Jonathan Roumie Says ‘The Chosen’ Is Changing Lives and Spreading the Gospel Worldwide

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The actor who portrays Jesus in The Chosen says the Bible-based series has resonated far beyond faith audiences and changed lives because people are searching for truth – and longing for what only God can provide.

Jonathan Roumie made the comments to Crosswalk Headlines ahead of this year’s K-LOVE Fan Awards while taking a break from filming the series’ final season, which will portray the resurrection and is set to debut in 2028. For now, though, Roumie and the team behind The Chosen are focused on promoting Season 6, which centers on the crucifixion and premieres on Prime Video Nov. 15. The K-LOVE Fan Awards air Friday (May 29) on TBN at 7:30 and 10 Eastern.

The Chosen has built an audience unlike anything seen in modern faith-based entertainment history, drawing viewers who might normally be skeptical of such content – including agnostics and atheists.

“People want truth with a capital T – objective truth, not subjective truth,” Roumie told Crosswalk Headlines. “They want God's truth, whether or not they're ready to identify it as God's truth – but it's truth.

“And Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. And when you are experiencing Him through a show, through His message, through a depiction – through honest, authentic, committed, servile portrayals, they're going to feel that, and they're attracted to that. And it's healing.

“And so many people have written to me and talked to me and come up to me and told me how their lives have changed by finding Christ through the show, through the vehicle of the show.”

Roumie was a relatively unknown actor until landing the role of Jesus in The Chosen, which debuted in 2019. Since then, he has shared how portraying Christ deepened his faith and emboldened him to speak publicly about it.

The series’ fast-paced filming schedule has created a timeline that doesn’t mirror what fans are currently experiencing. While most viewers are preparing for Season 6 this fall and its weighty themes of betrayal, sacrifice, and death, Roumie already has shifted his focus to Season 7, which is filming this summer and centers on the hope and triumph of the resurrection.

“Now that we're filming Season 7, [the mood is] a lot less heavy, it's a lot less thick with tension and sorrow and pain. There's more of a joy, especially for me. I've only had a couple of days on set, and with only a few people – but the day that I did have was just joyful.”

Asked how he wants The Chosen to be remembered, Roumie declared: “That it served to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.”

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Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.