The lead actor of "The Chosen" believes the impact of his work will outlive him because of its connection to the Savior.
A devout Believer, Jonathan Roumie approaches his role as Jesus on the hit streaming series with deep reverence, having previously called it "super humbling." In an interview this week with Fox News Channel, he expanded on the tremendous weight he feels portraying the Savior to a worldwide audience that now numbers in the hundreds of millions.
The native New Yorker stated that playing the role has been both "surreal and profound;" the latter because of how serious he is about his Faith, and the former no doubt because the part on the show has catapulted Roumie from being literally a starving artist in complete obscurity to having a social media following of more than one million. He says his hope is that his work on the program will bring people closer to Christ.
"If people are somehow drawn to the person of Jesus because they've seen my portrayal...and they go and dive into the Bible for themselves, or they get onto a path of exploration and wanting to know Christ on a deeper level, then my job is done. To do that, for me, is probably the most humbling career path that God could have ever brought me down."
The actor, who calls himself a born-again Catholic, also gave some hints about what is to come in the next season of the show - which releases in February, 2024 - saying, "Season 4 gets us one season closer to the cross, but then, ultimately, closer to the resurrection." That, of course, means the opposition to Jesus and His ministry will grow, according to Roumie.
"The authorities, Roman and the Jewish leaders of His community, aren't very happy with how things are going in their towns. So, it's getting a little more difficult for Jesus' ministry. Jesus knows it and He sees His followers' starting to realize the weight of what's to come."
Show creator/director Dallas Jenkins and his partners plan to make seven seasons of The Chosen, meaning we are still a long way from the climax of the series. And though it is currently on hiatus until early next year, there is a Christmas special coming to theaters this month, and Christian Film Blog will bring you more on that in the next few days, so do check back with us.