Jonathan Roumie: THE CHOSEN ‘Makes Me Want To Be A Better Version Of Myself’
By Movieguide® Contributor
THE CHOSEN’s Jonathan Roumie is reflecting on what it’s like to play Jesus as the show enters its fourth season.
“When people meet me, they tend to have a similar emotional response to me as they do the character,” he told TV Insider. “They know I’m not Jesus, but they call me Jesus. I’m always looking for ways to make that distinction.”
He continued, “I just don’t think it’s healthy for me to try to perpetuate the concept that I am the sinless Son of God, which I am clearly not. So, I try to gently receive the encounter with the spirit of Jesus.”
Roumie also said his time on THE CHOSEN has “deepened” his faith and changed his relationship with God.
“It makes me want to be a better version of myself and the best human being possible,” the actor explained. “I’ve been put here to play this character for a reason, I believe. And if that’s to allow people to get closer to their faith and to develop a relationship with God, then what more could I ask for as an actor? How many times in an actor’s career do you get an opportunity to have a real tangible impact on someone’s life?”
Roumie’s experience playing Jesus is something he explores in his latest project, JONATHAN & JESUS, a docuseries that sees the actor learning about Jesus’ impact on the world.
“I thought, well, maybe this is something that God wants me to do, and somehow it can ultimately serve to inspire someone by hearing my stories of surrender and what God’s done in my life since more deeply surrendering to him and the success that I’ve had as a result of that commitment to Christ,” he told the Catholic News Agency.
Roumie is currently promoting Season 4 of THE CHOSEN, which he calls “the most intense and mature and challenging season” the show has done so far, per the Christian Post.
“Not just for me, but I think for everybody on the cast and crew,” he continued. “But I think what we created is going to be pretty beautiful.”
Movieguide® previously reported on THE CHOSEN’s fourth season:
THE CHOSEN Season 4 hits theaters on Feb. 1, and the cast and crew of the hit Christian TV series took to the Teal Carpet to reflect on the show.
While this season is expected to be darker than previous seasons, Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus, told Movieguide® why it’s important to have a “glimmer of hope.”
“Because that’s the example Jesus gave us. He gave us the example of His life as a proof of a reason to hope,” Roumie said. “And I think by people connecting to Him however it happens—whether through Bible, through church, through a television show—that gets them to go to church, gets them to open the Bible, all of that leads back to the evidence of hope.”
THE CHOSEN’s creator and director, Dallas Jenkins, explained why the show doesn’t hold back when it comes to difficult topics.
[We don’t] shy away in this season from the bittersweet, from the pain, the suffering,” he said. “I think if we ignore that or gloss over it or imply that Jesus just makes everything okay, I think we’re not being honest…however throughout this season, you also see Jesus saying, ‘Stay with me…if you stay with me if you keep your eyes on me, there is a conclusion to the story, and it is joyous, and it is peace, and it is all the things that I promise, it just isn’t now.’”
