Jonathan Roumie Reveals Just What Goes into Playing Jesus on THE CHOSEN

Published: March 28, 2025

Jonathan Roumie of THE CHOSEN — Movieguide® Red Carpet Photo

By Mallory Mattingly

In 2017, Jonathan Roumie took on the role of Jesus in the hit biblical TV series THE CHOSEN, and since then, his life has taken a dramatic turn towards fame, stardom and numerous other opportunities.

Roumie talked with Movieguide®’s Jeremy Carroll to discuss what it has been like to play Jesus and the gravity he approaches the role with compared to other characters he’s played.

“Well, I’m not playing Jesus in any of those other roles, so, you know, obviously, playing Jesus requires a lot of deep thought and consideration given who he was and what he means to so many people around the world, including myself as a Christian,” Roumie explained.

“And I think there’s this certain reverence that I have for the character,” he added. “There’s an endless supply of complexity with Jesus. I mean, he’s probably—he’s the most difficult character I will ever play. I think for any actor, he’s the most difficult character to play just because of who he is. So, I don’t take any of it lightly, and I strive to honor him in my portrayal.”

At the end of Season 4, Jesus was “a little more raw and emotional.” However, Roumie said, viewers haven’t seen anything yet.

“This season — Season 5 — will show the world colors and emotions of Jesus that nobody’s really tried to capture before,” the actor said. “Nobody’s gone to the depths of the interpersonal relationships between Christ and the Pharisees, the authorities, the disciples — nobody’s explored this in the way that we’re exploring it. So as for the human side of him, we’re going to see things that we’ve never seen before.”

“And I’m really proud of that because I think it’s giving a much more complete and relatable portrait of who Jesus, as the man, could have been,” the actor continued. “Obviously, we don’t know for certain, but everything we’re doing is always trying to stay in line with the Bible, scripture, tradition, and what we know of our faith—and what feels true and authentic. With that in mind, getting to see this emotional exploration is something that I think is just going to blow people’s minds.”

THE CHOSEN: THE LAST SUPPER debuts in theaters today and will be available until the end of April.

Aside from working on THE CHOSEN, Roumie also has partnered with the Hallow prayer app to bring a fun and new way to help people stay connected to God through prayer. Most recently, he teamed up with the app for its Lent challenge.

“This Lent we must root out anything that does not lead us to God…We’re all attached to things in this world,” the caption of a video that features Roumie and Mark Wahlberg’s voices reads. “We’re all attached to the ease and comforts and distractions of life. And what we’re called to do especially this Lent, is to detach. To seek God’s kingdom first, not the world’s. We are in this world, but we are not of this world.”

Another project Jonathan Roumie’s been working on is the song “Arms Around the Sun” with Michael W. Smith, which will debut on April 11.

“There’s nothing that really comes close to the shared expression of playing music with people. It’s almost a chemical thing; it’s an ethereal sort of connection to ultimately the divine,” Jonathan Roumie said in a video on his Instagram about his experience creating the track with Smith.