"The Chosen", a series with an impactJonathan RoumieI always start by praying to interpret Jesus".Theology at the crossroads of '68OSV News / Jack Figge
Over the past four years, the television series The Chosen has taken the Catholic world by storm, as thousands eagerly await the premiere of the fifth season.
The Chosen is a popular historical drama that follows the life of Christ and his disciples. Produced by 5&2 Studios, a studio founded by Dallas Jenkins, the series' creator and director, The Chosen is currently in its fourth season. The fifth season will premiere in theaters nationwide next March.
Thanks to their participation in The Chosen, many of the show's cast and crew - including Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus - have rediscovered faith.
Giavani Cairo
One of them is Giavani Cairo, who plays Judas Thaddeus, one of the Twelve Apostles. Cairo was raised Catholic in Michigan, but fell away from his faith.
"Growing up, faith seemed to be something you just did," Cairo told OSV News. "You do first communion and confirmation, and then you go to church on the weekends. But I never felt like I had a relationship with Christ."
Cairo never wanted to be an actor until he took a class his senior year of high school. So, that's all he could dream of doing.
"We needed a public speaking class to graduate, so I took an acting class," Cairo said. "I didn't know if I would like it, but I found it was a great way to express myself through it, and it made me want to learn more about the acting world, so I moved to Los Angeles."
"There, I just fell more in love with it and did more acting training," he said.
Tired of life as an actor
"In 2018, I had been in Los Angeles for a few years chasing this dream, but for the wrong reasons," Cairo said. "I wanted to be an actor so I could be on TV or so I could be in the limelight, and it just wasn't fulfilling."
"I missed my family and my relationship with them was deteriorating," he explains. "I wasn't talking to them as much and I felt very lost."
Talking to a friend, she suggested to Cairo that he start volunteering in his spare time and set specific goals for the year. Cairo began praying regularly again and within a few months was hired for a television program.
Encounter with Scripture
"I made a pact to read the Bible every day. I started praying every day, even though I didn't think I was doing it right," Cairo says. "What's crazy is that a few weeks before the new year I auditioned for 'The Chosen Ones' after I heard they were looking for actors."
At first, Cairo was hesitant to audition for The Chosen. It was a low-budget production, and faith-based shows rarely succeed. However, he was so impressed by the script and Jenkins' vision that he took a leap of faith and applied for the casting call. After a second call, Cairo had a memorable Skype conversation with Jenkins and other crew members.
"Dallas told me, 'We don't know where we're going to put you, but we want you to participate,'" Cairo recounts. "I was very excited because the two things I wanted most of the year, which were to grow more in my faith and book a series, came true."
Acting in The Chosen has been a life-changing experience for him, he said. "It's made me want to be a better person," he said. "The character I play, Thaddeus, is a peacemaker who tries to see people for who they are and wants people to feel seen. That's the kind of friend I always wanted and always wanted to be when I was growing up. What I've learned is to love people for who they are."
Like Cairo, many viewers identify with the characters in the series. He says this is intentional, and has helped the series become popular with a large audience.
"If you watch the series, you start to see parts of yourself in them," he says. "You see Simon Peter frustrated or feeling like he's going to lose everything because he's been taxed. You see Jesus laughing and telling jokes at a wedding with his disciples. People feel that in person we do these things with our friends. We identify with the characters.
Ficcionar a Tadeo
When Cairo and the screenwriters began discussing how to portray Thaddeus, also known as St. Jude, they had little to rely on. Little is known about Thaddeus other than that he is a saint and that he appeared to be an observer. This gave Cairo the freedom to mold and elaborate the character to make him more relatable.
"He's a little quieter than many of the other disciples; he's an observer, as I am too," Cairo says. "But the truth is, I didn't have the confidence to speak my mind or stand up for others. But Thaddeus did." Through the program, Thaddeus is teaching me to be a better person to myself; therefore, I can be a better person to a lot of other people."
Over the past seven years, the cast and crew of The Chosen have formed a close-knit community in their attempt to portray the life of Christ, a community that Cairo will cherish forever.
"They have become my family, my brothers and sisters," he says. "We've been through so many trials and so many victories together. We've laughed together, we've cried together. We've shared victories and incredible moments. I just love these guys."
The fifth season of "The Chosen" will premiere in theaters beginning in March, with a subsequent release on "The Chosen" streaming app. Although the series approaches the death and resurrection of Christ, Cairo knows that "The Chosen" will always remain relevant as it tells the most timeless story.
"It's the most important story ever told," he says. "We all know where this story is going, but in the grand scheme of things, we all have a responsibility to share it, and that will never end. This is just the beginning of what we can do as disciples: show love to one another and spread the Gospel."
