Creator, director and co-writer of ‘The Chosen’ – a seven-season series depicting the life, mission and death of Jesus Christ, the son of God, has said Season 6 of the series is the most gruesome to film of all the season thus far.
The filming of the seven-episode sixth season is already underway, and feature the 24-hour period that highlighted his trial, scourging, crucifixion and death on the cross.
The gruesomeness stems not just in the dealing with the harsh terrain, weather and altitude required for the filming, but also for the actors, in particular Jonathan Roumie who plays Jesus, who deals with not just the emotional but physical challenges of filming the crucifixion scenes.
The season also promises to be an emotional journey for the audiences who have followed and come to love these characters. To witness their sorrows, sufferings and downfall will be emotionally brutal.
Hear Roumie who spoke from the film set in Italy: “We are halfway through Season 6. It’s been the most difficult thing we’ve ever done. And for many of us actors, it was the most challenging work that we’ve ever had to do. For many of us, spiritually and emotionally, it was excruciating; it was brutal.
He continued, “You are on a cross. You’re pretty much in nothing but a loin cloth, and the temperature drops at night. And for me, it’s an entering into Christ’s suffering in a way that has to go far enough for me personally to be believably authentic to an audience. So, there’s a certain amount of communion in that suffering that I end up experiencing, because that is the only way to do this job.”
The 50-year-old actor also had to covered in makeup comprising of prosthetic pieces glued onto his body to depict the wounds of Jesus, which takes hours, and then “they’re kind of slowly ripped off at the end of the nights, unglued with all sorts of chemicals and stuff to take them off, and that’s more painful than putting them on … It’s not something I want to shoot again.”
“It’s exhausting. This is an 86-day shoot. It’s almost 20 days longer than any other season we’ve ever done.” said Jenkins. “It’s the physical challenges, the logistical challenges that makes it even harder.”
Shot in two locations, first in Goshen, Utah, with shooting underway in Matera, Italy, ‘The Chosen Season 6’ will premiere March 12, 2027, while the series finale Season 7 will release on March 31, 2028. Both Season 6 finale and the Season 7 premiere will be produced as standalone feature films.
