‘The Chosen’ stars Jonathan Roumie and Elizabeth Tabish joined Fox News on Wednesday to discuss the season four premiere of the hit show that retells the story of Jesus’ life.
Based on the Bible, this historical drama originally made its debut during the winter of 2019, and has since amassed an audience of over 110 million viewers across 175 different countries, with plans for the series to be translated into 600 languages.
"Filming season four was probably one of the biggest challenges for us. The storyline itself is full of heavy, emotional grief and loss, and all these emotional giants for all of the disciples to experience throughout the season," Roumie, the actor who portrays Jesus of Nazareth on the show, told Martha MacCallum on ‘The Story.’
JONATHAN ROUMIE ON FAITH AND PRAYER LIFE DURING ADVENT AND ALWAYS: 'GOD HASN'T FORSAKEN US'
Tabish, who plays Mary Magdalene, spoke about the connection she had to her character’s hardships, stating, "When I first read the script for the audition, I just, I felt so connected to her. I thought, this is so interesting to see this story about Jesus and the disciples kind of start off with a woman's story. I just thought it was such an interesting and such a fresh take on this character."
Season three followed Simon Peter struggling with his faith after his wife's miscarriage, while Jesus and his apostles walked to Galilee to resolve the conflict between the Gentiles and the Jews. During the journey, Jesus preached to a large crowd of people, further upsetting Jewish leadership. By the end of the last episode, Jesus has fed the crowd of thousands and walked on water to his apostles waiting on a boat during a storm in the Sea of Galilee.
With the season's release date nearing, public interest and online buzz have many wondering - what comes next?
"[In season four], everybody is beginning to perceive Jesus as a true threat. He's very plainly letting them know that he's not there to just hand out flowers, as it were, he's there to upend the system, the religious leaders that have perverted the faith of their forefathers and neglected the community that is most in need, and forgotten what it means to love, to have mercy and forgiveness and compassion," Roumie continued. "He's there to remind them of that, at the expense, I believe, of the, you know, the reputation of the current system in place."
"There’s lots of joy, there’s lots of laughter, there’s lots of miracles that we get to experience, which is one of the reasons why we want people to see this on the big screen and see this together," Dallas Jenkins, director of ‘The Chosen,' said in an interview with Fox News Digital. "Season 4 is a time where, the fact that people around Jesus just aren’t quite getting it and the reason that he’s here does start to get bigger and more important in his ministry."
Roumie provided further insight into season four’s storyline, telling Movieguide, "It’s leading us to the arrest. It’s leading us to the crucifixion. It’s leading us to Jesus’ death on the cross, setting it all up. We see in Jesus; I think in many aspects acknowledging this. We see a lot of sadness and the pain that he endures in many places throughout the season."
The historical drama will release the first three episodes of its fourth season in theaters on Feb. 1, with all episodes made available biweekly in cinemas across the nation until the final episode.
