THE CHOSEN Stars Explain How the Series Impacted Their Faith
By Movieguide® Contributor
Jonathan Roumie and Elizabeth Tabish explained how working on THE CHOSEN has impacted their lives and helped them grow closer to God.
“If it wasn’t for God putting me in this position, I wouldn’t be here to do this,” Roumie said. “The fact that I am, and if people remember anything that I did at all…that’s amazing. The fact that it’s a character that has affected so many people’s lives and a show that has impacted millions of people in very specific and substantive ways [is amazing].”
Roumie is especially grateful for how THE CHOSEN has given people hope and helped them find a light when the rest of their lives seemed dark.
“Not many actors can walk away from a project they did saying, ‘Hey, my work helped to change somebody’s life. My work helped contribute to this project that actually ended up saving somebody’s life. They watched the show, and they decided they weren’t going to commit suicide. They weren’t going to take their own lives,’” Roumie said. “I mean, those are very real examples that have actually happened.”
For him personally, taking on the role of Jesus means depending on God.
“It’s forced me to depend even more than I thought I was depending on God already for everything in my life,” he told The Christian Post. “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t start with prayer and give gratitude for where God’s brought me through this journey.”
“I don’t know any other actor that goes through that or has that opportunity to be on the receiving end of such grace and beauty from the work that they do,” he added. “It’s truly been a gift.”
Tabish, meanwhile, has been impacted in a very different way, finding a new side of faith and religion that had previously been missing in her life.
“I was raised Catholic, and there was a large portion of my teen years into my 20s where I was very cynical about religion,” Tabish explained. “I just saw too much, sort of, judgment from religious people and I think I mistook religious people for the actual religion. I think that I sort of made the mistake of not having that direct relationship with Jesus.”
“It’s all a complicated thing, but I was cynical and I was kind of looking for something else to fill that void, and when I got to the point of reading the audition for the role, it really broke me down. It really opened my heart up,” she continued. “It reminded me of who Jesus was and how much I had really missed in my life.”
“This whole experience has been so personal, almost uncanny in moments where I feel seen by God,” she told Aleteia. “Now I realize that God sees us, sees through all of our pain, all of our resistance, all of our personality issues, and sees our hearts. I think there is peace that comes with understanding that and feeling that.”
It’s amazing to see how those working on THE CHOSEN have been impacted by the story in similar ways to the audience.
Movieguide® previously reported:
Elizabeth Tabish, who plays Mary Magdalene in THE CHOSEN, recently shared her personal connection to the character.
Many remember her character’s story from Season 1. Mary was tormented by demons, lost and hopeless. She encountered Jesus in episode 3, where he approached her with Isaiah 43: “Thus says the Lord who created you, and He who formed you, fear not for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name, you are mine.”
“When I first booked it, I was kind of going through some similar emotional states myself. I was having a real tough time finding meaning in my own life, and I couldn’t make rent,” Tabish told Martha MacCallum.
“I was struggling with a lot of different things, and so, when I first read the script for the audition, I just, I felt so connected to her. And I thought, ‘This is so interesting to see this story about Jesus and the disciples kind of start off with a woman’s story,’ and you don’t even know it’s Mary Magdalene until the end of the episode,” she added.
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
