Jonathan Roumie on the Weight of Playing Jesus in ‘The Chosen’

The Chosen, the groundbreaking television series that chronicles the life of Jesus and his disciples, recently launched its fifth season. What began as a modest, crowd-funded project has grown into a global phenomenon, with an estimated audience of over 280 million viewers worldwide. At the heart of this expansive biblical narrative is actor Jonathan Roumie, whose portrayal of Jesus has earned him a devoted fanbase and critical acclaim.

At a recent press conference attended by Casting Networks, the 50-year-old actor spoke candidly about the weight of playing such an iconic role. Roumie also discussed his decade-long collaboration with creator and executive producer Dallas Jenkins, the surprising intensity of fan encounters and whether he worries about being typecast.

Insights: Notes from Jonathan Roumie

Embrace your faith or personal beliefs to deepen your connection to a role.

Remain open to unexpected opportunities and trust that dedication and faith can lead to success.

Cultivate a strong, trusting relationship with collaborators, like directors and writers, to create a supportive working environment.

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Playing the role of Jesus must be a huge responsibility. How do you stay grounded in the role, knowing the significance it holds for people around the world?

It’s not something that is ever lost on me. I think it’s important for me to always keep a perspective on who I’m playing and what he means to so many people all over the world.

No doubt that Jesus means different things to different people. What have some of your encounters been with viewers of the show?

The depth of the encounters is sometimes pretty intense – from people asking me to pray over them, to baptize their children or to marry couples. It’s been pretty wild. One time I was in church, and there was a guy who came out of confession, and he saw me standing there. I guess he became a little starstruck. He starts telling me what he just told his priest in confession. I said, “That’s okay, you don’t need to.”

Has portraying Jesus impacted your faith journey?

I grew up Christian. I was baptized as a child and was raised with Jesus as the center of my faith. As a person of faith (playing Jesus) deepened my faith exponentially. It’s made me want to be the best version of a human that I can to everybody I encounter in the world, whether or not they have (religious or spiritual) beliefs. The point is that we’re all on this rock together for a finite amount of time, so how can we make each other’s lives better?

Before landing this role, you were a struggling actor. Was there a clear turning point in your life that led to your current success?

I can only give credit where credit is due, and I think it’s the influence of God in my life and the gifts that I’ve been given. I always kept my faith and my work separate, and then I got to a point where there was no work. I think that separation harmed me.

In an act of desperation — about seven years ago this May — I fell to my knees. I said, “God, if you want me to stay in this business, you have to take over. I’m going to give everything to you, and if you want me to get out of the business, I’ll get out. If you want me to stay and use these gifts that I’ve been given to your service, then I will do that. I will do whatever you want me to do, but I’m leaving it up to you.” At that point, I was broke. All my side hustles dried up. I was out of food, and I had no options.

You had a creative history with Dallas Jenkins before The Chosen — including short films and a church play. Three months after handing it over to God, a fateful call from him came in that changed everything. What did he say?

He said, “Hey, you want to put the sandals back on? We’re doing four episodes of a crowdfunded show. Probably won’t go anywhere, but you’ll have a few episodes of work.” I said, “Sign me up.”

Now, here we are, five seasons later, a global smash, about to film our sixth season. I just marvel at what has happened. My life, from that moment when I was on my knees, has never been the same.

How would you describe your working relationship with Dallas now, five seasons into the series?

Our friendship has grown, and there is an implicit trust that goes both ways. He trusts me to deliver what he’s putting on the page, and what’s maybe not even on the page. I trust him to challenge me in certain ways and to find this very unique path through the most complex material anybody will ever have to adapt. Dallas and his writers are truly the unsung heroes of the series because it is the most challenging writing to adapt.

In what way?

You’re dealing with a topic and a subject that is so sensitive and so nuanced and so objective for billions of people around the world who have faith. How do you make a version of this story that people from any faith — and no faith — can [find compelling to watch]? It’s super nuanced in ways that I don’t know how they do it. Every season there are new circumstances and new chapters that we’re dealing with in the Scriptures. There is also extra-biblical stuff we’ve created around these storylines that have to pay off, as you do with any quality television show.

Photo courtesy of 5&2 Studios.

For those who don’t identify as believers, is the goal of the show to convert — or something else?

Our responsibility is to translate the greatest story ever told into a way that people find compelling. If it leads them to want to dig deeper and learn more, and maybe experience what that is, and their lives are improved, their marriages are mended, and their estrangement from their children is rectified, then glory to God. If art can do that and heal people in that way, why wouldn’t we want to do that to the best of our abilities?

The main thing for us is that we do this with a level of excellence that is on par with any Hollywood studio. We’re not a Hollywood studio — we’re completely independent in how we make this — but we want it to be as good as anything else that’s out there because that’s what it deserves, and because of the impact it can have.

Long-running roles can sometimes lead to typecasting. Is that something you think about?

Part of that commitment I made seven years ago was to surrender to wherever I’m being led. If I didn’t work after the show but found some other means of fulfilling my mission to serve, then I’ll be at peace with it.

I hope I have other opportunities to do different characters, but it’s not something that I concern myself with or worry about, because I’ve already committed to following a higher power when it comes to what’s in front of me.

With two more seasons of The Chosen to go, your next project is a film that’s a fun change of pace.

I have a romantic comedy coming out (called Solo Mio) alongside Kevin James, which was an absolute blast to do. I love Kevin. He’s so funny. He allowed me to play a guy who’s from New York, who’s clean-shaven, whose hair is a little shorter and who maybe has a little ADD. I think when you’re committed to bringing the truth of who you are as a human to your characters and you’re committed to your craft, you can disappear in those characters.