Before The Chosen made him a household name, Jonathan Roumie was at his lowest point—out of money, out of options, and questioning everything. In this episode of Arroyo Grande, Roumie shares the powerful moment he surrendered control, placed his faith in God, and saw his life transform in ways he never expected. From struggling actor to portraying Jesus in one of the most successful faith-based series of all time, hear how "giving in" to divine direction led him to being Chosen.
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0:00 - Introduction
1:26 - Free Flow: Luigi Mangione’s Cult of Personality
3:47 - Travis Kelce Returns to the NFL
4:10 - The Surprising Resurrection of Christianity
5:35 - Jonathan Roumie Interview / Growing up in NYC
6:34 - Discovering his love of filmmaking in College
9:46 - Moving to LA, Early Success & Long Dry Spells
12:41 - Jonathan’s takeaways after years of struggling
14:20 - How he came to play Jesus for the first time
15:35 - Auditioning of Dallas Jenkin’s short film
16:46 - Getting the call to film The Chosen’s pilot episode
20:36 - Doubts about playing Jesus
23:13 - How do you prepare to play Jesus
25:46 - How has his portrayal of Jesus changed over 5 seasons?
31:30 - The Best & Worst parts of Season 5
34:08 - Does your team ever advise against playing religious roles?
36:11 - Co-Starring the upcoming Kevin James rom-com ‘Solo Mio’
38:37 - Working with the charity Unbound
42:37 - Jonathan’s Viral Hoodie
45:47 - Adjusting to fame & celebrity
52:55 - What’s next for Jonathan Roumie?
53:29 - The Arroyo Grande Questionnaire