A mood of quiet respect hangs in the hot, smog-choked air on set of “The Chosen.” Hundreds of background extras softly shuffle back into position, ready to dissolve into the backdrop for another take in Goshen, Utah, in early June.
The tap of walking staffs and the soft slap of sandals against the ground are the only sounds from the background extras. Large white light diffusers hang above, lightly flapping in the breeze.
Soft chatter between crew members fills the silence — most dressed in “The Chosen” merchandise — as they move between tasks, preparing for the next take.
It’s midday on set. They’ve been filming this scene since 8 a.m. and have long since lost track of the number of takes. They will work at it all day, tweaking the details until it’s right.
The silence breaks as Dallas Jenkins, the creator of the biblical drama, directs through a microphone, “Background rolling.” Moments later, he calls “Action,” and the cast begins the scene.
Around 200 background actors create choreographed chaos as they move through the set, gently guided by hidden crew members. Dressed in biblical-era robes, most carry props — baskets of fruits, ceramic pots, livestock, bundled baby dolls or bags used to stash water bottles and sunglasses.
As the sequence begins, Jenkins — dressed in black joggers and a “The Chosen” T-shirt — quietly darts to a monitor, where he watches the scene play out.
Within minutes, Jenkins cuts the scene. He calls “Pause,” and the background actors immediately freeze. Instructions are quietly given to the cast, and crew members make the needed adjustments. Then, the cycle restarts — over and over.
Scenes are being captured for the seventh and final season of the “The Chosen,” ahead of the release of the sixth season this fall.
For three weeks, a rotating cast of 400 background extras will blend and blur into the show’s backdrop. The majority are unpaid fans who flock to Goshen from across the world for the opportunity to take part in its creation, making a donation in exchange for the experience.
In five released seasons, “The Chosen” has reached more than 300 million people in over 175 countries. The series has become embedded in viewers’ spiritual and personal lives, with thousands making pilgrimages to engage with the show — whether during filming in Goshen, at events like ChosenCon or season premieres.
As “The Chosen” moves toward its conclusion, a somber mood has at times taken hold of the cast, crew and extras who will soon face the task of saying goodbye to a place, community and story that has changed their lives.
In preparing for the final goodbye, those involved are maintaining a sense of gratitude for the series’ impact, while looking ahead to ways they can continue sharing and engaging with the story of Jesus beyond the show.
“The fact that this is the final season, there’s been the occasional people who are getting a little emotional or getting a little bit confused with their emotions — trying to figure out how they’re going to act,” Jenkins said while on set in Goshen.
He added, “But truly, whether it’s Season 1 or Season 7, we are focused in the same way on capturing the truth.”
Filming ‘The Chosen’ in Utah
Filming for “The Chosen” Season 7 is split between a set in Midlothian, Texas, and the set in Goshen, Utah — a small town on the southwest edge of Utah County.
Construction on the Utah replica of Jerusalem began in 2010. The set, which is officially called the Motion Picture Studio South Campus, is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
With permission from the church, “The Chosen” has rented the set for filming since Season 2.
“It just is beautiful,” Jenny McGinty, an extra for “The Chosen,” said while looking out over the Goshen set.
“You feel like you are in old Jerusalem,” she continued. “Even though I’m only an hour and 15 minutes away from home, I feel like I’m in another world, that I’ve traveled time and space and get to be here. The atmosphere and the feeling is so sacred.”
After spending three weeks in Goshen, cast and crew will return to Texas to complete filming, which runs through September, totaling 90 days on set between Utah and Texas.
Because of the Goshen set’s scale, it’s used for most exterior shots, as well as marketplace and landscape sequences. The creative team arrives in Goshen about a month before filming starts to carefully dress the set to reflect the world of first-century Judea.
“When we got here is when our world exploded,” said B.J. Forman, art department coordinator for “The Chosen.” “Things haven’t really changed from Season 2 to Season 7 when we come here. We embrace the space, we embrace the real estate, we embrace the scope and the scale.”
After nearly six seasons of filming in Goshen, Jenkins has spent extensive time in Utah, where “The Chosen” has built a large fanbase. He’s found favorite Utah restaurants and dessert spots and remains grateful for how the state has embraced him.
“Every time I come here, I feel so welcomed,” Jenkins said. “There’s something very warm about (the Goshen set). Even just landing on the plane, there’s usually people who in the airport will stop me and tell me how much the show means to them. … It’s very clear that Utah loves ‘The Chosen’ and wants us here.”
‘The Chosen’ extras make a final pilgrimage
For Angelica Ferreira, making the journey from São Paulo, Brazil, to Goshen, Utah, is a sacrifice. But she says the time off work, high expenses and long flights are a worthwhile tradeoff to take part in filming “The Chosen.”
Ferreira estimates that she has seen the series at least 50 times, and regularly seeks comfort in it after long days at work or during low moments. She still gets the chills when she watches, and said her connection to the series leaves her feeling more confident and strengthened in her faith.
She discovered “The Chosen” during one of the lowest points of her life, and found peace in its portrayal of Jesus and his disciples as authentic, personal and human.
“‘The Chosen’ is so empowering and brought so many people to convert and increase their faith, like mine,” she said while on set in Goshen. “The more I watched it, the more I was like, ‘I want to know more about Jesus. I want to be like the people here. I want my faith to increase more and more.’ … It is a bit bittersweet to be here filming Season 7.”
The bulk of background extras won’t receive even a modest bit of screen time. They will fade into colorful blobs in the backdrop of the show. But for Ferreira and the hundreds of other extras, it is all about getting a taste of the “Chosen” experience, making connections with other believers and helping put the story of Jesus in front of a global audience.
“The world needs more Jesus and more of His word and that’s what will heal and change the world, I believe,” said McGinty, an extra from Murray, Utah.
McGinty has been an extra in Utah three times now, and spent four days on the Goshen set this year. She described being part of the series as “a life-changing experience” and said she hopes similar opportunities continue after filming wraps on its final season.
Both Ferreira and McGinty said they have made deep connections on set of “The Chosen,” and plan to stay in touch with the friends they’ve made through the series. They also said the experience led them to create Bible study groups — a way to stay connected to the people and project when it concludes, while continuing to grow their faith.
“We always have our friends that we’ve met on set and stayed connected,” McGinty said. “I’ve met friends from a couple of years ago. We’re still good friends. We’ve started book clubs that we do on Zoom because we live all in different places.”
“I’m just so thankful that (’The Chosen’ is) available for free on the app, that we can watch it any time. It’s just something that gives me peace in this world and something to refer back to,” she added. “And as I watch it over and over again, I learn something new all the time.”
Looking ahead
“The Chosen” is not over yet. Two seasons have yet to be released, and it will be years before the final season premieres in full. Beyond that, there is still the promise of an ever-expanding “Chosen” universe.
Across nearly a decade since the biblical drama launched, the project has expanded, reaching hundreds of millions of viewers around the world in a record-breaking 125 languages and generating enough momentum to support several additional shows and films set in the “Chosen” world.
Still, as the series nears its end, Jenkins says he is guided by the same vision he’s had since the beginning: “Honoring God in what we’re doing and making sure that we don’t let the difference between how many people are watching actually impact the work that we’re doing.”
Cast, crew and fans are optimistic about what comes next beyond the series. More biblical stories are already in development, many of them carrying forward the same goal of sharing Jesus with 1 billion people worldwide.
“It’s bittersweet,” Forman said. “We’ve done what we came to do. … It’s a finite story, so we’ll give it justice and then we’ll move on to the next one.”
Multiple spinoff series are already in the works, such as “Joseph of Egypt,” “Book of Moses,” “The Way of the Chosen” and a reality series, “The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls.”
Additional projects centered on Moses and the Book of Acts are also planned. Outside of television, ChosenCon, talk shows, podcasts and other events will continue to grow the franchise’s reach.
But in Goshen, where the final act of the series is currently being filmed, cast and crew are not speaking about the end as if it had already happened. They remain focused on the work in front of them, with little attention for anything beyond set.
Tasks continue between takes. Scenes are reset and repeated. Background extras file back into place. The rhythm of the production carries on as it has for years.
“I want people to have — after they’re done watching the show — that they know and love Jesus more than they did before,” Jenkins said. “And if that’s achieved for a number of people around the world, then we’ve done our part.”
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