In a moving interview, The Chosen star Jonathan Roumie opened up about his experience playing Jesus, sharing how the role deepened his personal faith in Christ and expressing that following God was the driving force in his acting career.
For context, Roumie sat down for an interview with journalist Pedro Tarquis of Evangelical Focus on March 27, 2025, and he immediately got vulnerable, telling his host about how playing the role of Jesus has transformed his acting career and changed his life. Throughout the interview, Roumie was kind, humble, and down to earth, setting an example for all Christians in the arts.
When Roumie was asked about whether he was worried that being strongly identified with Jesus in The Chosen would affect his acting career, Jonathan replied with confidence and resolve. He told Tarquis, “No, I am not worried. I mean, whatever happens, happens. I made a commitment several years ago to go wherever God wanted to lead me.”
Continuing, Roumie shared with Tarquis about an upcoming film called Solo Mio, which co-stars Kevin James and takes place in Rome. Regarding the film, Roumie said, “[Solo Mio] has nothing to do with the gospel stories. But it is a fun, wholesome film that still aligns with my values and my personal brand, something I can be really proud of. “Roumie added, “I am going to work in faith that those opportunities will continue.”
Moving on, Roumie weighed in on The Chosen’s massive cultural impact, saying he believed it was the show’s “commitment to production value, storytelling, and script quality” that made it special. Roumie added, “You can have the greatest message in the world, but if you do not present it well, people won’t receive it.”
In addition, Roumie took the Christian film industry’s history into account, criticizing the poor production value of older movies in the genre that failed to prioritize quality. He told Tarquis, “Imagine you have a message that contains the secret to life, but you wrap it in toilet paper, drag it through the streets, and then hand it to someone. No one is going to touch it, no matter how valuable the message inside might be. That is what Christian filmmaking was like for 20 years.”
Later in the interview, Roumie offered more insight into what it has been like playing Jesus on The Chosen, describing the experience as having “deepened my faith and made me want to be a better version of myself.” He continued, “It has made me want to be kinder to people, work on myself more, and truly try to live out his teachings in my own life.”
Near the conclusion of the interview, Roumie said that his personal favorite season of The Chosen was season five, the latest in the series. He added, “It was the hardest to film, the most challenging, but also the most exciting and one of the most spiritually profound seasons I have ever done.”
Watch the powerful interview:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video