Jonathan Roumie has spent nearly eight years playing Jesus in The Chosen, but before landing the role he was hoping to make a career as a musician. In fact, he was a drummer in a band that recorded an album, had it released in record stores and was making plans for a tour. Unfortunately, the record company went bankrupt and the tour never happened.
He did get to play at CBGB's in New York, though, which is not a bad consolation prize!
That's one of the stories Roumie shares in a new interview with CCM Magazine, which has made him its November cover artist. There's quite a bit covered in the conversation, including his early interest in music, his experience playing Jesus and what happened when filming reached the crucifixion.
The music connection is particularly relevant because a new album, The Songs Inspired by The Chosen: Seasons 1–5, was released on October 30. It brings together 11 tracks from artists who have taken inspiration from the series, with Phil Wickham, Anne Wilson, Tyler Hubbard, Lady A, Boyz II Men, Blessing Offor, Franni Cash and Jamie MacDonald among those involved.
Phil Wickham leads the album with "SOS (Don't Let Me Go)", a song inspired by Peter walking on water. Wickham explained that it came from praying for a close friend who was battling cancer, and that the story of Peter calling out to Jesus became part of the song.
There are some other interesting connections between the music and the show too - Anne Wilson's "Even This" draws on the conversation between Jesus and Little James, while Franni Cash's "Beautiful Faith" takes inspiration from Tamar and her determination to bring her friend to Jesus. It's not just a collection of songs with a connection to a popular TV series - the artists have picked out particular stories and moments that meant something to them.
Roumie talks about that in the interview, and also explains how his own performance has been influenced by religious paintings. He mentions Caravaggio in particular, with some of the poses and images from classical artwork helping him think about how to portray Jesus. Now musicians are taking inspiration from the series in much the same way, using its stories as a starting point for their own work.
The conversation gets more serious when Roumie discusses filming Season 6. The crucifixion was easily the most difficult part of the series for him, and he says the experience affected him well beyond the actual filming. He even found himself looking at a crucifix in church and suddenly crying, having spent so much time trying to imagine what that experience would have been like while playing the role.
He also talks about the strange situation of becoming so closely associated with Jesus that people sometimes struggle to separate the actor from the character. After each season, he cuts his hair and shaves his beard to get away from that familiar image. He's not trying to distance himself from his faith, but he does want people to remember that he's still Jonathan Roumie, rather than expecting him to be Jesus every time they meet him.
There's a bit more about his life outside the show, too. Roumie reveals that he's developing two television projects of his own, and he's also due to appear at Carnegie Hall on November 29 with Matt Maher, narrating the Christmas and Advent story alongside an orchestra and choir. Quite a change from playing drums at CBGB's!
The Chosen Season 6 arrives on Prime Video on November 15, with the first three episodes covering the crucifixion. CCM Magazine says it will also publish a further spoiler-filled part of its conversation with Roumie after those episodes are released.
You can read the full Jonathan Roumie interview at CCM Magazine, and find out more about the album in the official announcement from The Media Collective.
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