Jonathan Roumie on playing Jesus in ‘The Chosen’: My life was completely changed
MANILA, Philippines — American actor Jonathan Roumie has shared how his life got “completely changed” after being cast as Jesus in the most popular faith-based series, “The Chosen.”
He recently flew here to attend a fan meeting and led the special screening of the Christmas special, “Christmas with The Chosen: Holy Night,” at SM Megamall Cinema 4 on Friday.
Set for official release via SM Cinemas nationwide starting Dec. 11, the retelling of the birth of Jesus — as seen through the eyes of Mary and Joseph — weaves together the stories of “The Messengers” and “The Shepherd” into an all-new, remastered feature in time for the holiday season, according to a media release.
Apart from his close encounter with Filipino fans, Roumie also met, early in the day, with the local press, including The STAR, for a series of one-on-ones. Yours truly had the chance to also witness first-hand the 50-year-old actor’s calming and charismatic onscreen presence, which has been credited by viewers to have helped bring to life a “relatable and approachable” Jesus in “The Chosen.”
Interestingly, this writer learned during the interview that when Roumie first landed the part, he was supposed to film four episodes only. But the role has since expanded along with the show’s successful four-season run (going on five seasons by April 2025), making him a global sensation.
He has met Pope Francis twice, been named one of Catholic media network Aleteia.org’s “10 Catholics who restored our faith in humanity” in 2021, is one of the high-profile narrators on the “No. 1 Catholic meditation, prayer and sleep app” alongside Hollywood star Mark Wahlberg, and has received this year an honorary doctorate at the Catholic University of America for his work that “advocates for Catholic faith and teachings.”
“The Chosen,” on the other hand, has been a top-performing title across such streaming platforms as Prime Video, Peacock, Netflix and Hulu, as well as a top-rated network series on The CW. What began as a crowd-funded project about Jesus of Nazareth’s life and ministry by producer, director and filmmaker Dallas Jenkins, has reportedly garnered over 253 million viewers and 800 million episode views to date.
In The STAR’s five-minute exclusive chat with Roumie, he shared his thoughts on how being chosen for “The Chosen” impacted his life and career, the show’s global fanbase, his reactions to people calling him “Jesus,” and his first-ever visit to the Philippines.
I learned that it’s your first time in the Philippines. How is it so far?
“Oh, it’s been great. I’ve only been here, like, a day and a half, but it’s been awesome. The people have been fantastic and so warm and inviting. It’s been lovely. I think I’ve been most excited to meet the fans. Just getting to connect with the passionate fanbase that the Filipinos have really provided us from the very beginning is something that has really been on my heart and made me excited.”
Speaking of the fans, can you share what’s the most interesting encounter you’ve had with them?
“I think I’m always just shocked to be recognized. I mean, it’s been a few years now, but it’s still a surreal experience for me. I don’t know if that’s something you ever really get used to? You learn how to handle it a little differently. I’m sort of an introvert by nature, so there’s still a little bit of anxiety, but it’s getting less and less with each encounter.
“I think that’s kind of good. I think having that is healthier than if I was just looking for that and seeking attention for myself all the time or needing to be seen or sought after by people. I don’t think that’s a healthy place for a person’s ego to be.”
But are you getting used to it already — when people call you Jesus?
“Yeah, I mean, what can I do? It’s the character I play. I’m pretty sure most people know that I’m not actually Jesus. I quickly make the distinction of TV Jesus versus, you know, when people say, ‘Jesus.’ Like, ‘Hey, I’m meeting Jesus.’ I say, ‘Only on TV. I’m Jesus only on TV.’
“So, I think… I have fun with it as much as I can. People just seem to be really excited to meet the guy who plays Jesus and see this character sort of in person. Meeting the fans tonight is going to be really exciting.”
You’ve been playing Jesus since 2019, right?
“2018, technically, for the series, but I started playing Jesus in my own community, doing passion plays and things like that. The very first project I did playing Jesus was a multimedia project that I filmed back in 2013. So, I had a little bit of practice running up to the beginning of the show.”
Playing Jesus through the years, what remains to be the challenge?
“Oh, I mean, that’s like asking, ‘What more is there to know about God that you don’t already know?’ God is unknowable. You cannot know God in His totality. Even in Jesus’ humanity, He is still largely unknowable because, first of all, it was 2,000 years ago that He was on the planet.
“And so all we have are the words that He left behind, the experiences people have had throughout the centuries, whether religious, non-religious, or mystical experiences, that people have had and you know, put down on paper and passed on to people through written or oral traditions.
“There’s still a sense of mystery within God and who He is and what He means to us. Even though I’m playing Him, I’m constantly mystified about who He is, why He does what He does, and why He loves us the way He does — especially when we can be little gremlins at times to each other.
“But God’s love is infinite, and His mercy is never-ending. I think when you meditate on those truths, you’re always going to be asking who He is, why He is, and how did we get here? That keeps me pretty busy, especially when I’m playing Him in a series. There’s always something to work on.”
Can you share the extent of how playing Jesus has changed your life? I read somewhere that the role came to you at your lowest point in life.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s been a profound journey for me. It started at a time where I was just coming out of this deep, deep valley of despair.
“That changed through this moment of miraculous transformation in my life on a financial level, which, three months later, was preceded by receiving this job to play Jesus. At the time, it was only for four episodes because we didn’t have any guarantees.
“I knew that even if I only had four episodes to play Christ for a TV show, if it didn’t go anywhere, it would enrich me somehow as a person no matter what. The fact that we’ve gotten to parlay that into what will be, God willing, seven seasons, have the opportunity to do this and make a career out of it — really, the beginning of my career success — has just been a profound and humbling gift for me.”
So, it’s like ‘The Chosen’ was your saving grace or answered prayer in some way?
“I think — I wouldn’t say. God is the only thing that can save us, but He uses things in our lives and opportunities like ‘The Chosen.’ Through this opportunity that He gave me, my life was completely changed.”
I would have wanted to ask about your Christmas plans for my last question, but my time’s up.
“Yeah, I’ll be with my family, basically. Just go and hang with family.”
(Watch “The Chosen” series via the watch.thechosen.tv website and app.)
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