Star of The Chosen Says Portraying Jesus in the Crucifixion Scene Took a Deep Physical Toll

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Actor Jonathan Roumie, who stars as Jesus Christ in the critically acclaimed series “The Chosen”, revealed that preparing for the crucifixion scene in the show’s sixth season has taken a physical toll on his body.

“There’s no way to get around the difficulty of that on so many levels. Just trying to be ready for it, and trying to, I don’t know, just empty myself and allow the Lord to just be with me throughout the process,” Roumie told Church Leaders on the red carpet of the 2025 K-LOVE Fan Awards in Nashville, Tennessee. 

According to Church Leaders, the actor appeared to be thinner when compared to a few months earlier during the premiere of “The Chosen: Last Supper.” When asked about whether the crucifixion scene has taken a physical toll on his body, Roumie replied, “1,000%, yeah.”

 “I mean, I’ve been training specifically for this season, so there’s been a lot of self-sacrifice in order to birth, to bring my idea of how I want Jesus to feel and look for Season 6,” he added.

In response to how people can pray for him, Roumie said, “That I get out of my own way and allow God to just continue to lead me forward.”

“The Chosen” season 5, which depicts the events of Holy Week and leads up to the day of Jesus’ crucifixion, has been nominated for a Film Impact K-LOVE Fan Award. Other films up for the nomination include Bonhoeffer, Cabrini, Someone Like You, Sound of Hope, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, The Forge, The Unbreakable Boy, Unsung Hero, and White Bird.

A winner will be announced tonight at the 12th annual K-LOVE Fan Awards, airing exclusively on TBN. The event will be hosted by Matthew West, Jeremy Camp, Bart Millard (MercyMe), and Mac Powell (formerly of Third Day). Season 5 of The Chosen, which initially premiered in March and April in theaters, is now streaming exclusively on Prime Video. The show’s theatrical release accumulated nearly $60 million worldwide at the box office. 

Photo Credit: ©The Chosen/Angel Studios

Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.