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Jonathan Roumie Chronicles Faith, Playing Jesus in New Series

Photo from Jonathon Roumie Instagram

Jonathan Roumie Chronicles Faith, Playing Jesus in New Series

By Movieguide® Contributor

THE CHOSEN’s Jonathan Roumie has released a new mini-series documenting his journey to become one of the most prominent portrayals of Jesus to ever break into mainstream culture.

“This commitment, this responsibility, this gift that I’ve been given – while challenging at times – ultimately if for my greater good and for the potential for other people to find some sort of inspiration or some sort of connection or a return, in many cases, a return to faith,” Roumie said about his role on THE CHOSEN.

The idea for the series – JONATHAN & JESUS – came from a plan to create a one-off episode depicting the weight of playing Jesus on screen. However, the concept blossomed to include Roumie’s journey to faith.

“So grateful to God for the opportunity to give you all a glimpse into my journey and for all the folks who believed in this little project which began with an invitation to Rome to meet Pope @franciscus, going far beyond what I had ever imagined,” he announced on Instagram.

“I think when Jesus felt the pressure of life, of human life, He would go off on His own to pray and get recharged and just find quiet time,” the actor said. “I do this. I find that doing the same thing – going off to pray by myself and just spend time with God in prayer alone – is monumentally impactful to me.”

Roumie’s journey to THE CHOSEN might be just as impactful for fans who may not realize the position the actor was in leading up to the show.

After over a decade in the entertainment industry, Roumie had yet to land a big break. Though he felt it was the Lord’s calling for him to be an actor, his zeroed-out bank account made it hard for him to truly believe it.

The morning Roumie ran out of money and only had enough food for the day, he surrendered himself to God and felt a weight fall off his shoulders.

“I got on my knees, and I prayed,” Roumie said. “I said, ‘Look, God, I give everything to you. If you want this to work, you’re going to have to help me figure out a way to survive, to find food for tomorrow. And I’m not going to worry about it anymore.”

That same day, he received an unexpected check in the mail, and three months later, THE CHOSEN’s creator, Dallas Jenkins, asked him to play Jesus on the show.

“The point was that I committed to not having control over it anymore,” Roumie explained. “And when I did that, I think that’s the thing that changed for me. My life, from that moment, has never been the same.”

“JONATHAN & JESUS can serve as an example to other people who might be in a similar postion that I was in, kind of struggling with something, or at a bit of an impasse in their career,” he added.

“I think if I had experienced success much earlier in my career, I wouldn’t have appreciated it in this way, and I most certainly wouldn’t have developed the faith that I have now in the same way,” Roumie told The Christian Post.

The four-part mini-series is now available on Prime Video.

Movieguide® previously reported on Roumie’s journey:

THE CHOSEN’s Jonathan Roumie recently appeared on Fox News to celebrate the five-year anniversary since his life changed through a decision that has become the crux of his testimony. 

“Today is a special day,” he said. “Five years ago today, I was literally in a pit and God sort of lent a hand and brought me out of the pit. I was broke. I was in debt. I had enough food for the day to last a day.” 

“I literally, as a result of having been struggling for the previous, oh, 15 to 17 years prior training to make it as an actor, I literally surrendered my entire life, my career, everything that U had and didn’t have over to God,” Roumie explained. “that day, He blessed me with a bit of a massive financial miracle that changed my relationship with Him completely and forever.” 

Due to his deeper relationship with God, Roumie started to seek roles that he felt God was calling him to, rather than find jobs that he believed would further his acting career. Three months later, he was contacted by THE CHOSEN creator, Dallas Jenkins, to play a role in a project for his church. That project eventually led to the creation of THE CHOSEN.