The Chosen is an American historical drama television series created, directed and co-written by American filmmaker Dallas Jenkins. [1] It is the first multiseason series about the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. [2] Primarily set in Judaea and Galilee in the 1st century, the series centers on Jesus and the different people who met and followed or otherwise interacted with him. The series stars Jonathan Roumie as Jesus, alongside Shahar Isaac, Elizabeth Tabish, Paras Patel, Noah James, and George H. Xanthis.
| Character | Portrayed by | Seasons | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| Simon Peter | Shahar Isaac | Main | ||||
| Jesus | Jonathan Roumie [a] | Main | ||||
| Mary Magdalene | Elizabeth Tabish [b] | Main | ||||
| Matthew the Apostle | Paras Patel | Main | ||||
| Andrew | Noah James | Main | ||||
| Zohara | Janis Dardaris | Main | Guest | |||
| Eden | Lara Silva | Main | Guest | Main | ||
| Shmuel | Shaan Sharma | Main | ||||
| Zebedee | Nick Shakoour | Main | ||||
| John the Apostle | George H. Xanthis | Main | ||||
| Big James | Shayan Sobhian [c] | Main | ||||
| Kian Kavousi [d] | Main | |||||
| Abe Bueno-Jallad [e] | Main | |||||
| Nicodemus | Erick Avari | Main | Recurring | |||
| Quintus | Brandon Potter | Main | Recurring | Main | ||
| Gaius | Kirk B. R. Woller | Main | Recurring | Main | ||
| Thaddeus | Giavani Cairo | Main | ||||
| Little James | Jordan Walker Ross | Main | ||||
| Thomas | Joey Vahedi | Guest | Main | |||
| Ramah | Yasmine Al-Bustami | Guest | Main | Guest | ||
| Mary of Nazareth | Vanessa Benavente [f] | Guest | Main | |||
| Philip | Yoshi Barrigas [g] | Main | ||||
| Reza Diako [h] | Main | |||||
| Nathanael | Austin Reed Alleman | Main | ||||
| Simon Z. | Alaa Safi [i] | Main | ||||
| Judas Iscariot | Luke Dimyan | Guest | Main | |||
| Yussif | Ivan Jasso | Recurring | Main | |||
| Tamar | Amber Shana Williams | Guest | Recurring | Main | ||
| Atticus Aemilius | Elijah Alexander | Recurring | Main | |||
| Character | Portrayed by | Seasons | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| John the Baptizer | David Amito | Recurring | ||||
| The Blind Beggar | Andrew Flagg | Recurring | Guest | |||
| Salome | Nina Rose Leon | Recurring | Guest | Recurring | ||
| Dasha | Leticia Magaña | Recurring | Recurring | |||
| Josiah | Steve Shermett | Recurring | Guest | |||
| Yanni | Wasim No'mani | Recurring | ||||
| Jesse | Dennis Apergis [j] | Recurring | Guest | Recurring | ||
| Madai | Tony Sears | Recurring | ||||
| Lamech | Sergio Lanza | Recurring | ||||
| Alphaeus | Troy Caylak | Guest | Recurring | |||
| Jairus | Alessandro Colla | Recurring | Guest | |||
| Akiva | Philip Shahbaz | Recurring | ||||
| Veronica | Zhaleh Vossough | Recurring | Guest | Recurring | ||
| Ivo | Malachi Grayson | Recurring | Guest | |||
| Fatiyah | Sonya Balmores | Recurring | Recurring | |||
| Leander | Tom Connolly | Recurring | Guest | |||
| Dion | Andy Dispensa | Recurring | Guest | |||
| Michal | Mel Mehrabian | Recurring | ||||
| Nili | Ella McCain | Recurring | ||||
| Argo | Greg Roman | Recurring | ||||
| Telemachus | Kace Winfield | Recurring | ||||
| David | Jorge Franco IV | Guest | Recurring | Guest | ||
| Shammai | Ric Sarabia | Guest | Recurring | |||
| Joanna | Amy Bailey | Guest | Recurring | |||
| Mary of Bethany | Catherine Lidstone | Guest | Recurring | |||
| Martha | Sophia Cameron Blum | Guest | Recurring | |||
| Lazarus | Demetrios Troy | Guest | Recurring | Guest | ||
| Herod Antipas | Paul Ben-Victor | Recurring | Guest | |||
| Joseph Ben Caiaphas | Richard Fancy | Recurring | ||||
| Zebadiah | Brad Culver | Recurring | ||||
| Gedera | Liche Ariza | Recurring | ||||
| Chuza | Nick Chinlund | Recurring | ||||
| Herodias | Shereen Khan | Recurring | ||||
| Pontius Pilate | Andrew James Allen | Guest | Recurring | |||
| Claudia | Sarah J. Bartholomew | Guest | Recurring | |||
| Malchus | Jonathan Togo | Recurring | ||||
Portrayed by Shahar Isaac, Simon Peter is a former fisherman in Capernaum, who is the de facto leader and one of the twelve disciples, called apostles, of Jesus. [3] [4] He is one of the sons of Jonah, the older brother of Andrew, the husband of Eden, the son-in-law of Dasha, and a former fishing partner of Zebedee and his sons. Initially deep in debt, Simon desperately starts fishing on the Shabbat, and risks being taken into custody until Jesus gives him a miraculous catch of fish to settle his debts, which convinces him to follow Jesus. Alongside the two brothers, Big James and John, Simon Peter is part of Jesus's inner circle. Jesus gives Simon a new name, Peter, meaning "rock". [5]
Portrayed by Jonathan Roumie, Jesus is a craftsman and a rabbi from Nazareth. The son of Mary and Joseph, and the cousin of John the Baptizer, he is considered the Messiah and the Son of God by some, but due to the crowds that follow him, he is viewed as a potential threat by others. Jesus often identifies himself as the "Son of Man".
Darren Valinotti and Shayan Fazli portray child and adolescent Jesus, respectively.
Portrayed by Elizabeth Tabish, Mary Magdalene is a formerly demon-possessed woman from Magdala and one of the women helping Jesus's ministry, traveling with Jesus and the other main disciples.
Camila Carreon portrays a child Mary Magdalene.
Portrayed by Paras Patel, Matthew is a former tax collector in Capernaum and one of the twelve disciples, called apostles, of Jesus. He is the son of Alphaeus and the former tax collector of Simon Peter and Andrew. Having once been ostracized by his Jewish peers, especially Simon, and even disowned by his parents for his former profession, Matthew is brilliant with calculations and recognizing patterns but struggles with understanding social norms.
Director Dallas Jenkins, who has stated he is "very familiar with the Autism community," chose to have Matthew portrayed as being on the Autism spectrum, with certain mannerisms of his character reflecting this despite the show never explicitly describing him as autistic nor the historical Matthew the Apostle having been described as such. [6] While controversial, this received praise from those with autism and other mental or physical conditions. [7]
Portrayed by Noah James, Andrew is a former fisherman in Capernaum and one of the twelve disciples, called apostles, of Jesus. He is one of the sons of Jonah, the younger brother of Simon Peter, a former disciple of John the Baptizer, a friend of Philip from his hometown, Bethsaida, and a former fishing partner of Zebedee and his sons. Alongside Philip, he is a former comrade of Avner and Nadab.
Portrayed by Janis Dardaris, Zohara is the wife of Nicodemus.
Portrayed by Lara Silva, Eden is the wife of Simon Peter, the daughter of Dasha, and one of the women helping Jesus's ministry.
Portrayed by Shaan Sharma, Shmuel is a leading Pharisee from Capernaum and a member of the Sanhedrin. Of the prominent Pharisee characters in the series, Shmuel is the most openly hostile towards Jesus and his disciples, leading him to zealously focus his teachings on resisting false prophecy and following the Law. This often puts him at odds with his peers Nicodemus and Yussif.
Portrayed by Nick Shakoour, Zebedee is a former fisherman in Capernaum, the father of Big James and John, the husband of Salome, and a former fishing partner of Simon Peter and Andrew. He later gives up his fishing business in lieu of making anointing oil to support Jesus's ministry.
Portrayed by George H. Xanthis, John the Apostle is a former fisherman in Capernaum and one of the twelve disciples, called apostles, of Jesus. He is one of the sons of Zebedee and Salome, the younger brother of Big James, and a former fishing partner of Simon Peter and Andrew. Jesus nicknames him and his brother, Big James, the "sons of thunder", with John occasionally being referred to as "little thunder". Alongside Simon Peter and Big James, John is a part of Jesus's inner circle.
Portrayed by Shayan Sobhian and Kian Kavousi in season 1 then by Abe Bueno-Jallad starting with season 2, Big James is a former fisherman in Capernaum and one of the twelve disciples, called apostles, of Jesus. He is one of the sons of Zebedee and Salome, the older brother of John, and a former fishing partner of Simon Peter and Andrew. Jesus nicknames him and his brother, John, the "sons of thunder", with James occasionally being referred to as "big thunder". Alongside Simon Peter and John, Big James is a part of Jesus's inner circle.
Portrayed by Erick Avari, Nicodemus is a leading Pharisee from Jerusalem, a respected rabbi, and a high-ranking member of the Sanhedrin. He is a secret disciple of Jesus.
Portrayed by Brandon Potter, Quintus Benedictus Dio is a Roman magistrate in Capernaum and the Praetor of Galilee. He is disheartened when Matthew leaves his post as tax collector to follow Jesus and comes to antagonize Jesus and his disciples. Quintus loses his post after he kills Ramah in a fit of rage while trying to arrest Jesus, with Gaius selected to replace him.
Portrayed by Kirk B. R. Woller, Gaius is a former high-ranking Roman centurion and a Roman magistrate in Capernaum, the father of his servant son named Ivo, and later Praetor of Galilee, succeeding Quintus. He is the former guard of Matthew.
Portrayed by Giavani Cairo, Thaddeus is a former stonemason in Bethsaida and one of the twelve disciples, called apostles, of Jesus.
Portrayed by Jordan Walker Ross, Little James is a former prospective member of the 288 Jerusalem Temple choir and one of the twelve disciples, called apostles, of Jesus.
Portrayed by Joey Vahedi, Thomas is a former caterer from the Plains of Sharon, the partner of Ramah, and one of the twelve disciples, called apostles, of Jesus.
Portrayed by Yasmine Al-Bustami, Ramah is a former vintner from Tel Dor, the partner of Thomas, and one of the women helping Jesus's ministry. She first appears alongside Thomas as one of the wine providers at the Wedding at Cana, later joining Jesus and his followers alongside her partner. She is killed in season 4 by Quintus, and Jesus declines to resurrect her because it is "not her time."
While many parts of Ramah's character and arc were added for the show, she represents the many women who helped Jesus's ministry and was featured as a major character to provide emotional depth to the series. Her death sparked controversy among audiences, though Jenkins and his wife deemed the plot point necessary to spark discussion on a recurring theme in Christianity and other faiths. [8]
Portrayed by Vanessa Benavente, Mary of Nazareth is the earthly mother of Jesus, the widowed wife of Joseph, the daughter of Joachim of Nazareth, and one of the women helping Jesus's ministry. She is a relative of the couple, Elizabeth and Zechariah, and the aunt of John the Baptizer.
Sara Anne recurs as a younger Mary.
Portrayed by Yoshi Barrigas in seasons 2 and 3 then by Reza Diako starting with season 4, [9] Philip is a former disciple of John the Baptizer and one of the twelve disciples, called apostles, of Jesus. He is both a companion of Andrew from his hometown, Bethsaida, and an old friend of Nathanael. Alongside Andrew, he is a former comrade of Avner and Nadab.
Portrayed by Austin Reed Alleman, Nathanael is a former architect in Caesarea Philippi from Cana and one of the twelve disciples, called apostles, of Jesus. He is the son of Talmai and an old friend of Philip.
Portrayed by Alaa Safi, Simon Z. is a former Zealot from Ashkelon and one of the twelve disciples, called apostles, of Jesus. He joins the Zealots as a young man after seeing his fellow Jews mistreated by the Romans, particularly his crippled brother Jesse. Before leaving, Simon Z. tells Jesse that if he were healed, it would be a sign the Messiah has come. Jesus heals Jesse years later, convincing his brother to abandon his part an assassination plot by the Zealots and follow Him.
Joseph Scott Campbell portrays an adolescent Simon Z.
Portrayed by Luke Dimyan, Judas Iscariot is a former business apprentice from Kerioth, who is the treasurer and one of the twelve disciples, called apostles, of Jesus. He is the son of Simon Iscariot.
Portrayed by Ivan Jasso, Yussif is a leading Pharisee from Jerusalem, a respected rabbi, and a high-ranking member of the Sanhedrin. He is a secret disciple of Jesus.
Portrayed by Amber Shana Williams, Tamar is an Egyptian-Ethiopian friend of Ethan, the healed paralytic in Capernaum, from Heliopolis, and one of the women helping Jesus's ministry. She represents the Gentile followers of Jesus.
Portrayed by Elijah Alexander, Atticus Aemilius Pulcher is one of the Roman cohortes urbanae sent from Rome to investigate the Zealots and then Jesus.