Why This CHOSEN Actor Is Drawn to ‘Troubled Characters’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Alaa Safi portrays the role of Simon the Zealot on the hit Bible-based TV series THE CHOSEN.
Safi sat down with the media team from THE CHOSEN to talk about how personal his role has become.
READ MORE: HOW PLAYING JESUS ON THE CHOSEN HAS BLESSED THIS STAR
“I’m just drawn to troubled characters, and I think he’s pretty troubled,” Safi began. “To me, he’s like the warrior, the samurai of the group. He went to this academy or this school to just train to protect his people and to prepare for the arrival of the Messiah. There’s that sense of looking for a belonging, seeking a sense of purpose out of pain. He’s this guy who needs to learn how to go non-violent about everything in his life and has to do this U-turn in his life to fully trust,
Safi relates to his character because, at one point, Safi also needed to find his purpose.
“That’s something that speaks to me actually. It’s like what I did in my childhood. I needed something that shaped me,” Safi said. “I was constantly picked on. Actually, my father mentioned martial arts to me, I wanted to do soccer like my brother, but my parents just didn’t want to have a second son playing soccer. When my dad went, ‘Do you want to try karate instead?’ That was the only idea that seduced me, and I tried it. It clicked for me because I was like, ‘hey, this is actually what I need.'”
Safi went on to become a world champion in taekwondo. However, something just didn’t sit right with Safi.
“Once I got my title, it was like a wake-up call. I thought, ‘Okay, this is supposed to be great, but my opponent was standing next to me on the podium, and he had a black eye, and I’m like, we’re celebrating this?’ This doesn’t make sense. I apologized to him, and I quit after that,” the actor explained.
Related: ‘THE CHOSEN No One Sees’: Insights from Cast and Crew
Safi went on to explain that Simon the Zealot did the same thing.
“Bracing, preparing, strengthening himself, getting ready for the worst, and it’s all based on a fearful approach of the world and life,” Safi said.
Movieguide® has previously honored THE CHOSEN at the Movieguide® Awards Gala for the series’ creative and emotional look into the life of Christ and His disciples.
THE CHOSEN: LAST SUPPER Part 1 will be in theaters March 28. Check back to Movieguide.org for the full review.
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