Jonathan Roumie

I had a conversation several years ago about the discussion of faith in the workplace. They were a non-actor. It was a sort of a production member. And I know we shared a similar faith and we hadn't really talked about it, but there was a spark of a conversation that made me think, oh, let me ask them about this. And They went on to carefully admonish me like, hey, just be careful.

You really shouldn't talk about these kinds of things because a lot of people are biased against Christians in this industry. So you might want to just kind of keep a lid on that. And I thought, but it's just us talking. Do you know what I mean? And I think...

You really shouldn't talk about these kinds of things because a lot of people are biased against Christians in this industry. So you might want to just kind of keep a lid on that. And I thought, but it's just us talking. Do you know what I mean? And I think...

What I recognized is that there was such a deep fear of being, quote unquote, found out that they had a sense of faith that it was just, it was not okay to possess that. And for me, that's not okay. It's not okay to be told I can't practice my faith or express it, especially if I'm not going around saying, here's the Bible, do me a favor, just read that. I'm not asking anybody to convert.

What I recognized is that there was such a deep fear of being, quote unquote, found out that they had a sense of faith that it was just, it was not okay to possess that. And for me, that's not okay. It's not okay to be told I can't practice my faith or express it, especially if I'm not going around saying, here's the Bible, do me a favor, just read that. I'm not asking anybody to convert.

I'm not. I've never once said, do me a favor, you should convert. I just live out my, my, my mission here. I, I be who I am. And if people want to ask me questions or invite me to come talk to, you know, 200,000 people and share my thoughts about certain things, I'll pray on it first. Like with the March, I didn't even, I, the weeks were leading right up to it. I didn't want to do it.

I'm not. I've never once said, do me a favor, you should convert. I just live out my, my, my mission here. I, I be who I am. And if people want to ask me questions or invite me to come talk to, you know, 200,000 people and share my thoughts about certain things, I'll pray on it first. Like with the March, I didn't even, I, the weeks were leading right up to it. I didn't want to do it.

I thought this can't be good for an actor. Uh, But then I got to this moment that I had when I first completely surrendered everything to God before I booked The Chosen. And it was the same feeling of, you know what? I'm asking you to do this and not worry about it. And it was like this wave of peace just kind of swept over me. And he said, just speak from the heart.

I thought this can't be good for an actor. Uh, But then I got to this moment that I had when I first completely surrendered everything to God before I booked The Chosen. And it was the same feeling of, you know what? I'm asking you to do this and not worry about it. And it was like this wave of peace just kind of swept over me. And he said, just speak from the heart.

No. No, I think one of the reasons that we're successful and It's one of the priorities for both Dallas and myself, and I think everybody involved, is that we recognize first and foremost, this is a TV show. It's based on scriptures, based on the gospels, but there's stuff that we've had to take creative license in certain situations to be able to tell a more well-rounded story.

No. No, I think one of the reasons that we're successful and It's one of the priorities for both Dallas and myself, and I think everybody involved, is that we recognize first and foremost, this is a TV show. It's based on scriptures, based on the gospels, but there's stuff that we've had to take creative license in certain situations to be able to tell a more well-rounded story.

But if the vehicle of this story is anything less than top quality, if it's not a great TV show first, than anything else that any of us might want to have people take away from the show from a personal perspective or a faith perspective, none of that's going to matter. You know what I mean?

But if the vehicle of this story is anything less than top quality, if it's not a great TV show first, than anything else that any of us might want to have people take away from the show from a personal perspective or a faith perspective, none of that's going to matter. You know what I mean?

Like if you take a piece of gold and you wad it up in a ball of trash and you throw it on the sidewalk and say, you should pick that up, like, no, get lost. You know, nobody's going to want to even touch it. They'll just walk by it. So it's the same thing. Like if the message behind the show is a little piece of gold wrapped up in a wad of garbage, forget it. You're done. Next. Move on.

Like if you take a piece of gold and you wad it up in a ball of trash and you throw it on the sidewalk and say, you should pick that up, like, no, get lost. You know, nobody's going to want to even touch it. They'll just walk by it. So it's the same thing. Like if the message behind the show is a little piece of gold wrapped up in a wad of garbage, forget it. You're done. Next. Move on.

So, yeah, it still has to be a great TV show first. And then everything else from that can flow.

So, yeah, it still has to be a great TV show first. And then everything else from that can flow.

Yeah, no, I'm not. And it's really true, David. Like, whatever happens, man, whatever's meant for me will be mine. Do you know what I mean? If I did nothing else for the rest of my life as an actor on camera, but Jesus and the Chosen, and that's all people remembered me for. Well, the fact that they remember me at all, that's amazing.

Yeah, no, I'm not. And it's really true, David. Like, whatever happens, man, whatever's meant for me will be mine. Do you know what I mean? If I did nothing else for the rest of my life as an actor on camera, but Jesus and the Chosen, and that's all people remembered me for. Well, the fact that they remember me at all, that's amazing.

Like, I'm good because the show is just a vehicle for this point of human contact and this encounter that we're all meant to have with each other and with the divine beyond us.