Rachel Evans
Jonathan Roumie, a Catholic actor, is best known for his role as Jesus in the hit series The Chosen. The series is based on the true stories of the gospels of Jesus Christ, with the first season set in 1st-century Galilee, chronicling Jesus's journey of building a group of disciples and his ministry. The show portrays Jesus as a human with a range of emotions, which has been well-received by viewers.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Actor who plays Jesus in "The Chosen" | Jonathan Roumie |
| Religion of the actor | Catholic |
| Director of "The Chosen" | Dallas Jenkins |
| Type of series | First-ever multi-season TV series about the life of Christ |
| Production company | Angel Studios |
| Funding | Crowdfunded |
| Availability | Free to watch in The Chosen App |
| Number of views | Over 500 million views worldwide |
| Number of seasons | 6 seasons |
| Gross revenue | Over $120 million |
| Number of viewers | Watched by an estimated 280 million people worldwide |
| Target audience | A third of the viewers are not religious |
| Reviews | Won two GMA Dove Awards, two K-Love Fan Awards, and one Epiphany Prize from Movieguide |
| Consultants | Messianic rabbi Jason Sobel, Catholic priest Father David Guffey, and professor of New Testament Dr. Doug Huffman |
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What You'll Learn
- Jonathan Roumie, the actor who plays Jesus in 'The Chosen', is Catholic
- 'The Chosen' is a multi-season TV series about the life of Christ
- The show portrays Jesus as human, rather than focusing on his divinity
- The show has been positively received by Christians, but also criticised
- The show is based on the gospels of Jesus Christ, with some artistic liberties
Jonathan Roumie, the actor who plays Jesus in 'The Chosen', is Catholic
Jonathan Roumie, the actor who plays Jesus in The Chosen, is a devout Catholic. He was born in New York City and baptized in the Greek Orthodox Church. However, when his family moved from the city to Long Island, they could no longer find a Greek Orthodox church in their new community. They transitioned to attending Roman Catholic churches, where Roumie received his First Communion and was confirmed as a Catholic.
Roumie has been actively involved with his Catholic faith throughout his life. He has served as a ministry leader and an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion within the Catholic Church. He is a strong advocate of the sacraments, ecumenism, humility, and charity. He has also been recognized as a leader of the faith by Catholic media outlets, and he was named one of the "Catholics of the Year" by Our Sunday Visitor in 2022.
In addition to his acting work, Roumie is a featured partner on the popular Catholic prayer and meditation app, Hallow. He has participated in several of the app's prayer challenges and has recorded prayers and meditations for the app, including the Divine Mercy Chaplet, the Sacred Heart Novena, and the Lord's Prayer in Aramaic. Roumie also served as a narrator for the Catholic prayer app Hallow, which saw a spike in downloads after a Super Bowl commercial featuring him aired in 2024.
Roumie's Catholic faith has deeply influenced his portrayal of Jesus in The Chosen. He has spoken about the impact that playing Jesus has had on his life and how it has changed his relationship with God. In an interview, he shared that playing Jesus has allowed him to experience a deeper closeness to Christ and an intimacy with God that he had not felt before.
Roumie's popularity as the actor playing Jesus in The Chosen has spread worldwide, with the show garnering over 500 million views. His performance has touched the lives of millions, with both Catholic and non-Catholic fans reaching out to express their gratitude and, in some cases, sharing their newfound calling toward conversion.
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'The Chosen' is a multi-season TV series about the life of Christ
The Chosen is a multi-season TV series about the life of Christ, primarily set in Judaea and Galilee in the first century. It is the first multi-season series about the life of Christ and the highest crowd-funded TV series or film project of all time. The show is entirely crowdfunded and free to watch on The Chosen App. The first season was released in 2019 on the VidAngel platform with a subscription required, but the producers made it free to watch in response to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. They eventually decided to make all seasons free to watch, though there would be exclusivity windows. Seasons 3 and 4 premiered in movie theatres before being released on various streaming platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Facebook, and YouTube.
The series depicts Jesus's life through the eyes of the people who interacted with him, including the apostles and disciples of Jesus, Jewish religious leaders, Roman government and military officials, and ordinary people. The show portrays the characters as human, especially Jesus, and acknowledges that we can never fully grasp his divinity. The church and the faithful need this show, as it presents Jesus in a way that is more "personal, intimate, and immediate". The show's creator, Dallas Jenkins, is an evangelical Christian who first worked with actor Jonathan Roumie when he cast him to play Jesus in a short film called "The Two Thieves" for his church.
Jonathan Roumie, a devout Catholic actor, plays Jesus in The Chosen. Roumie was born to an Irish mother and Egyptian father and was baptized in the Greek Orthodox Church. When his family moved from New York City to the suburbs, they transitioned to attending Roman Catholic churches, where he was confirmed. Roumie has said that playing Jesus has made his relationship with Christ more intimate and has "allowed a proximity that was beyond what was prior". In addition to his role in The Chosen, Roumie is a featured partner on the popular Catholic prayer and meditation app, Hallow. He has also participated in several of the app's prayer challenges.
The show has been well-received by Christians and has over 500 million views worldwide. It has also attracted a third of viewers who are not religious. The acting is excellent, the visuals stunning, and the artistry superb, and it pays careful attention to historic details and Jewish culture.
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The show portrays Jesus as human, rather than focusing on his divinity
The Chosen is a multi-season TV series about the life of Jesus Christ. It is the first-ever multi-season series about Christ and is entirely crowdfunded. The show has garnered over 500 million views worldwide and has been watched by an estimated 280 million people.
The show's creator, director, co-writer, and star, Dallas Jenkins, first conceived of the idea for the show while binge-watching different television series. He realized that there had never been a multi-season show about Jesus and decided to expand upon a short film he had previously made, titled "The Shepherd." This short film, which was shown during a Christmas Eve service at his church, served as the pilot for what became The Chosen.
The show is based on the true stories of the Gospels of Jesus Christ, with some added backstories and characters to provide depth to the scripts. The show pays careful attention to historic details and Jewish culture, and biblical scholars from a variety of Christian denominations help review the scripts to ensure biblical and contextual accuracy.
The actor who plays Jesus in the series, Jonathan Roumie, is a devout Catholic. Roumie has spoken about how playing Jesus has impacted his life and changed his relationship with Christ, making it more intimate and allowing a deeper closeness.
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The show has been positively received by Christians, but also criticised
The multi-season TV series "The Chosen" is the first-ever show about the life of Christ. It is entirely crowdfunded and free to watch on The Chosen App. The show has received positive reviews from Christians, with many praising the excellent acting, stunning visuals, superb artistry, and careful attention to historic details and Jewish culture. The show portrays the characters as human, especially Jesus, capturing the fullness of Christ's humanity. This has allowed many fans to feel a deeper closeness to Christ. The show has also been well-received by non-Christians, with some viewers expressing a newfound interest in reading the Bible, loving Jesus, and telling others about him.
However, "The Chosen" has also faced criticism from some Christians who feel that the depiction of Jesus in the show is not "Biblically faithful." They argue that the show takes too much creative license in its portrayal of biblical stories, individual encounters, and complex problems. For example, aspects like Matthew's disease and Jesus' sense of humor are not mentioned in the scriptures. The dialogue in the show has also been modernised and expanded in a way that feels "off" to some viewers. Additionally, some evangelicals have expressed concern over the fact that the show's director, Dallas Jenkins, consults with a Catholic priest, a Messianic Jewish rabbi, and an evangelical Christian after writing each episode. They believe that the Catholic Church does not teach the same gospel as they do, and they are wary of the show's association with the Mormon church, which filmed Season 2 in Utah.
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The show is based on the gospels of Jesus Christ, with some artistic liberties
The Chosen is a TV series based on the true stories of the gospels of Jesus Christ. The show portrays the characters as human, especially Jesus. It is the first multi-season TV series about the life of Christ and is entirely crowdfunded. The show has been adapted into a series of novels, graphic novels, and Bible study materials.
The show's creators acknowledge that Christ's divinity is beyond full human comprehension. Instead, the show captures Jesus' humanity, depicting him as less reserved and serious than a rabbi or family father in the first century. The show gives backstories to the characters and settings, and some artistic liberties have been taken with locations, timelines, and dialogue. However, these changes are designed to support the truth and intention of the Scriptures, and consultants from three Christian faith traditions provide input to ensure biblical and historical accuracy.
The show has been well-received by Christians, with some controversies. It has won multiple awards, and as of May 2025, it grossed over $120 million in theatrical releases. The show has been watched by an estimated 280 million people worldwide, a third of whom are not religious.
Jonathan Roumie, a devout Catholic actor, plays Jesus in the series. Roumie's portrayal of Jesus has impacted his life and that of his fans, with some expressing a calling toward conversion. He has also been involved in other faith-based projects and is a strong advocate for various Catholic causes.
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Frequently asked questions
Jonathan Roumie, the actor who plays Jesus in 'The Chosen', is Catholic. Roumie was baptized in the Greek Orthodox Church but later transitioned to Roman Catholic churches, where he was confirmed.
'The Chosen' is a multi-season TV series about the life of Christ. The show portrays the characters as human, especially Jesus, and acknowledges that we can never fully grasp his divinity.
Jonathan Roumie is a devout Catholic actor best known for his role as Jesus in 'The Chosen'. He has also done voiceover work for various video games and serves as a narrator for the Catholic prayer app, Hallow.
Jonathan Roumie met Dallas Jenkins, the creator of 'The Chosen', in 2014 when Jenkins was the media director for a church in Illinois. Jenkins cast Roumie for the role of Jesus in a short film about the Two Thieves. Several months later, Jenkins asked Roumie if he would be interested in playing Jesus again in a new series, 'The Chosen'.
'The Chosen' has been well-received by Christians and has won several awards. It has also been adapted into a series of novels, graphic novels, and companion Bible study materials. However, there have been some controversies over aspects of the show.
