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Portraying the role of Jesus for four seasons in The Chosen takes commitment, and Jonathan Roumie has made it his mission to portray the humanity and divinity of Christ
The acting roster of Jonathan Roumie is not complete without his role as Jesus Christ. From the 2014 film Once We Were Slaves to the 2019 series The Chosen, the American actor takes the figure’s virtues into his personal life, making faith an integral part of his journey. Before the screening of his newest film, Christmas with The Chosen: Holy Night, Roumie sat down with MEGA Entertainment and talked about playing Jesus, balancing Christ’s divinity and humanity as an actor, and deepening his faith.
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The Portrayal of Jesus
As The Chosen makes its return with its fifth season in March 2025, the show’s Jesus opened up on the challenge of playing the role for more than half a decade. “I can only lend my own humanity,” he said. “So, I offer that in my portrayal and pray for the divinity to come through in the way that He wants it to be seen. Anything that happens is beyond my limited human capabilities, so I have to give credit to God for that part of my performance.” The role of Jesus, according to Roumie, is “written with a deep and textured fullness of his humanity.”
“There are times I felt overwhelmed and underprepared to portray him because I think I began to recognize, especially in the second half of the season just what kind of impact this might have on people in the world and how sacred Jesus’ words are,” Roumie added.
“I think God has given me this role as a kind of mission that I take very seriously. I hope to honor him and I will continue to do that as long as he allows me to. Whether it’s The Chosen or something else that’s not biblical, I still always continue to offer my work to God. Without the gifts that he’s given me, I don’t know what I would do.”
– Jonathan Roumie, The Chosen actor
Of course, in portraying a very influential figure comes a kind of scrutiny that the actor may not escape from. Nevertheless, Roumie is unfazed by this. “I don’t know that I had very many expectations from anyone,” the actor said with all honesty. Instead, he focuses intently on his role, the series’ influence, and how they can pull an audience to watch a series about Jesus—which already is an incredible feat.
The Faith of Jonathan
When asked how his life changed after taking this role, Jonathan Roumie simply answered, “Everything. It really jumpstarted my professional career, deepened my relationship with God, and created a deeper desire in my heart to know Jesus on a molecular level and a level of consciousness that I still aspire to arrive at.”
His role as Jesus doesn’t end in The Chosen. With a role so influential, it doesn’t come as a surprise that this bleeds into his personal life. For the actor, he is grateful for this role as not only was he able to deliver an honest performance, but it also deepened his faith. “I would describe my faith as hopefully devoted with always having room to go further,” Roumie shared thoughtfully. “Committed but with room to go further; open to the wisdom and discernment of the spirit to show me where I need to come up as a human; and be better towards people and share the love of Jesus.”
From Jesus to Jonathan
Aside from his deepened faith, Roumie is no stranger to his humanitarian work. Just last year, the actor helped the international nonprofit organization Unbound reach its milestone of 1 million sponsorship by deciding to sponsor a 6-year-old child. In sponsoring the child, Roumie is changing the little girl’s life and her family in Rwanda with financial support and building a meaningful relationship by sending letters and photos.
“With great power comes, great responsibility. With ample and even limited means, for instance, with Unbound, it takes very little to change an entire family’s life. So I think it’s incumbent upon those of us who have that ability, especially with a wider reach. It’s a mission. It’s a mandate.”
– Jonathan Roumie, The Chosen actor
Featured Image and Photos: THE CHOSEN PHILIPPINES
