Actor Jonathan Roumie rose to fame after his role as Jesus Christ in “The Chosen,” a series that has visualized the Gospel. Roumie recently gave an interview to CBN during the KLOVE Fan Awards in Nashville, Tennessee, where he discussed how acting as Christ pushes him “to be more like [Jesus]” every day. Premiering in 2017, “The Chosen” became immensely popular for depicting Jesus and his disciples.
“What are you most excited about tonight?” The reporter asked Roumie. “Oh, just hearing music, being around the fans that have brought us here, and, yeah, just getting to celebrate with friends. And you know, all the artistry that and artists that God has put in the world to glorify His name,” he responded.
Upon being asked how depicting Jesus on the screen has changed his heart and changed him as a person, the actor claimed that it made him want to “fundamentally” deepen his relationship with the Son of God at every possible level.
“It’s made me want to be more like him in my day to day. You know, the more time you spend with him, the more unavoidable it is that he’s going to have an effect on your heart, no matter who you are, where you’ve come from, and even if you’re already believer, like I was going into these projects, it just, it just deepens exponentially your wish to kind of know him on, on a much more spiritually fundamental level, emotionally fundamental level, physically fundamental level,” he said on the red carpet.
Roumie further described the most challenging aspect of his role in “The Chosen,” noting the fame and expectations that come along with depicting the savior of humanity. He explained that he sees his role as a “spiritual litmus test.”
“Well, I think the fame is part of the challenge of doing it, because people, the way people receive the role, and how they receive you when they meet you. It kind of feels like the lines blurred. It’s part of what I explore in my documentary ‘Jonathan and Jesus’, kind of like what that means and what it looks like in real-time. And I think it’s also, you know, trying to live up to the expectations of God, of myself, playing the Son of God. So it’s kind of like a, it’s like a litmus test for myself, a spiritual litmus test, using my art, and I welcome it, but it’s also difficult at times, but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Roumie continued.
“Final question for you: what is your biggest prayer for America right now, in light of everything that’s going on?” the reporter asked. Roumie emphasized that, above anything else in this world, the single most important thing is to be anchored in Jesus Christ. He concluded the interview, “The only thing you need is Jesus. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. The only way to, to true inner peace is Jesus.” Watch the interview with CBN News below:
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.