Three months before Jonathan Roumie was cast to play Jesus in “The Chosen,” he was broke.
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Born and raised in New York City, the actor was artistically inclined from a young age. He began exploring music as a child, playing in jazz bands, orchestras, concert bands, marching bands, and pit orchestras before later recording an album and playing live in New York City venues.
“I was always playing music,” he told Dolce Magazine in a recent cover story.
He attended film school, and when a career in music proved difficult to sustain, he shifted his focus to production work. Roumie eventually transitioned into acting, taking on small roles while continuing to work behind the scenes in the industry.
Roumie later moved to Los Angeles, where he spent eight years waiting for his breakthrough.
By 2018, he was facing severe financial hardship and nearing the point of giving up on acting. “I was completely broke and out of food, even,” he told the outlet. “I didn’t know what I was going to do.”
In a moment of profound frustration and uncertainty, Roumie let go of his own vision of success and surrendered to God’s plan for his life. “I needed to trust that God had a plan for me, that He wouldn’t bring me all this way for so many years, giving me these kinds of artistic gifts and giving me work piecemeal, for it to not lead to something,” he said.
Hours later, after spending the last of his money, Roumie opened his mailbox to find four unexpected checks.
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“I had $1,100 by the time I opened up all those checks,” he said. “I just wept.”
The experience carried a lasting impact on Roumie, shaping both his circumstance and his perspective on faith and purpose. “The thing that changed was my willingness to surrender,” he said. “I haven’t worried about how I was going to make a living since that day.”
He was cast as Jesus in “The Chosen” three months later.
The series began modestly, with funding for only four episodes. No one involved in the production could have anticipated the remarkable success that followed — including Roumie.
Nearly a decade after the biblical drama’s debut, the project has grown into a global phenomenon, reaching hundreds of millions of viewers around the world in a record-breaking 125 languages.
For Roumie, portraying Jesus for hundreds of millions of viewers around the world carries an overwhelming sense of responsibility. “It’s humbling,” he said. “It’s a lot of weight to carry at times.”
Interacting with fans — some of whom view him as a spiritual figure rather than simply an actor — has also been a new experience.
“Somewhere in the back of their heads,” he said, “they’re secretly hoping that I could somehow cure them of something, or help them heal some deep, deep wound.”
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He added, “The best I can do is give them a hug and pray with them.”