish relate to her character Mary Magdalene, one of the most well-known women of the bible?
Elizabeth Tabish, plays “Mary”: She has a very realistic background and history, and it’s something that I was relating to and I know a lot of other women are relating to. When I booked it, I was in a state of depression. I didn’t know what to do with my life. I was broke, I was living with my mom, I was trying to quit acting because it wasn’t working. When I was reading the scenes for the sadder parts of Mary, I was like this is me right now and this is what I need, too, right now.
Q: Did playing this part and her deliverance bring you your own?
Tabish: To find light and to find hope and love and a community of really loving people helps with that. I’ve been changed by the experience of playing this and by being influenced by it.
“The Chosen” has been viewed by hundreds of millions internationally. Now, it’s filming its fourth season with an exemption from the actor’s strike with some saying the show is the Lord’s work.
