Actor Jonathan Roumie says after taking on the role of Jesus in "The Chosen," his mindset is "complete and utter surrender" to the Lord. He's come "closer to the heart of Jesus" through this experience.
EWTN's Raymond Arroyo recently visited the set of "The Chosen" to interview Roumie and discuss "the show and how it's affected his life."
Arroyo delves deep into Roumie's personal Catholic journey and how the role of Jesus affects his faith. Roumie also reveals how the Divine Mercy devotion ultimately helped launch his career.
As of this writing, the interview on "The World Over with Raymond Arroyo" generated approximately 96,000 views on YouTube.
Watch Raymond Arroyo's full interview with Jonathan Roumie below:
Jonathan Roumie: Divine Mercy Changed My Career
Roumie first played Jesus in the 2013 film, "Miracles of Faustina." He believes that Divine Mercy actually changed his career.
"That was the very first time I played Jesus," he tells Arroyo. "Because of the story, because of Divine Mercy and my connection to Divine Mercy, which is actually what got me the job, I think, in reality."
Six months after the 2013 role, Roumie says he met "The Chosen" director Dallas Jenkins for a role as Jesus in a short film at Jenkins' church.
How Jonathan Roumie Immerses Himself in the Role of Jesus in "The Chosen"
Roumie later reveals how he immerses himself into the role of Jesus, explaining the difficulties involved.
He says Robert Powell, who played Jesus in the 1977 drama "Jesus of Nazareth," said, "to try to tackle the character of Jesus--he's unplayable – he's impossible to play."
"None of us know what it's like to be divine," Roumie continues. "We do know what it's like to be human. So the thing that I do is bring the utmost of my humanity to the role as Jesus and then let the Lord and the Holy Spirit sort out the Divinity aspects of it."
Jonathan Roumie's Catholic Faith Journey While Playing Jesus
Arroyo asks, "You said something: 'The more you count on God, the deeper He takes you.' Where is He taking you in this role?"
"He's taken me closer to the Heart of Jesus," Roumie responds. "He's taken me to the essence of servanthood and servitude and surrender. That's been the heartbeat of my aspirations towards holiness is complete and utter surrender."
Roumie adds that filming "The Last Supper" and the "Garden of Gethsemane" scenes were "two of the most difficult scenes for me for the entire series and possibly of my career."
"I have to surrender that moment and say, 'God you have to direct my steps in these scenes because they're beyond my comprehension. They're beyond my ability to infer what you were feeling. Lord only knows. But I'm here. I'm open. I'm a vessel. Use me the way you want people to experience these moments,'" he explains.
Roumie Experiencing the Eucharistic Congress while filming The Last Supper"
Arroyo then addresses Roumie's experience speaking at the 2024 Eucharistic Congress while filming "The Last Supper" for Season 5.
"It's interesting...the timing," Arroyo says. "You were just shooting 'The Last Supper' on 'The Chosen' at the same time you were giving this incredible speech in front of 50,000 people at the Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis."
"It speaks to the accuracy and the beauty in God's timing," Roumie responds. "The intentionality behind His designs, because I committed to this (the Eucharistic Revival) almost a year ago not knowing anything about our schedule."
"It never fails to strike a sense of awe and wonder within me and also just confirm everything that we know about God to be true. He is who he says He is. He lets you know if your eyes are open and your ears are attentive."