How God Prepared This Actor to Play David in Front of Millions

Published: November 5, 2025

By Gavin Boyle

HOUSE OF DAVID’s Michael Iskander revealed how God took him from a jock with no interest in acting to the lead of HOUSE OF DAVID, all while keeping his priorities in line.

“I was very shy and I was very timid and I didn’t want to be in any sort of spotlight,” Iskander told the “Jesus Calling” podcast. “But God just kept moving everything and opened these doors and kicked me through it. He’s like, ‘You’re gonna go through this door and I don’t care.’”

“I grew up with David in Sunday school. I don’t remember a time that I didn’t know about him,” he added, explaining his longtime love for the biblical hero. “I would always kind of sit back and imagine what this little, young kid – what his courage was like to go to be the only person to stand up against a guy who was blaspheming God. I always saw him as this courageous and almost hated person, but at the same time, I never saw him as this greater than or this kind of iconic. I just saw him as a human being who truly just loved God and defended Him. For me, going about David was just trying to find his humanity.”

This desire to root David in his humanity has certainly come through on the big screen and pulled audiences in. After launching on Prime Video, HOUSE OF DAVID would go on to become the platform’s No. 1 show, and the second season has served as the flagship show for Wonder Project’s streaming service.

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Despite this success, Iskander remains rooted in humility, knowing that his fame comes from the Lord, rather than his own work. Because of this, he is quick to point to the Lord in all situations, rather than take any glory for himself.

”My faith always comes first. That’s No. 1,” Iskander previously said. “And so, I guess I look at everything through that lens. I don’t see why there should be a separation between art and faith. I’m very lucky with David. I get to worship when I go to work — that’s a blessing. I hope more people are inspired by faith in their art.”

“I think humans are very complex beings and we can’t tell our story without telling some of our downfalls,” he continued. “I have a line that I don’t cross, but I don’t think we should be afraid to dive into the complete nature of humanity.”

As HOUSE OF DAVID continues to draw millions of people closer to the Lord, it is amazing to see how the Lord guided Iskander to this role and prepared him to play the iconic hero of the faith without losing sight of what is truly important.

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