October 25, 2022 • 41 mins
What a privilege! I was invited to the brand new home of the streaming TV series, The Chosen, where I got to tour the set and meet with the creator/director, Dallas Jenkins, and several members of the cast and crew.
I'm sharing some of those conversations with you today, and the exciting news that Season 3 of The Chosen will be premiering IN THEATERS on November 18th. Episodes 1 & 2 will be shown on the big screen for a limited time before the show resumes its normal streaming schedule. That will be a treat for all of us, as was my on-site visit and the relationships I was able to create while there.
Join me today for some amazing conversations with the phenomenal cast of The Chosen and get your tickets for the theater premier of Season 3. ~ Delilah
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hi there. I am so excited about today's podcast. I
can't even tell you. There are a few things I
have done professionally that I am as excited about as
our Love Someone with Delilah podcast today. It is an
episode that is extra special and extra special treat for
(00:24):
all of us. I was recently invited to join cast
and crew of The Chosen, the multi season streaming TV
series about the life of Jesus of Nazareth, and I
got to go to their brand new home at the
Salvation Army's camp in Texas. The set build was a
(00:45):
huge undertaking, like huge, the landscape needed to believably represent
Biblical locals such as the Feeding of the five thousand,
while also housing auction facilities, a state of the art
thirty thousand square foot sound stage, and an authentic first
(01:08):
century city was built. The Biblical set covers two acres
approximately two football fields side by side. It was unbelievable.
I got to walk through the sets, I got to
walk through the city. I got to see the amazing artwork,
the tilework, the the research they did for every wall,
(01:29):
every window was was unbelievable. I mean, they spent months
researching everything they built. When filming is complete, the camp
will be turned back over to the Salvation Army to
use in their outreach with their children's camps. I got
to see an experience at all me and my friend
jan who is the one that introduced me to this
(01:52):
show That Chosen. They've recently wrapped filming of season three
of the seven that are planned. I was able to
sit down and check at with Dallas Jenkins, the creator, director,
and co writer of the series, as well as several
cast members, including amber Shana Williams, who plays the beautiful,
(02:12):
incredible Tamar Brandon Potter as the villain that we love
to hate, Quintus oh Nn. He's a wonderful human being
in real life, but he plays such a great villain.
Quintus Giovanni Cairo, who portrays Thaddius Jordan's Walker Ross who
(02:33):
is Little James, Laura Silva as Eden, and Elizabeth Tabish
who shines as Mary Magdalene. I am so excited to
share these conversations with you. I hope they inspire you
to watch the series. I promise, I promise. I don't
care what faith you are, what what your walk in
(02:54):
life is. This show that The Chosen will touch your
heart so many great stories. Let's check in with Dallas
Jenkins first, right after I spend some time telling you
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Love for percent off. I feel like we're old friends, Dallas,
(05:11):
since I got to do a podcast with you in
the past. But that was when The Chosen was just
kind of in its infancy, before we were cool. Before
well you were pretty cool. You were pretty cool. I mean,
it was it was catching on. But now what a phenomenon,
Dallas Jenkins, who is the creator of The Chosen. We're
(05:32):
going into season three and you graciously invited us to
your new home. This is amazing. Yeah, this is crazy
and it's a it's a ride that I feel fortunate
to be on. Uh and I've every day. It proves
to me what I've said from the beginning, which is
that I'm not good enough to to fulfill what this
(05:52):
is being. But this has become it just gets bigger
and better than I'm capable of which is scary and
uh and comforting at the same time. When I first
was introduced to you, my friend Jan introduced me to
The Chosen and it was the beginning of COVID and
she and her husband were the like the probably the
first couple that paid it forward, you know, and they
(06:13):
have been doing that since day one. She's like, you
really get gotta get on board. You gotta watch this,
you gotta talk about it on your show, you gotta
get to know this. So the shutdown comes. I have
nine people, my my youngest children, my husband, and my
outlaws my former in laws were now my outlaws, and
so I called Jan. I'm like, how do I find
(06:34):
this show you're talking about? And it was so perfect
and so powerful for my teenagers and my younger children
to watch, for my husband and I for us to
start some really important conversations. So that started that relationship
that you created between Simon, Peter and Eden really started
(06:59):
conversations with us that we're so impactful and so important.
But when my kids started wanting to stay there at
the end of the show and watch you talk about it.
And these were in the early days when you're like,
we just need to come up with enough money to
make a costume. People, we don't really have a set
(07:20):
kind of looking for a desert. And you were very transparent,
very honest, and now to come here and see what
God has done and how working with a salvation army
mind blowing. Only God could do that. And I think
you've pointed out the two primary things about the show
(07:41):
that have brought it to where it is. One is
the human relatability factor, which is I've I've seen all
the Bible shows and movies ever made, and I've never
seen a marriage portrayed as a real marriage. Just I
can't even think of how many marriages I've seen portrayed.
I mean, you just don't see that kind of stuff.
And when you're able to go as especially especially in
Christian or or or Biblical Bible era projects, you're thinking,
(08:06):
when you're able to say those issues that they faced
two thousand years ago are actually the same issues that
I face, then you go, oh, maybe the solution to
those issues, Jesus is the same solution that I can
have today. Another thing you're bringing up is that crowdfunded,
crowd related thing that we decided to do from the beginning,
which is we're gonna be Authenter. We're gonna show you
(08:28):
behind the curtain. You're going to be part of this,
whether it's financially, prayer wise, or just a matter of
knowing what we're doing so that you can spread the word.
That has been an essential part of the Chosen from
day one, and it has led to what we have
now and what it's continuing to grow. The thing is, though,
we have to remember we can ever lose that just
because we now have this amazing set to you as well,
(08:48):
that still has to be financed, that we still have
to continue making episodes. We still don't have a big
studio covering all the cost of everything. We still need
to be reliant. Yes, sweet to know that it's it's
all in God, and you've said that from the very beginning.
It was God birth, that was God breathed, that's God funded.
Um and and there's nobody you know, telling you the
(09:11):
parameters outside of you and God. My responsibility is to
Him and to my wife and uh and everything else
is we we we we have the beauty of it
is we have the freedom to control it and to
do what it is we believe is best and what
we believe God is leading us to do, and we're
not bound by cancel culture. We're not bound by a
(09:31):
studio having to fit us into some sort of slot.
We get to do what we need to do and
be audience dependent and God dependent as opposed to, uh,
you know, an office that's deciding where we're going to
go next. So one of the things that I love
about The Chosen beyond um all those things you just
meant mentioned, is the fact that in most uh biblical
(09:54):
kind of productions, women take a back seat, not even
a back seat. We're not even on the bus to
get in the backseat, you know, except for you know,
the production of Sampson and Delilah that was done Cecil
and b the Mills I think years ago. There's no
female characters that that really stand out or play a role.
(10:14):
And from day one and the Chosen you focus on
the women that God chose to surround his son. Yeah,
we forget that. There's a very key verse or two
in the Bible in the Gospels that talk about that
Jesus didn't just have the twelve apostles. There were dozens
and dozens of disciples that follow Jesus around, including a
(10:38):
group of women who were essential to his ministry. It
says they even helped finance his ministry. Mary Magdalen was
a key point of of of multiple momentous moments of
the Gospels. And so I don't think we're doing anything revolutionary.
I don't think we're but you are revolutionary because the
women have been there historically. Um. I like that you
(10:59):
gave Needing a name, But but you are doing something
revolutionary and that you are shining a spotlight on the
importance of those relationships. I got a book years ago
called Women in the Bible that tells the stories of
a lot of the key women in the Bible, and
I have shared that with my daughters because first off,
(11:21):
of my eight girls, only two are our Caucasian the
rest are women of color. And so the way that
you have portrayed in the Chosen strong women, women that
have character flaws and soared past and brokenness and joy
and laughter and love and sisterhood. And and I'm hearing
(11:43):
through the grapevine that this new season is really gonna
uh paint those pictures and more vibrant colors than ever.
Season three goes even deeper with the women of the show.
Because one trap that you can sometimes fall into and say, Okay,
women haven't been portray much, so we're gonna portray them
and they're gonna be perfect and wonderful. And women have
(12:03):
just the same struggles that men do. Maybe they look
a little different, but they're flawed as well, And so
we want to be honoring of some of these characters
from the Gospels and some of the to the actresses
that we have who are extraordinary to give them things
to sink their teeth into as well. They're gonna argue
in bicker this year, just like the Disciples do. They're
gonna overcome some of their struggles, just like the Disciples do.
(12:24):
They're gonna face doubts and questions just like the Disciples do.
And Simon and Eden especially are at the heart of
this season and they face a significant obstacle in their marriage.
And how they overcome that and how how how they
have to meet Jesus in that in that desperation is
a key thrust of season three. So we just have
a little bit of time here. Tell me about the
(12:45):
actress Amber, Yeah, yeah, I can't wait to talk to her. Yeah, yeah,
you'll love Amber. She's great because she plays Tamar, who's
an Ethiopian woman who we introduced in season one and
we're planning on having for just one episode, and she
brought just such a different flavor to the show that
we thought, you know what, um, we know that there
(13:07):
was a group of women who followed Jesus and who
helped him in his ministry. Let's bring her back. Let's
get her into the fold, because she just we love
finding we we we consider the group of people around
Jesus and this show to be like an orchestra, and
we want to find people who play different tunes and
different instruments so that when they come together, it's it's variety,
not just literally skin tone, but also style and approach
(13:29):
and energy. And uh so we we get to explore
in this season her back story more what she brings
to the table. And and now that the women are
thrust together, uh in season three and are following Jesus
together and didn't know each other beforehand, we really explore
what that looks like. Thank you for that. Yeah, no,
And I think that's what's been fun about the show
(13:49):
is we're we're again we're not doing it for any
political reasons. It's we're just capturing what we know of
the story, which is that even the area where they
where they where Jesus walked was a melting because it
was a trade route. So we get to see different colors,
different flavors, and also even neurological differences, Like Matthew, I mean,
we really try to show the gamut because I think
this is what happens gonna look like, so we might
(14:10):
as well make sure that the viewers get to see
themselves as well. Amen, Thank you, Thank you, Amber, Shana Williams. Welcome.
You didn't see us yesterday, which means your people did
a really good job making us hush. Um, but we
saw you, and I got to see you in a
scene you were looked like grinding. We that's when you
(14:31):
were there. Yeah, yeah, you were scooping and grinding and
mixing and pouring water. And I wanted to stay and
like see what was unfolding, but they're like, no, you can't.
You must go now, we can, yes, must. So I'm
excited to talk to you for a number of reasons. Um.
I and the mother of eight daughters, all but two
(14:56):
are women of color, and there's a lot of things
I can do. I can teach them about skincare and
hair care. But there are some things I cannot do
and I cannot be a strong, beautiful black role model
to my girls. But you are and I love you
for that. I thank you for that. And I was
(15:20):
I was watching an interview with you earlier on a
TV show, and you were talking about how you love
feeling strong and powerful and you do martial arts and
you're learning how to sword fight and all these superhero things.
(15:41):
And yet the character that you portray in The Chosen,
she's poised. She's so poised, she's so understated, underspoken and
classic just classic beauty. Yeah, but we're gonna we're gonna
be exploring that in season three of The Chosen to
mark the open woman who brought the paralytic to Jesus
(16:03):
to be healed. And she's the example of faith and
the Chosen she has been because that key line, your
faith is beautiful like that, that represents her and it has.
And in season three, what they're gonna do is tell
you a little bit more about her and why she
is the way she is and touching on that story.
And it's a deep story. It's a deep story. And
(16:25):
as you mentioned before, you're the mom of a beautiful
girl like I got ten siblings. I know about the
big family, and you are a beautiful, perfect example of
what it is to be a strong woman. And I
appreciate and I know it's a privilege and responsibility to
be representing people who look like me as well. I
didn't know that at first. I didn't expect it. I
(16:47):
wasn't planning on it. I just had to be a
part of the Chosen. And then when I started to
see the impact that it was having on everyone else,
and then the messages started coming in and d M
or showing up with people like I'm so happy to
see my self on screens like me And it's just
like that was the first thing my daughter said, Look
when look, Mom, look look. And because I love God's
(17:13):
words so much and I love the Bible so much,
and I see how in the scriptures Jesus loves women
and honors us so much, and yet that whole piece
is somehow missed. It's often missed. And a lot of
faith based media um and and and and films and
(17:34):
television shows, and it focuses a lot on Jesus and
you know his story. But what the Chosen does is
not only does it. You know, it's telling the life
of Christ, but it's doing it from the very human
people around him, and they make great effort and great
intent to also do it from the perspective of the women.
I love that each one is unique and I none
(17:56):
of them. Three the women kind of take some girl
are going on in season three. Okay, there's a lot
of things that we experience uniquely as women that they're
going to delve into in season three. You know, we
carry burdens, everybody's burden sometimes and um, we're gonna really
touch base on that and what that means for us
(18:17):
as women and the sisterhood and how difficult sometimes it
is to maintain that because you're not just when you
have a sisterhood, it's more than just we're here. We
support each other all the time. Sometimes you gotta hold
each other accountable. You know, sometimes you're conflicting in your
button heads. And you may see some of that going
on in season three and how that's going to be
processed and and how we're going to move through that
(18:40):
and still follow Christ. Because at the same time you
have to know that that's that's the heart that the
easy part is saying you're gonna do it. The difficult
part is actually following the actual doing absolutely, And so
we're gonna go through that entire process in season three
and leave the door wide open for season floor to
keep going like that there, it's not stopping, like the
momentum just keeps building. So how they let you in
(19:02):
on the next season's the next few seasons begging? I
keep I'm like, can you just just you got the
big guys, just to get the big Yeah that it
works on my husband, but it didn't worked on I'm
gonna try it on Amanda next and see what happened.
I think you might. You might have an in road
there because she's the one, She's the one, She's the
(19:24):
reason I'm here. Actually it was Amanda who was like,
that's tomorrow when I did that audition. It was Amanda
and like and like I said, so all around behind
the scenes and on the show that chosen, it's like
getting it right with the women, and it's so difficult
to find someone who tells our stories so well and
and and so accurately from our point of view. And
(19:45):
you're going to see in season three how how like
deeper they delve into that. I can't wait, I thank you,
thank you for being with us, Thanks for having me.
It's been a privilege joining me. Is the incredible Brandon Potter,
Brandon High, or as many of us know him, you
(20:06):
are Quintus, who is the character we all love to hate.
That's right, Brandon. How did you end up as this evil, smart, alecky,
incredibly dry, brilliant evil character in In the Chosen. It
(20:28):
was just an audition, but I think a casting director
in town recommended that I do something because they were
talking to people in l A for a lot of
these roles. But I think it was Beverly who said
you should bring a Brandon for this, and I did,
and Dallas and I got to play during the audition. Um.
I think Quintus originally started out as, you know, a
Roman who was eating grapes and was very disinterested, you know,
(20:50):
which is kind of a trope. And he said, I
like to do something else. So of course he did
because Dallas, Yeah, because he's Dallas and he wants to play.
So I said, what if he really likes this, What
if he's really interested in efficiency, maintain the status quo?
What if he's a bureaucrat died in the wall. You know,
he said, okay, let's give it a go. So we
got to play with that during this audition. We both
(21:12):
had a great time and the rest, as they say,
is history. There we go. I appreciate the fact that
you make him human like, he's not just a villain
when you read the scripture a lot of times, for me,
the characters are kind of one dimensional, and the gift
of the chosen for me is the way that the
(21:33):
characters are real. They're real people. Jesus is a real man. Uh,
they have real relationships, they have real situations, and even
as this bureaucratic jerk, Uh, your character has a human side.
(21:56):
Like you care about Matthew. You're very protective of this jerky,
autistic he's the character is on the artistic spectrum. Uh,
Jewish man who turned against his faith and against his
(22:16):
family to be a tax collector. But it's almost I
almost feel like you've got like a a big brother
or a father like role in his life in the story. YEA.
Was that an on purpose? Oh? Definitely yeah. And I think,
you know, to go back to the point that you
mentioned earlier about the humanity of this story, I think
(22:37):
that's one of the central features of the Chosen that
makes it meaningful, right, is that it is populated with
real people, and I think that the audience will be
able to relate to, if not everyone, then at least
one person you know, And I think that's what makes
this important. And in terms of you know, my character,
even when you're playing a bad guy, you have to
find something that you relate to. And the writer's really
(23:01):
really cleverly gave me lots of stuff to relate to.
First of all, he's uh a small part of a
story he doesn't fully understand, right, And that's something that
I can definitely relate to. I'm just one actor in
this giant production. I don't fully understand it, fully understand
its reach, and that's easy to relate to. The Other
(23:22):
thing is this relationship to Matthew Quintus sees his analytical
brain and relates to it immediately, And who can't empathize
with that. You see someone who maybe has gifts like you,
and you want to mentor them so that they can
maybe avoid the same pitfalls as you, maybe you can
(23:43):
make a better version of yourself, whatever your reasons are.
When that happens, you go um onto those people and
quint Is is a human who does that exact thing.
He sees someone who has a similar gift to him,
which is that sort of analytical machinery in his mind,
and really really wants to cultivate it. I also love
how what a smart alk you are. You know. I
(24:06):
don't know if that's the writer's brilliance or your way
to deliver the lines, but dude, you can just zing.
I think that's teamwork right there, really good teamwork. And
the way your eyes sparkle when you get to deliver
the zinger. I fun. Yeah, it's hard not to. It's
(24:26):
hard not to really really relish it. It's hard not
to really enjoy it, you know. So I get these
sort of like fun interactions with fans they get they
get all the pathos, and I get all the humor,
which is nice. So do you think anybody has ever
watched that character and said, I am too much like that.
I need to not be quite so regimented and maybe
(24:46):
like relax a little. I certainly hope. So. Well, thank
you for your time, thank you for thank you the show,
and I can't wait to see season three. Also with
me today is Giovanni Cairo and Jordan Walker Ross who
played Thaddius and a little James. So tell me how
you both, you know, take turns here, how you both
(25:09):
came to be a part of the cast. Where you
were at in your life faith wise, and maybe if
that's changed over the last four years. I mean, you know,
I was at a point I think I was in
l a for about five years and then from Michigan originally,
so I was a missing family, like crazy, It wasn't
really where I wanted to be a career wise, and uh,
(25:31):
just really considering going back home to uh kind of
call it quits or at least take a break and
do you with my family, and I missed them, and
uh um, I got an audition for the showsen and
at that point in my life my faith was really
you know, it wasn't really where it needed to be.
But auditioned a couple of times and and then had
a skype with Dallas and he said, we, uh what
(25:52):
we wanted to be part of the Chosen. We don't
know we're gonna place you just yet, but uh we
want you aboard. Changed my life, honestly, give me, give
me two examples of how your life has been transformed. Yeah,
before and after I mean before, I mean with The
thing is with with that he is being able to
play him. He's such a hard, honest sleep character, and
(26:12):
he just really he's a peacemaker. He wants everybody to
be on the same page. Um. That's taught me to
be more loving and kind towards people I don't even know,
my family, my friends. It's made me want to be
a better person each day. Um. And I see that
reflected in people watching the show. And that's the best
gift I could get. So. So, I had been living
(26:35):
in l A for about ten years on and off,
and I had to come back home for a major
hip surgery back to Dallas Fort Worth, and I met
my wife while I was down here. Acting wasn't really
going well out in l A. So we decided, you know,
I'd stay in Texas recover from my surgery and maybe
we'd go back out there later on. And I got
(26:57):
the audition for the Chosen and at that time, I
don't think I had booked anything in at least four years. Uh.
And the one thing I did book, I was replaced
because my limp was too noticeable on camera. So my
my limp is something that I felt I needed to
hide for every audition because I've been told by casting
(27:20):
directors in the past, you know, to tone the limp
down or try it without the limp. Then it was
in the back of my mind at every audition, so
it was taking away from the performance, and it was
a huge insecurity of mine and for The Chosen. The
audition was actually in the building I worked at, so
it was really convenient, and I I did the audition,
I did the callback. I auditioned for Andrew first, and
(27:42):
then Matthew Uh and got Little James, obviously. But the
thing that has changed my perspective and changed my life
the most regarding The Chosen is the fact that Dallas Jenkins,
the creator of The Chosen, came to me and after
season one he asked if it would be okay if
they incorporated my disability into the character. And it was
(28:05):
a scary proposition for me to all of a sudden
reveal the thing that I was most insecure about and
shining a spotlight on it rather than try to cover
it up or hide it. And but I said yes, thankfully,
because that forced me to be more vulnerable than I
had ever been, and slowly that got me on the
track to start to see it as a strength and
(28:27):
not a weakness, and to understand that you know, not
everyone needs the type of healing they think they do,
and that your your flaws can sometimes be you know,
your your greatest asset. So it was that was one
of the many ways that it was a life changing
experience for me. Well, thank you, Thank you for sharing time,
thank you for letting me be a part of this
(28:49):
of course, appreciate it with you. Are you loving these
conversations as much as I am. I'll continue chatting with
the cast of the Chosen, but I need to shine
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Laura Silva does an amazing job of playing the beautiful
(30:38):
sweet Eden in the Chosen So you're about the same
age as the character you play in the Bible. In
the actual Bible, you don't have a name. You're just
known as his wife, and and he miraculous Jesus miraculously
heals your mother in the actual scriptures. But in the Chosen.
(30:59):
You've got a name. I asked a couple of the
other folks who are involved with the production, can you
share how being a part of the Chosen, being eaten
in the Chosen might have impacted you personally, like who
you were and who you are? Has there been a transformation?
(31:21):
Absolutely before even booking The Chosen, I when I even
just decided to pursue acting. Um, I didn't fully start
realizing that my passion and my dream for acting was
even reachable until I let Jesus in my life. Until
I pursued him and he showed me that he can
(31:45):
get me there. He really, like, just open that up
in me. These talents and gifts that I was born with.
It I didn't even know I had until I asked
God and until he showed me. And then you know this,
this industry is, it's so tough to na the game.
And I feel like He's opened the doors for me
and he's closed some and He's put people in my life,
(32:06):
um to help get me to where I am. And
and then just continuing my journey and pursuing my acting
career with like Jesus has my guide. I don't think
that I could have done it, and I don't think
that I would have the courage and the strength to
to pursue it this late in the game. I feel
like without him, I know that one of the beautiful
(32:29):
things about The Chosen is that intimacy between the cast
and the audience. Your audience is so faithful and so committed.
I mean, there would be no Chosen if people had
not crowdfunded it. When people connect with you, when they
contact you, what are some of the like the key
(32:51):
things that that you're receiving from people? The main things
I get from whether it's messages online from fans or
meeting them in person, is just how how much they
love seeing the relationship between Eden and Simon. And then
particularly there's a scene with Eden and Jesus when Jesus
(33:12):
tells Eaten that you know, even though Simon is out
doing all these things, I want you to know that
I see you. And when I mean, I feel like
almost every fan, whether man or woman, it's like, you know,
he sees you, He's there for you, he loves you,
and that resonated with them and to be able to
(33:33):
share that and when they tell me how that's impacted
them based on their personal life or you know, stay
at Whole Moms or you know that that they're also
seen and that they have a you know, a joy
and a purpose and that Jesus is there as well
like that. That's that means everything that I got to help,
I guess play a role in that and telling them, well,
(33:54):
thank you, thank you. Oh, I appreciate it. Thank you.
I am so excited that Elizabeth Tabish, known to the
Chosen Watchers as Mary Magdalene, could also work us into
her schedule today. Your character, the way you portray Mary
the Magdalene is amazing. Thank you more than any other character.
(34:20):
In the first couple of episodes. You were the first
episode but had me hook line and sinker, Oh, thank you.
That's so nice to hear you. Thank you. You nailed it.
And I have to know, is there like some dark
secret in your background, like I have a lot of
dark secrets in my background that that helps you to
(34:43):
relate to the character or did Is that just your
brilliant actress? Well, I'd like to just say I'm a
really good actress. But at that time I was coming
out of a depression. UM, I was self medicating, I
was drinking a lot, UM, I had a lot of
(35:03):
like a string of sort of bad boyfriend experiences. UM.
And you know, I was I was kind of living
in a state of despair for a while without even
really realizing it. UM, just kind of like getting through
each day. UM. I had some back injuries from some
car accidents, so I wasn't very you know active, I
(35:27):
was an exercising I was sort of just in this
sort of chronic pain and not actively pursuing the things
that used to like really light up my heart. And
so I was just sort of like getting getting by
day by day. I was. I was you know, depression
is a funny thing, because it would be nice to
(35:48):
be able to be like, oh it was this thing
that made me depressed. But like I think, just living
in this world and being a sensitive person and feeling
things deeply and seeing what's on the news and seeing
what's happening to people in the world, like all of
that builds and builds and and creates this like kind
of ongoing despair if we don't catch it. And um,
(36:12):
and so that sort of coupled with you know, my
own sort of emotional life that that UM, I was
stuck in a rut, in this loop of just seeing
only the negative and you know, not not actively pursuing
uh suicidal activity, but but thoughts that sort of suicidal
(36:35):
ideation of just like I want to not be here.
I want to not be in this world, um, which
is a bad place to be, you know, it's a
scary pace to be, but very commonplace, I think, the
address of so many people's emotional heart right now. And
(36:56):
so I I felt isolated and only and that was
the place that I first got the scripts. That's the
place where I got the audition. And so it's like,
Dallas know any of this or was this is all that?
This is exactly the character where she is, you know,
(37:17):
it's uncanny. And I was like, this is if I
don't get this. And I was about to quit acting too,
So when I got this script, I was like, is
this this is too good to be true? And because
I had so many losses in like rejections, I was like,
if I don't book this, then it is the biggest
sign that I need to quit acting, find a different job,
(37:38):
and like try to start over coming from a place
of just like complete negativity into you know. And it's
taken me some time of of adjusting. Two good things
happening in the world, and the good things happening to me.
Like it has been like just to see change of
(38:00):
the sort of hope that I have, the excitement, enthusiasm
I have for being alive, the gratitude I have for um,
for sticking around for another day, you know, to like
keep going, even even on those hard days of just
like well, sleep through it, you know, get get to
the next day. It feels so impossible. All of this
(38:24):
feels so impossible to me. I don't know how it's happening.
I don't know how it could have happened to me.
And so I'm I'm so grateful. And yes, I mean
clearly my my life has changed, and my my faith
in God, my faith and love and community and the
care that people have for each other, my faith and
(38:45):
people too has has has changed, and Um, and it has.
It's the whole thing has been life changing and transforming
for me. And I don't take it for granted at
any point to know that like this is such an
unusual and almost impossible scenario. And UM and I get
(39:08):
a you know, experience at firsthand, and we all get
experienced together, you know, the fans, the cast, the crew,
like we get to go through this process together and
constantly be reminded of these beautiful things in the Gospels
that affected these characters back then and now get to
affect us in a very real way. Thank you, thank you.
(39:33):
Thanks for ruining my makeup. Sorry, I know what I
have to go, but I'm praying for you. Thank you
so much. I appreciate that The Chosen is wrapped up
filming season three, and in an exciting twist this year,
they are debuting episodes one and two of the most
emotional and consequential season to date on the big screen
(39:55):
beginning November eighteen. Tickets are on sale now, so don't hesitate.
It is going to be a wonderful night out. It
will be a brief run in theaters before season three
hits the show's streaming platform, where they will be available
for free, as the first two seasons have been, with
the remaining six episodes dropping one per week on the
(40:17):
same online venue. The Chosen came to me and my
family in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. When Fear
and Hope we're running a foot race, and Fear seemed
to be taking the lead. The Chosen showed up and
showed me and my family that all it took was
a matter of perspective and a mustard seat of faith
(40:38):
to see that Hope was going to be the clear
and obvious winner each and every time they matched up
in a competition. I don't know what you may be
going through right now, but I do know that we
all have something, some challenge, some trial, some insecurity that
weighs upon us. I encourage you, as I always do,
to let go and let God. And while you're working
(41:01):
on that, watch The Chosen. Its characters are sublimely multidimensional,
beautifully flawed, brilliantly portrayed, and you will come away odd
and inspired. I'm so grateful I was able to spend
time on the set with the amazing people I interacted with.
(41:21):
I hope you enjoyed the conversations, all of them, all
the conversations I got to share with you today. I
love someone with the Lilah. Take care, my friend, and
I will catch up with you again very soon. Until then,
take some time out of your busy schedule to slow
down and love someone
Hi there. I am so excited about today's podcast. I
can't even tell you. There are a few things I
have done professionally that I am as excited about as
our Love Someone with Delilah podcast today. It is an
episode that is extra special and extra special treat for
(00:24):
all of us. I was recently invited to join cast
and crew of The Chosen, the multi season streaming TV
series about the life of Jesus of Nazareth, and I
got to go to their brand new home at the
Salvation Army's camp in Texas. The set build was a
(00:45):
huge undertaking, like huge, the landscape needed to believably represent
Biblical locals such as the Feeding of the five thousand,
while also housing auction facilities, a state of the art
thirty thousand square foot sound stage, and an authentic first
(01:08):
century city was built. The Biblical set covers two acres
approximately two football fields side by side. It was unbelievable.
I got to walk through the sets, I got to
walk through the city. I got to see the amazing artwork,
the tilework, the the research they did for every wall,
(01:29):
every window was was unbelievable. I mean, they spent months
researching everything they built. When filming is complete, the camp
will be turned back over to the Salvation Army to
use in their outreach with their children's camps. I got
to see an experience at all me and my friend
jan who is the one that introduced me to this
(01:52):
show That Chosen. They've recently wrapped filming of season three
of the seven that are planned. I was able to
sit down and check at with Dallas Jenkins, the creator, director,
and co writer of the series, as well as several
cast members, including amber Shana Williams, who plays the beautiful,
(02:12):
incredible Tamar Brandon Potter as the villain that we love
to hate, Quintus oh Nn. He's a wonderful human being
in real life, but he plays such a great villain.
Quintus Giovanni Cairo, who portrays Thaddius Jordan's Walker Ross who
(02:33):
is Little James, Laura Silva as Eden, and Elizabeth Tabish
who shines as Mary Magdalene. I am so excited to
share these conversations with you. I hope they inspire you
to watch the series. I promise, I promise. I don't
care what faith you are, what what your walk in
(02:54):
life is. This show that The Chosen will touch your
heart so many great stories. Let's check in with Dallas
Jenkins first, right after I spend some time telling you
about my incredible podcast sponsor. This podcast is sponsored by
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(03:18):
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(03:41):
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Love for percent off. I feel like we're old friends, Dallas,
(05:11):
since I got to do a podcast with you in
the past. But that was when The Chosen was just
kind of in its infancy, before we were cool. Before
well you were pretty cool. You were pretty cool. I mean,
it was it was catching on. But now what a phenomenon,
Dallas Jenkins, who is the creator of The Chosen. We're
(05:32):
going into season three and you graciously invited us to
your new home. This is amazing. Yeah, this is crazy
and it's a it's a ride that I feel fortunate
to be on. Uh and I've every day. It proves
to me what I've said from the beginning, which is
that I'm not good enough to to fulfill what this
(05:52):
is being. But this has become it just gets bigger
and better than I'm capable of which is scary and
uh and comforting at the same time. When I first
was introduced to you, my friend Jan introduced me to
The Chosen and it was the beginning of COVID and
she and her husband were the like the probably the
first couple that paid it forward, you know, and they
(06:13):
have been doing that since day one. She's like, you
really get gotta get on board. You gotta watch this,
you gotta talk about it on your show, you gotta
get to know this. So the shutdown comes. I have
nine people, my my youngest children, my husband, and my
outlaws my former in laws were now my outlaws, and
so I called Jan. I'm like, how do I find
(06:34):
this show you're talking about? And it was so perfect
and so powerful for my teenagers and my younger children
to watch, for my husband and I for us to
start some really important conversations. So that started that relationship
that you created between Simon, Peter and Eden really started
(06:59):
conversations with us that we're so impactful and so important.
But when my kids started wanting to stay there at
the end of the show and watch you talk about it.
And these were in the early days when you're like,
we just need to come up with enough money to
make a costume. People, we don't really have a set
(07:20):
kind of looking for a desert. And you were very transparent,
very honest, and now to come here and see what
God has done and how working with a salvation army
mind blowing. Only God could do that. And I think
you've pointed out the two primary things about the show
(07:41):
that have brought it to where it is. One is
the human relatability factor, which is I've I've seen all
the Bible shows and movies ever made, and I've never
seen a marriage portrayed as a real marriage. Just I
can't even think of how many marriages I've seen portrayed.
I mean, you just don't see that kind of stuff.
And when you're able to go as especially especially in
Christian or or or Biblical Bible era projects, you're thinking,
(08:06):
when you're able to say those issues that they faced
two thousand years ago are actually the same issues that
I face, then you go, oh, maybe the solution to
those issues, Jesus is the same solution that I can
have today. Another thing you're bringing up is that crowdfunded,
crowd related thing that we decided to do from the beginning,
which is we're gonna be Authenter. We're gonna show you
(08:28):
behind the curtain. You're going to be part of this,
whether it's financially, prayer wise, or just a matter of
knowing what we're doing so that you can spread the word.
That has been an essential part of the Chosen from
day one, and it has led to what we have
now and what it's continuing to grow. The thing is, though,
we have to remember we can ever lose that just
because we now have this amazing set to you as well,
(08:48):
that still has to be financed, that we still have
to continue making episodes. We still don't have a big
studio covering all the cost of everything. We still need
to be reliant. Yes, sweet to know that it's it's
all in God, and you've said that from the very beginning.
It was God birth, that was God breathed, that's God funded.
Um and and there's nobody you know, telling you the
(09:11):
parameters outside of you and God. My responsibility is to
Him and to my wife and uh and everything else
is we we we we have the beauty of it
is we have the freedom to control it and to
do what it is we believe is best and what
we believe God is leading us to do, and we're
not bound by cancel culture. We're not bound by a
(09:31):
studio having to fit us into some sort of slot.
We get to do what we need to do and
be audience dependent and God dependent as opposed to, uh,
you know, an office that's deciding where we're going to
go next. So one of the things that I love
about The Chosen beyond um all those things you just
meant mentioned, is the fact that in most uh biblical
(09:54):
kind of productions, women take a back seat, not even
a back seat. We're not even on the bus to
get in the backseat, you know, except for you know,
the production of Sampson and Delilah that was done Cecil
and b the Mills I think years ago. There's no
female characters that that really stand out or play a role.
(10:14):
And from day one and the Chosen you focus on
the women that God chose to surround his son. Yeah,
we forget that. There's a very key verse or two
in the Bible in the Gospels that talk about that
Jesus didn't just have the twelve apostles. There were dozens
and dozens of disciples that follow Jesus around, including a
(10:38):
group of women who were essential to his ministry. It
says they even helped finance his ministry. Mary Magdalen was
a key point of of of multiple momentous moments of
the Gospels. And so I don't think we're doing anything revolutionary.
I don't think we're but you are revolutionary because the
women have been there historically. Um. I like that you
(10:59):
gave Needing a name, But but you are doing something
revolutionary and that you are shining a spotlight on the
importance of those relationships. I got a book years ago
called Women in the Bible that tells the stories of
a lot of the key women in the Bible, and
I have shared that with my daughters because first off,
(11:21):
of my eight girls, only two are our Caucasian the
rest are women of color. And so the way that
you have portrayed in the Chosen strong women, women that
have character flaws and soared past and brokenness and joy
and laughter and love and sisterhood. And and I'm hearing
(11:43):
through the grapevine that this new season is really gonna
uh paint those pictures and more vibrant colors than ever.
Season three goes even deeper with the women of the show.
Because one trap that you can sometimes fall into and say, Okay,
women haven't been portray much, so we're gonna portray them
and they're gonna be perfect and wonderful. And women have
(12:03):
just the same struggles that men do. Maybe they look
a little different, but they're flawed as well, And so
we want to be honoring of some of these characters
from the Gospels and some of the to the actresses
that we have who are extraordinary to give them things
to sink their teeth into as well. They're gonna argue
in bicker this year, just like the Disciples do. They're
gonna overcome some of their struggles, just like the Disciples do.
(12:24):
They're gonna face doubts and questions just like the Disciples do.
And Simon and Eden especially are at the heart of
this season and they face a significant obstacle in their marriage.
And how they overcome that and how how how they
have to meet Jesus in that in that desperation is
a key thrust of season three. So we just have
a little bit of time here. Tell me about the
(12:45):
actress Amber, Yeah, yeah, I can't wait to talk to her. Yeah, yeah,
you'll love Amber. She's great because she plays Tamar, who's
an Ethiopian woman who we introduced in season one and
we're planning on having for just one episode, and she
brought just such a different flavor to the show that
we thought, you know what, um, we know that there
(13:07):
was a group of women who followed Jesus and who
helped him in his ministry. Let's bring her back. Let's
get her into the fold, because she just we love
finding we we we consider the group of people around
Jesus and this show to be like an orchestra, and
we want to find people who play different tunes and
different instruments so that when they come together, it's it's variety,
not just literally skin tone, but also style and approach
(13:29):
and energy. And uh so we we get to explore
in this season her back story more what she brings
to the table. And and now that the women are
thrust together, uh in season three and are following Jesus
together and didn't know each other beforehand, we really explore
what that looks like. Thank you for that. Yeah, no,
And I think that's what's been fun about the show
(13:49):
is we're we're again we're not doing it for any
political reasons. It's we're just capturing what we know of
the story, which is that even the area where they
where they where Jesus walked was a melting because it
was a trade route. So we get to see different colors,
different flavors, and also even neurological differences, Like Matthew, I mean,
we really try to show the gamut because I think
this is what happens gonna look like, so we might
(14:10):
as well make sure that the viewers get to see
themselves as well. Amen, Thank you, Thank you, Amber, Shana Williams. Welcome.
You didn't see us yesterday, which means your people did
a really good job making us hush. Um, but we
saw you, and I got to see you in a
scene you were looked like grinding. We that's when you
(14:31):
were there. Yeah, yeah, you were scooping and grinding and
mixing and pouring water. And I wanted to stay and
like see what was unfolding, but they're like, no, you can't.
You must go now, we can, yes, must. So I'm
excited to talk to you for a number of reasons. Um.
I and the mother of eight daughters, all but two
(14:56):
are women of color, and there's a lot of things
I can do. I can teach them about skincare and
hair care. But there are some things I cannot do
and I cannot be a strong, beautiful black role model
to my girls. But you are and I love you
for that. I thank you for that. And I was
(15:20):
I was watching an interview with you earlier on a
TV show, and you were talking about how you love
feeling strong and powerful and you do martial arts and
you're learning how to sword fight and all these superhero things.
(15:41):
And yet the character that you portray in The Chosen,
she's poised. She's so poised, she's so understated, underspoken and
classic just classic beauty. Yeah, but we're gonna we're gonna
be exploring that in season three of The Chosen to
mark the open woman who brought the paralytic to Jesus
(16:03):
to be healed. And she's the example of faith and
the Chosen she has been because that key line, your
faith is beautiful like that, that represents her and it has.
And in season three, what they're gonna do is tell
you a little bit more about her and why she
is the way she is and touching on that story.
And it's a deep story. It's a deep story. And
(16:25):
as you mentioned before, you're the mom of a beautiful
girl like I got ten siblings. I know about the
big family, and you are a beautiful, perfect example of
what it is to be a strong woman. And I
appreciate and I know it's a privilege and responsibility to
be representing people who look like me as well. I
didn't know that at first. I didn't expect it. I
(16:47):
wasn't planning on it. I just had to be a
part of the Chosen. And then when I started to
see the impact that it was having on everyone else,
and then the messages started coming in and d M
or showing up with people like I'm so happy to
see my self on screens like me And it's just
like that was the first thing my daughter said, Look
when look, Mom, look look. And because I love God's
(17:13):
words so much and I love the Bible so much,
and I see how in the scriptures Jesus loves women
and honors us so much, and yet that whole piece
is somehow missed. It's often missed. And a lot of
faith based media um and and and and films and
(17:34):
television shows, and it focuses a lot on Jesus and
you know his story. But what the Chosen does is
not only does it. You know, it's telling the life
of Christ, but it's doing it from the very human
people around him, and they make great effort and great
intent to also do it from the perspective of the women.
I love that each one is unique and I none
(17:56):
of them. Three the women kind of take some girl
are going on in season three. Okay, there's a lot
of things that we experience uniquely as women that they're
going to delve into in season three. You know, we
carry burdens, everybody's burden sometimes and um, we're gonna really
touch base on that and what that means for us
(18:17):
as women and the sisterhood and how difficult sometimes it
is to maintain that because you're not just when you
have a sisterhood, it's more than just we're here. We
support each other all the time. Sometimes you gotta hold
each other accountable. You know, sometimes you're conflicting in your
button heads. And you may see some of that going
on in season three and how that's going to be
processed and and how we're going to move through that
(18:40):
and still follow Christ. Because at the same time you
have to know that that's that's the heart that the
easy part is saying you're gonna do it. The difficult
part is actually following the actual doing absolutely, And so
we're gonna go through that entire process in season three
and leave the door wide open for season floor to
keep going like that there, it's not stopping, like the
momentum just keeps building. So how they let you in
(19:02):
on the next season's the next few seasons begging? I
keep I'm like, can you just just you got the
big guys, just to get the big Yeah that it
works on my husband, but it didn't worked on I'm
gonna try it on Amanda next and see what happened.
I think you might. You might have an in road
there because she's the one, She's the one, She's the
(19:24):
reason I'm here. Actually it was Amanda who was like,
that's tomorrow when I did that audition. It was Amanda
and like and like I said, so all around behind
the scenes and on the show that chosen, it's like
getting it right with the women, and it's so difficult
to find someone who tells our stories so well and
and and so accurately from our point of view. And
(19:45):
you're going to see in season three how how like
deeper they delve into that. I can't wait, I thank you,
thank you for being with us, Thanks for having me.
It's been a privilege joining me. Is the incredible Brandon Potter,
Brandon High, or as many of us know him, you
(20:06):
are Quintus, who is the character we all love to hate.
That's right, Brandon. How did you end up as this evil, smart, alecky,
incredibly dry, brilliant evil character in In the Chosen. It
(20:28):
was just an audition, but I think a casting director
in town recommended that I do something because they were
talking to people in l A for a lot of
these roles. But I think it was Beverly who said
you should bring a Brandon for this, and I did,
and Dallas and I got to play during the audition. Um.
I think Quintus originally started out as, you know, a
Roman who was eating grapes and was very disinterested, you know,
(20:50):
which is kind of a trope. And he said, I
like to do something else. So of course he did
because Dallas, Yeah, because he's Dallas and he wants to play.
So I said, what if he really likes this, What
if he's really interested in efficiency, maintain the status quo?
What if he's a bureaucrat died in the wall. You know,
he said, okay, let's give it a go. So we
got to play with that during this audition. We both
(21:12):
had a great time and the rest, as they say,
is history. There we go. I appreciate the fact that
you make him human like, he's not just a villain
when you read the scripture a lot of times, for me,
the characters are kind of one dimensional, and the gift
of the chosen for me is the way that the
(21:33):
characters are real. They're real people. Jesus is a real man. Uh,
they have real relationships, they have real situations, and even
as this bureaucratic jerk, Uh, your character has a human side.
(21:56):
Like you care about Matthew. You're very protective of this jerky,
autistic he's the character is on the artistic spectrum. Uh,
Jewish man who turned against his faith and against his
(22:16):
family to be a tax collector. But it's almost I
almost feel like you've got like a a big brother
or a father like role in his life in the story. YEA.
Was that an on purpose? Oh? Definitely yeah. And I think,
you know, to go back to the point that you
mentioned earlier about the humanity of this story, I think
(22:37):
that's one of the central features of the Chosen that
makes it meaningful, right, is that it is populated with
real people, and I think that the audience will be
able to relate to, if not everyone, then at least
one person you know, And I think that's what makes
this important. And in terms of you know, my character,
even when you're playing a bad guy, you have to
find something that you relate to. And the writer's really
(23:01):
really cleverly gave me lots of stuff to relate to.
First of all, he's uh a small part of a
story he doesn't fully understand, right, And that's something that
I can definitely relate to. I'm just one actor in
this giant production. I don't fully understand it, fully understand
its reach, and that's easy to relate to. The Other
(23:22):
thing is this relationship to Matthew Quintus sees his analytical
brain and relates to it immediately, And who can't empathize
with that. You see someone who maybe has gifts like you,
and you want to mentor them so that they can
maybe avoid the same pitfalls as you, maybe you can
(23:43):
make a better version of yourself, whatever your reasons are.
When that happens, you go um onto those people and
quint Is is a human who does that exact thing.
He sees someone who has a similar gift to him,
which is that sort of analytical machinery in his mind,
and really really wants to cultivate it. I also love
how what a smart alk you are. You know. I
(24:06):
don't know if that's the writer's brilliance or your way
to deliver the lines, but dude, you can just zing.
I think that's teamwork right there, really good teamwork. And
the way your eyes sparkle when you get to deliver
the zinger. I fun. Yeah, it's hard not to. It's
(24:26):
hard not to really really relish it. It's hard not
to really enjoy it, you know. So I get these
sort of like fun interactions with fans they get they
get all the pathos, and I get all the humor,
which is nice. So do you think anybody has ever
watched that character and said, I am too much like that.
I need to not be quite so regimented and maybe
(24:46):
like relax a little. I certainly hope. So. Well, thank
you for your time, thank you for thank you the show,
and I can't wait to see season three. Also with
me today is Giovanni Cairo and Jordan Walker Ross who
played Thaddius and a little James. So tell me how
you both, you know, take turns here, how you both
(25:09):
came to be a part of the cast. Where you
were at in your life faith wise, and maybe if
that's changed over the last four years. I mean, you know,
I was at a point I think I was in
l a for about five years and then from Michigan originally,
so I was a missing family, like crazy, It wasn't
really where I wanted to be a career wise, and uh,
(25:31):
just really considering going back home to uh kind of
call it quits or at least take a break and
do you with my family, and I missed them, and
uh um, I got an audition for the showsen and
at that point in my life my faith was really
you know, it wasn't really where it needed to be.
But auditioned a couple of times and and then had
a skype with Dallas and he said, we, uh what
(25:52):
we wanted to be part of the Chosen. We don't
know we're gonna place you just yet, but uh we
want you aboard. Changed my life, honestly, give me, give
me two examples of how your life has been transformed. Yeah,
before and after I mean before, I mean with The
thing is with with that he is being able to
play him. He's such a hard, honest sleep character, and
(26:12):
he just really he's a peacemaker. He wants everybody to
be on the same page. Um. That's taught me to
be more loving and kind towards people I don't even know,
my family, my friends. It's made me want to be
a better person each day. Um. And I see that
reflected in people watching the show. And that's the best
gift I could get. So. So, I had been living
(26:35):
in l A for about ten years on and off,
and I had to come back home for a major
hip surgery back to Dallas Fort Worth, and I met
my wife while I was down here. Acting wasn't really
going well out in l A. So we decided, you know,
I'd stay in Texas recover from my surgery and maybe
we'd go back out there later on. And I got
(26:57):
the audition for the Chosen and at that time, I
don't think I had booked anything in at least four years. Uh.
And the one thing I did book, I was replaced
because my limp was too noticeable on camera. So my
my limp is something that I felt I needed to
hide for every audition because I've been told by casting
(27:20):
directors in the past, you know, to tone the limp
down or try it without the limp. Then it was
in the back of my mind at every audition, so
it was taking away from the performance, and it was
a huge insecurity of mine and for The Chosen. The
audition was actually in the building I worked at, so
it was really convenient, and I I did the audition,
I did the callback. I auditioned for Andrew first, and
(27:42):
then Matthew Uh and got Little James, obviously. But the
thing that has changed my perspective and changed my life
the most regarding The Chosen is the fact that Dallas Jenkins,
the creator of The Chosen, came to me and after
season one he asked if it would be okay if
they incorporated my disability into the character. And it was
(28:05):
a scary proposition for me to all of a sudden
reveal the thing that I was most insecure about and
shining a spotlight on it rather than try to cover
it up or hide it. And but I said yes, thankfully,
because that forced me to be more vulnerable than I
had ever been, and slowly that got me on the
track to start to see it as a strength and
(28:27):
not a weakness, and to understand that you know, not
everyone needs the type of healing they think they do,
and that your your flaws can sometimes be you know,
your your greatest asset. So it was that was one
of the many ways that it was a life changing
experience for me. Well, thank you, Thank you for sharing time,
thank you for letting me be a part of this
(28:49):
of course, appreciate it with you. Are you loving these
conversations as much as I am. I'll continue chatting with
the cast of the Chosen, but I need to shine
a light on another podcast sponsor, a delicious one. In fact,
I'm gonna sit here and sip a cup of tea
while I tell you about this podcast sponsor. Visitors to
(29:13):
my home or my studio are sure to notice one
thing right away, my love for tea. One of my
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of the microphone to spend time with my listeners. Each evening,
even before I take my first sip, I like to
slowly inhale, letting the scent of oranges and sweet spices
fill my lungs and tantalize my taste buds. It's a
little ritual that helps to put me in the best
(29:54):
frame of mind for whatever task lies ahead. I wonder
if Ruth Gelow did something similar when she mixed up
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It's been blended by the Bigelow family for three generations,
and you'll taste the love they add in every cup. Hi, Laura,
Laura Silva does an amazing job of playing the beautiful
(30:38):
sweet Eden in the Chosen So you're about the same
age as the character you play in the Bible. In
the actual Bible, you don't have a name. You're just
known as his wife, and and he miraculous Jesus miraculously
heals your mother in the actual scriptures. But in the Chosen.
(30:59):
You've got a name. I asked a couple of the
other folks who are involved with the production, can you
share how being a part of the Chosen, being eaten
in the Chosen might have impacted you personally, like who
you were and who you are? Has there been a transformation?
(31:21):
Absolutely before even booking The Chosen, I when I even
just decided to pursue acting. Um, I didn't fully start
realizing that my passion and my dream for acting was
even reachable until I let Jesus in my life. Until
I pursued him and he showed me that he can
(31:45):
get me there. He really, like, just open that up
in me. These talents and gifts that I was born with.
It I didn't even know I had until I asked
God and until he showed me. And then you know this,
this industry is, it's so tough to na the game.
And I feel like He's opened the doors for me
and he's closed some and He's put people in my life,
(32:06):
um to help get me to where I am. And
and then just continuing my journey and pursuing my acting
career with like Jesus has my guide. I don't think
that I could have done it, and I don't think
that I would have the courage and the strength to
to pursue it this late in the game. I feel
like without him, I know that one of the beautiful
(32:29):
things about The Chosen is that intimacy between the cast
and the audience. Your audience is so faithful and so committed.
I mean, there would be no Chosen if people had
not crowdfunded it. When people connect with you, when they
contact you, what are some of the like the key
(32:51):
things that that you're receiving from people? The main things
I get from whether it's messages online from fans or
meeting them in person, is just how how much they
love seeing the relationship between Eden and Simon. And then
particularly there's a scene with Eden and Jesus when Jesus
(33:12):
tells Eaten that you know, even though Simon is out
doing all these things, I want you to know that
I see you. And when I mean, I feel like
almost every fan, whether man or woman, it's like, you know,
he sees you, He's there for you, he loves you,
and that resonated with them and to be able to
(33:33):
share that and when they tell me how that's impacted
them based on their personal life or you know, stay
at Whole Moms or you know that that they're also
seen and that they have a you know, a joy
and a purpose and that Jesus is there as well
like that. That's that means everything that I got to help,
I guess play a role in that and telling them, well,
(33:54):
thank you, thank you. Oh, I appreciate it. Thank you.
I am so excited that Elizabeth Tabish, known to the
Chosen Watchers as Mary Magdalene, could also work us into
her schedule today. Your character, the way you portray Mary
the Magdalene is amazing. Thank you more than any other character.
(34:20):
In the first couple of episodes. You were the first
episode but had me hook line and sinker, Oh, thank you.
That's so nice to hear you. Thank you. You nailed it.
And I have to know, is there like some dark
secret in your background, like I have a lot of
dark secrets in my background that that helps you to
(34:43):
relate to the character or did Is that just your
brilliant actress? Well, I'd like to just say I'm a
really good actress. But at that time I was coming
out of a depression. UM, I was self medicating, I
was drinking a lot, UM, I had a lot of
(35:03):
like a string of sort of bad boyfriend experiences. UM.
And you know, I was I was kind of living
in a state of despair for a while without even
really realizing it. UM, just kind of like getting through
each day. UM. I had some back injuries from some
car accidents, so I wasn't very you know active, I
(35:27):
was an exercising I was sort of just in this
sort of chronic pain and not actively pursuing the things
that used to like really light up my heart. And
so I was just sort of like getting getting by
day by day. I was. I was you know, depression
is a funny thing, because it would be nice to
(35:48):
be able to be like, oh it was this thing
that made me depressed. But like I think, just living
in this world and being a sensitive person and feeling
things deeply and seeing what's on the news and seeing
what's happening to people in the world, like all of
that builds and builds and and creates this like kind
of ongoing despair if we don't catch it. And um,
(36:12):
and so that sort of coupled with you know, my
own sort of emotional life that that UM, I was
stuck in a rut, in this loop of just seeing
only the negative and you know, not not actively pursuing
uh suicidal activity, but but thoughts that sort of suicidal
(36:35):
ideation of just like I want to not be here.
I want to not be in this world, um, which
is a bad place to be, you know, it's a
scary pace to be, but very commonplace, I think, the
address of so many people's emotional heart right now. And
(36:56):
so I I felt isolated and only and that was
the place that I first got the scripts. That's the
place where I got the audition. And so it's like,
Dallas know any of this or was this is all that?
This is exactly the character where she is, you know,
(37:17):
it's uncanny. And I was like, this is if I
don't get this. And I was about to quit acting too,
So when I got this script, I was like, is
this this is too good to be true? And because
I had so many losses in like rejections, I was like,
if I don't book this, then it is the biggest
sign that I need to quit acting, find a different job,
(37:38):
and like try to start over coming from a place
of just like complete negativity into you know. And it's
taken me some time of of adjusting. Two good things
happening in the world, and the good things happening to me.
Like it has been like just to see change of
(38:00):
the sort of hope that I have, the excitement, enthusiasm
I have for being alive, the gratitude I have for um,
for sticking around for another day, you know, to like
keep going, even even on those hard days of just
like well, sleep through it, you know, get get to
the next day. It feels so impossible. All of this
(38:24):
feels so impossible to me. I don't know how it's happening.
I don't know how it could have happened to me.
And so I'm I'm so grateful. And yes, I mean
clearly my my life has changed, and my my faith
in God, my faith and love and community and the
care that people have for each other, my faith and
(38:45):
people too has has has changed, and Um, and it has.
It's the whole thing has been life changing and transforming
for me. And I don't take it for granted at
any point to know that like this is such an
unusual and almost impossible scenario. And UM and I get
(39:08):
a you know, experience at firsthand, and we all get
experienced together, you know, the fans, the cast, the crew,
like we get to go through this process together and
constantly be reminded of these beautiful things in the Gospels
that affected these characters back then and now get to
affect us in a very real way. Thank you, thank you.
(39:33):
Thanks for ruining my makeup. Sorry, I know what I
have to go, but I'm praying for you. Thank you
so much. I appreciate that The Chosen is wrapped up
filming season three, and in an exciting twist this year,
they are debuting episodes one and two of the most
emotional and consequential season to date on the big screen
(39:55):
beginning November eighteen. Tickets are on sale now, so don't hesitate.
It is going to be a wonderful night out. It
will be a brief run in theaters before season three
hits the show's streaming platform, where they will be available
for free, as the first two seasons have been, with
the remaining six episodes dropping one per week on the
(40:17):
same online venue. The Chosen came to me and my
family in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. When Fear
and Hope we're running a foot race, and Fear seemed
to be taking the lead. The Chosen showed up and
showed me and my family that all it took was
a matter of perspective and a mustard seat of faith
(40:38):
to see that Hope was going to be the clear
and obvious winner each and every time they matched up
in a competition. I don't know what you may be
going through right now, but I do know that we
all have something, some challenge, some trial, some insecurity that
weighs upon us. I encourage you, as I always do,
to let go and let God. And while you're working
(41:01):
on that, watch The Chosen. Its characters are sublimely multidimensional,
beautifully flawed, brilliantly portrayed, and you will come away odd
and inspired. I'm so grateful I was able to spend
time on the set with the amazing people I interacted with.
(41:21):
I hope you enjoyed the conversations, all of them, all
the conversations I got to share with you today. I
love someone with the Lilah. Take care, my friend, and
I will catch up with you again very soon. Until then,
take some time out of your busy schedule to slow
down and love someone
Host
Delilah
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