Swept Away by ‘The Chosen’
Many associate Christian television with the word “cringe”, however ‘The Chosen’ series juxtaposes this statement.
Starting from humble beginnings, the groundbreaking historical drama has quickly risen to success, having claimed the spot of one of the most successful crowdfunded entertainment projects ever. Who would have guessed that the life of Jesus would be so popular?
On January 22, people flocked to London’s Leicester Square, for the Season Four European premiere of the first two episodes. The Kova PR team had clearly worked hard to make it a spectacular event, with the magnificent banners that surrounded us, and bright lights beaming down upon the teal carpet. Cheers erupted, as the beginning of the event was announced to the accompany theme tune sweeping out of the speakers.
Amongst all this cacophony and excitement, you could find Christians in Media behind the barriers, as myself and videographer, Esther Akin had the honour of being in the press pit.
“My advice to Christian filmmakers and writers is to qualify yourself. Practice. Practice. Practice. Be involved to go out and make shows. Whether they’re Christian shows or not, go qualify yourself to tell the stories that need to be told”
The sheer volume of press and fans made it a challenging, but exhilarating effort for me to grab the attention of those walking down the teal carpet! However, God blessed me and I interviewed five of ‘The Chosen’ cast and creatives.
As Christians in Media seeks to encourage Christians navigating different areas of the media industry, my most frequented question was, “What advice would you offer to those aspiring to work in the industry?”
All of the team offered insightful responses that resonated, such as: Brad Pelo, Executive Producer, President, 'advising people to “qualify” themselves and get experience; Executive Producer, Co-Writer, Ryan Swanson’s statement that your “faith perspective is invaluable”; Jonathan Roumie, Jesus, encouraging us to “put your trust in God to show you the road that He wants you to walk”; and Elizabeth Tabish, Mary, urging that, “If there’s anything else you would rather do, then do that...it’s a heartbreaking career, so if you’re gonna do it then you have to love it so much. ”
Some of my personal favourite moments were: George H. Xanthis’ , John, impression of Steven Gerrard; Brad’s desire to impact the World by offering “stories of hope” through the series; and performing my own impression to George of one of my all time favourite characters. You’ll need to watch the interviews to find out who!
‘The Chosen’ seasons can be watched here , via their app or multiple streaming networks. And view episodes 1 & 2 of Season Four at UK cinemas now.
Blog Author
Charlotte Coe
Charlotte is a professional Singer, Actor, Writer, Presenter and Singing Teacher. She’s currently touring the UK with a children’s theatre company. Charlotte has performed at the Minack, voiced Eliza Doolittle in MTI Europe’s recording of ‘My Fair lady’ and performed at numerous resorts. She’s an alumna of the Christians in Media Mentoring Programme. And one of her favourite acting roles to date has been ‘interviewer’ at the ‘The Chosen’ European premiere.
Connect with her: @charlottecoe
