Recently, on the set of The Chosen, Vision’s Robbo sat down with Jonathan Roumie, the actor who plays Jesus in the hit series. Jonathan’s incredible rise to fame has been marked by some big moments, including winning a K-Love Fan Award and even meeting the Pope. But he’s also been wrestling with some hard questions about faith.
“It’s been pretty extraordinary,” Jonathan said. “I give all credit to God because if you look at all the things that have happened, there’s no way I could have planned this myself.”
With the amount of recognition, balancing humility and faith remains important to Jonathan. He says he stays grounded by listening to Jesus’ words and doing his best to follow them. “I don’t always succeed,” he said. “But if I can get it right 70% of the time, that’s a pretty good day.”
Wrestling with Hard Questions
Season four of The Chosen has been deeply moving for fans, especially episodes three and four, which dealt with loss and grief. Jonathan reflected on how these moments impacted him personally as he stepped into the role of Jesus.
“You know, it’s a question we wrestle with in real life,” he said. “Why does Jesus heal some people and not others? Why did Judas turn against Him? We don’t always understand why things happen the way they do.”
Jonathan shared that portraying Jesus in these difficult moments has given him a deeper understanding of faith and trust in God’s plan. “As much as I struggle with these questions as a human, I try to bring that into the role,” he said.
Finding Joy and Humour in Jesus’ Humanity
One thing fans love about The Chosen is its portrayal of Jesus’ warmth and humour. Jonathan believes that side of Jesus is essential. “There’s no way around humour or joy,” he said. “He was fully human, so of course He laughed, danced, and joked with His disciples.”
Jonathon also noted that The Chosen is one of the first projects to explore Jesus’ day-to-day life in such depth. “Because we take time to show those moments, it makes Jesus and the disciples more relatable,” he said. “And that’s why it’s had such a big impact.”
As filming for season five continues, Jonathan is grateful for the journey. “Everything has changed for me, personally, professionally, and spiritually,” he said. “I think God gave me the opportunity to play Jesus because then He knew I’d have to spend so much more time with Him.”
