Recently, on the set of The Chosen, Robbo sat down with Elizabeth Tabish, better known to many as Mary Magdalene, for an honest and simple chat about life, acting, and dealing with grief.
Elizabeth shared that there was a time in her life when she almost quit acting. She said, “I was trying to quit acting because I was not successful at it.” With few bookings and the pressure of paying bills, she felt stuck. But her agent sent her to an audition, and everything changed. Landing the role of Mary Magdalene became a turning point. “I pinch myself,” she said, “This has been life-changing and I’m so grateful.”
Although acting brings her joy, Elizabeth also loves writing and directing. She said she hopes to combine all of these things in the future. “There’s so much about acting that I adore, but I also want to try directing and writing again,” she said.
Elizabeth described a very moving scene from season 4 that left the cast feeling emotional. “It was shocking. It was heartbreaking to read and to film that scene.” But Elizabeth said that the experience also brought the cast closer together. “We spent about a week feeling that grief together, and it made us work in new ways as a group.”
Dealing with Grief
Elizabeth believes that grief is something everyone has to deal with in their own time. “I think the desire to get over it quickly is sometimes a mistake,” she said. “It’s something that may not completely ever go away. Mary talks about it in her in her song, how the bitter in life remains in the sweet.”
Elizabeth also revealed that season 5 takes place during Holy Week, a time full of both tension and hope. “Everyone is trying to make sense of what Jesus is about to go through,” she said. For Mary Magdalene, this season is about fighting to change what seems inevitable while still facing her own deep challenges.
One topic many fans are curious about is the relationship between Mary and Matthew. Elizabeth said, “I think they’re still friends into their older years.” While the focus of the story remains on Jesus, the connections between characters continue to matter. “There’s a lot of different characters that you can follow for the rest of the season that many people can relate to.”
