On Playing Jesus THIS IS THE Role of a Lifetime

The actor shares his “divinely inspired” path to starring on the hit historical drama series The Chosen

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Jonathan Roumie will never forget how he felt when his acting career hit rock bottom in 2018. “I had booked some little shows here or there, but I’d struggled for eight years,” recalls the Long Island, N.Y., native, who got his start doing voices for MTV’s Celebrity Deathmatch. “I was out of money, out of food and out of options.” So the longtime devout Catholic got on his knees and prayed for guidance from God. That day, he received residual checks for $1,100, and three months later, creator Dallas Jenkins cast him as Jesus in The Chosen. “It’s all been pretty divinely inspired,” says Jonathan, 50. “It’s the role of a lifetime.” Here, he talks to In Touch’s Katie Bruno about his faith and his future.

What would you be doing now if you hadn't landed this part?

JR: Something that God knew would inspire me. I’d played Jesus four times in little projects, and when I got cast [in