Jonathan Roumie Discusses THE CHOSEN’s Impact: ‘It’s Awe-Inspiring’
By Movieguide® Contributor
As Season 4 of THE CHOSEN rolls out across streaming, Jonathan Roumie discussed the continued impact that the show has had on millions of fans.
“It’s humbling. It’s awe-inspiring. It’s kind of incredible to think that you can be a part of something that’s so tangibly substantially effective on people’s spiritual lives,” Roumie told TBN. “Every day [the cast and crew] get letters and messages and emails.”
“I was in line getting a cup of coffee at my favorite donut shop in Los Angeles the other day, and there was two young women hanging out and one had this mask on that said ‘Happy Easter’ and I said, ‘I like your mask,’ and she was like, ‘Oh, thanks,’” he explained. “I happened to be wearing a CHOSEN hoodie, just coincidentally, and I said, ‘Have you seen this show?’ And she said, ‘What show?’ I said, ‘This show, THE CHOSEN.’ And her friend was like, ‘Oh, THE CHOSEN! You’re Jonathan Roumie!’”
“I was like, woah, I wasn’t expecting that. And she immeditaly started breaking down in tears. She was like, ‘You have no idea how this show had ministered to me in my life. In the past year, I went through some super difficult times and thank you,’” he added. “She just couldn’t stop thanking me. It [was] incredible.”
Because of how THE CHOSEN helps people connect with God and grow deeper in their faith, Roumie has dozens of these types of stories. Rather than grow prideful because of his impact on millions of people’s lives, the actor is humbled that God would use him in such a way. From his first look at the show, Roumie has given this role to Christ, trusting Him to use it as He may.
“Everything I do starts with prayer, so for me it was about just praying that God would use me as a vessel to communicate His spirit in this story in a way that is so beautifully written by Dallas and his team and to communicate, you know, the love and the compassion of Christ and the mercy of God on humanity; and not get in the way of that,” Roumie said.
God certainly has taken THE CHOSEN to new heights and continues to work new miracles that seem impossible. With the release of Season 4 at the beginning of June, THE CHOSEN app jumped to the top of the App Store as millions of people rushed to see the next installment in the series.
Movieguide® previously reported:
The excitement for Season 4 of THE CHOSEN was undeniable earlier this week as the show’s app jumped to the No. 1 spot on the Apple TV App Store and the second spot on the App Store’s free app chart.
The incredible showing came as the first episode of Season 4 released to streaming. THE CHOSEN later revealed that in the first three days after the episode’s release, it had been streamed 3.5 million times, reaching roughly 4.2 million viewers in the U.S. – a near 100% growth in reach from the release of Season 3.
“The numbers are great, but what speaks to us far more are the comments and emotional response from the viewers,” said Dallas Jenkins, the show’s creator. “The crying emojis in the chat and the expressions of how much the ending impacted them were overwhelming.”
Production for Season 5 is currently underway.
“I would say Season 4 is our most emotional season by far. Season 5 is more, and that’s definitely come out in filming,” the show’s creator Dallas Jenkins told Deseret News. “I mean, we’re covering the most famous and impactful week in the history of the world — Holy Week.”
Filming began in early April and is “scheduled for 68 days of production, the action will focus on Holy Week, the time between Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem and His resurrection,” the Christian Film Blog reported.
- Content: +3Share:
- Content: +2