THE CHOSEN Star Says Show Is ‘Always Breaking New Territory’
By Movieguide® Contributor
THE CHOSEN’s Paras Patel is sharing his thoughts on ChosenCon, the show’s fans and what viewers can expect in Season 5.
“If I had one word to describe ChosenCon, I would describe it as ‘a phenomenon’ with parentheses ‘(in the making),’ just because this is our second ChosenCon,” Patel, who plays Matthew on THE CHOSEN, told Movieguide®. “To compare it to what we had last year at ChosenCon, it’s almost — it’s on steroids. So I can’t imagine what the next ChosenCon is going to look like.”
ChosenCon is a two-day event where fans of THE CHOSEN can “[connect] with our creators, cast, crew, and fellow friends of the show,” per the show’s website. “Meet Dallas, cast members, writers, and crew, attend panel discussions and Q&As with The Chosen Team, [and] make some new friends who share your love for the show and its impact.”
The actor continued, “[ChosenCon has] been such an amazing experience, because it’s been my chance to give back to our supporters who have brought us to where we are at with THE CHOSEN, and so I’m excited to be here. It’s an incredible feeling…I’m just so lucky to be here so that I can show my love to our audience that has shown us so much love these past five seasons.”
Movieguide® previously reported on ChosenCon:
THE CHOSEN creator Dallas Jenkins is opening up about what ChosenCon is all about.
“ChosenCon is our opportunity to thank the fans, the people who make this show happen, the people who watch it and tell us how it’s changed their lives,” Jenkins explained. “The people who have given and sacrificed, the people who have spread the word about the show, the people who are devoted and whose lives have been changed by it. And we wanna say, ‘Thank you for helping us get here.’”
“So it’s also a little bit selfish though, because when we get here, this fuels us. Their expressions of passion, their expressions of thanks, their tears, all of that makes us go, ‘You know what? The pain that we went through shooting this through the season, it’s all worth it. If they can do this, we can do this.’”
Jenkins’ favorite things about the event are surprising the audience of 5,000 people with “something new” and meeting all of them.
Patel shared that he never expected THE CHOSEN’s massive success, saying, “It’s always blowing my mind, it’s always blowing expectations. You know, I like to think that if Matthew were to track the analytics of what THE CHOSEN could be, he wouldn’t even be able to keep up! Because we’re always breaking new territory, breaking new grounds, and that’s what THE CHOSEN does.”
The actor also spoke about what viewers who are keeping up with THE CHOSEN on The CW can expect from the currently airing Season 4.
“There’s a lot more happening,” Patel said. “Of course, tensions are going to continue to rise in Season 4, and you’ll be able to see that as soon as Episode 4 airs, actually. You’ll see some very light-hearted moments, you’ll see some full-circle moments of some characters getting what they deserve, and in the most beautiful way. One of my favorite episodes is also coming later this season, Episode 7, so I can’t wait for the viewers to see that.”
He continued, “I think that the way these episodes are told and the way it’s kind of pieced together is what makes the show so beautiful. So just get ready for the ride because things do take a big turn in Episode 5.”
Patel then teased a bit of information about Season 5 — “It’s no secret that it’s Holy Week, so you’ll see Matthew, my character — he needs to make sure he documents everything as detailed and as proper as possible, so this season, Matthew will be doing a lot more writing, because there’s a lot to write about.”
In an interview with the Catholic News Agency, Patel spoke about what playing a character like Matthew has meant to him.
“It’s so rare to have a character really impacting you,” he explained. “Matthew teaches me so much about just… honestly, it sounds simple…but it’s just listening. Listening to one another, hearing other people’s thoughts, giving them space to feel comfortable, giving them a safe space to be open.”
He added, “I learn about not judging others so easily. I learn about respecting one another and just really trying to hear someone else out and hear their heart and not judge a book by its cover.”
