What started as a crowd-funded project that raised more than $10 million at the beginning of 2019 has transformed into a cultural phenomenon.
Over the past five years, The Chosen, a revolutionary historical drama about the life of Jesus, has been viewed more than 770 million times in 175 countries across the world.
For its fourth season, The Chosen's producers released the series last month in two-to-three episode blocks at local movie theaters. The block consisting of the final two episodes — Episodes 7 and 8 — dropped February 29. The Chosen's small-screen debut for its fourth season will take place after the theatrical run.
Actors Jonathan Roumie and Elizabeth Tabish portray Jesus and Mary Magdalene respectively. The series is set in first-century Israel where Jesus, whose influence continues to grow across the land, demands his followers stand up to their Roman oppressors.
During a recent interview with the Current, Roumie and Tabish, the latter of whom worked as a professional actor in Austin for nine years, discussed the idea of the series being a faith-based show and how they confronted the challenge of portraying biblical characters.
Episodes 7 and 8 of The Chosen's Season 4 are currently playing at local theaters, including Casa Blanca, Palladium, Embassy, Mayan, Northwest and Galaxy, among others.
What are you looking forward to the most about Season 4?
Jonathan Roumie: I'm really looking forward to people seeing the story develop and take a more mature turn in the narrative. There's a lot of exciting things happening. A lot of major characters have these revelations. I'm really curious to see how the audience responds and reacts to all of it.
Elizabeth Tabish: For me, being on set and watching some of these performances of my fellow castmates, I was just blown away by so many moments. So, I'm excited for the world to see that.
How do you sell a faith-based show like The Chosen to someone who's a nonbeliever?
JR: I don't think any of us working on the show think of it as a faith-based [series]. For us, it's a historical drama about these people in this time period. They absolutely had an effect on changing the entire world through a spiritual movement — a movement of faith. We don't like to limit ourselves to one specific title because then it limits our audience. This show is for everyone — people of faith and people of no faith.
Atheists?
JR: Yeah, we've received letters from atheists. We got somebody from the Church of Satan writing us saying, "I don't really believe in this, but you guys tell a great story." So, if that guy's taking the time to write a letter, what does that say about how the show appeals to a variety of people all over the world?
ET: At the same time, there are a lot of Christians who use it in their Bible study, too. So, it's faithful to the stories of the gospel, and are very helpful in telling these stories and the lessons in them.
JR: I feel like our core audience are obviously Christians because they are the ones who want to see this story told well. But it's also breaching those divides and breaking down those walls, which says a lot about how we're telling this story.
Millions of dollars have been raised through crowdsourcing for the production of The Chosen. What does that say about the gap in storytelling that this show fills that maybe wasn't there before?
ET: There was a desire for this show. The normal emotions that develop during a season — like "Will people like this or not?" — we already had the confidence that the people who helped fund [the series] would definitely like it. It was created with a really strong bond with that core audience. We wouldn't be here without them.
Jonathan, what mindset do you have to be in to play Jesus?
JR: I think you have to start with a state of humility because, ultimately, it's not. The show isn't about any of us as actors. It's certainly not about me as an actor playing Jesus. It's about Jesus and what he did and how he changed the world. So, for me, I start preparing for every season with a lot of prayer and discernment and reflection and solitude — the things that nourish me as a man of faith myself.
What about you and Mary Magdalene, Elizabeth?
ET: When I first booked the role, I was feeling very connected to her in Episode 1. She was in a very dark place and sort of searching for meaning. It felt like I was her, so it was very easy to get into the character as the show has progressed and as her storyline has grown. It's been a relief to get to play some more joyful moments. Now, it's about letting it unfold and responding with an open heart.
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