The Paul Cardall Podcast

The Chosen: Best of Episodes with Dallas Jenkins, Jonathan Roumie, Noah James, and Jordan Walker Ross

Episode Summary

The fourth season of "The Chosen" is now showing in theaters across the country. Previous episodes of The Paul Cardall Podcast have featured Dallas Jenkins, the creator, writer, and director of this widely acclaimed biblical series. Guests also included Jonathan Roumie, who portrays Jesus; Noah James, playing Andrew; and Jordan Walker Ross, in the role of Little James. In the podcast's 90th episode, listeners will enjoy highlights from Paul's interviews with these actors and the director, conducted over the course of seasons one through three.

Episode Notes

Ep. 90 The Chosen: Best of Episodes with Dallas Jenkins, Jonathan Roumie, Noah James, and Jordan Walker Ross

 

ABOUT THIS PODCAST:

The fourth season of "The Chosen" is now showing in theaters across the country. Previous episodes of The Paul Cardall Podcast have featured Dallas Jenkins, the creator, writer, and director of this widely acclaimed biblical series. Guests also included Jonathan Roumie, who portrays Jesus; Noah James, playing Andrew; and Jordan Walker Ross, in the role of Little James. In the podcast's 90th episode, listeners will enjoy highlights from Paul's interviews with these actors and the director, conducted over the course of seasons one through three.

 

Listen to the full episodes with 

Dallas Jenkins (Director)

Jonathan Roumie (Jesus)

Noah James (Andrew)

Jordan Walker Ross (Little James)

 

ABOUT THE CHOSEN

The Chosen is an American Christian historical drama television series. Created, directed, and co-written by filmmaker Dallas Jenkins, it is the first multi-season series about the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. 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.

After Jenkins noted there had never been a multi-season, episode-based portrayal of Jesus that could be "binge-watched" like shows on streaming mediums such as Netflix, he set out to create the series in partnership with Angel Studios, formerly VidAngel. With the intention of differing from previous portrayals of Jesus, he crafted a story arc which focused more on the people who encountered Jesus and viewed him through their eyes. He has stated in interviews that he sought to present Jesus in a way that was more "personal, intimate, [and] immediate"

The show's producers have primarily used crowdfunding on the Angel Studios platform to finance production, and it continues to be the most successful crowdfunded TV series or film project. Additional revenue comes through licensing to other streaming platforms and TV networks, such as Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, and Netflix. Merchandise and video sales provide additional sources of revenue, as have limited premiere runs in cinemas. The show has been further adapted into a series of novels by Jenkins's father, author Jerry B. Jenkins, a series of graphic novels by Corvus Comics, and companion Bible study materials published by David C. Cook.

According to a 2022 analysis commissioned by the show's producers, 108 million had seen at least part of the show through the app and streaming platforms. Translation into as many as 600 languages is being funded by the Come and See Foundation.

 

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Episode Transcription

Audio file

LANDR-The Chosen - Best of Mix-Balanced-Low.mp3

 

Transcript

00:00:03 Announcer

Hello and welcome to the Paul Cardall podcast.

00:00:09 Paul Cardall

We have music that I've recently released. You might not be aware of.

00:00:16 Paul Cardall

A grief observed.

00:00:18 Paul Cardall

This is a piece that.

00:00:21 Paul Cardall

It's been appreciated by many critics. I am grateful that it is resonating with so many people. The grief observed. It's inspired by CS Lewis book.

00:00:33 Paul Cardall

A grief observed about his wrestle with God in trying to understand grief.

00:00:39 Paul Cardall

You can go back and listen to some previous episodes about grief and the song, a grief observed before that. I released 13 new original pieces, piano and light orchestration on return home.

00:00:58 Paul Cardall

Return home is inspired by the lands of my ancestors and many of those lands were probably where your ancestors came from, so it's a reflection of our roots and the love we have for what was.

00:01:12 Paul Cardall

Pass down to us and the way we connect with family.

00:01:18 Paul Cardall

So you can find that music by going on my website paulcardle.com course you can also find it on any music platform where you like to listen. The sheet music is also available. That's on my website allcardall.com. You're in for a treat today.

00:01:39 Paul Cardall

This is the best of the chosen.

00:01:42 Paul Cardall

On previous podcast.

00:01:43 Paul Cardall

Episodes I was fortunate to interview three of the actors and Dallas Jenkins, who is the writer, director and creator of the chosen.

00:01:55 Paul Cardall

So you're going to hear the very best of these conversations and I think what's unique is I've not heard other interviews where Jonathan Rooney is so personal.

00:02:07 Paul Cardall

Along with the other two actors, Noah James and Jordan Walker, Ross, Jordan Walker, Ross, please, little James Noah.

00:02:18 Paul Cardall

No. James plays Andrew and Jonathan Rooney plays Jesus. Jonathan is being interviewed on almost every major media outlet from the Today show to the view.

00:02:34 Paul Cardall

I also want to plug the incredible documentary.

00:02:40 Paul Cardall

About Jonathan and his sudden rise to being so famous that everybody wants to meet him, get a photo with him and there's a documentary about how he wrestles with becoming famous overnight.

00:02:59 Paul Cardall

From this man, who pretty much was a janitor of his apartment complex to where now he is somebody that is very hard to get on an Intel.

00:03:13 Paul Cardall

So it's called Jonathan and Jesus. It's on Amazon Prime.

00:03:17 Paul Cardall

Again, Jonathan and Jesus on Amazon Prime.

00:03:22 Paul Cardall

Or this TV show.

00:03:24 Paul Cardall

To date, according to Forbes, has been seen by over 200 million people.

00:03:32 Paul Cardall

They've at least watched one episode, according to Forbes.

00:03:38 Paul Cardall

Now we're in season four, my wife and I are going to go see episodes one through three in the movie theater. We get to see this on the big screen, and then we're going to go to episodes 4 through 7 when that comes.

00:03:51 Paul Cardall

Out in a couple weeks.

00:03:54 Paul Cardall

I'm taking a box of tissues. I am so emotionally connected.

00:04:01 Paul Cardall

To these characters because I believe.

00:04:04 Paul Cardall

That they were real people and that Jesus was a real person.

00:04:10 Paul Cardall

But he was also God.

00:04:13 Paul Cardall

So I'm so excited to present to you the best of the chosen here on my podcast, The Paul Cardall podcast.

00:04:22 Paul Cardall

Mr. Dallas Jenkins, how are you?

00:04:24 Dallas Jenkins

Wow, thank you. That was quite production. I really appreciate that. It means a lot. And yeah, I can tell you my heart has been softened in doing this project. The story behind how this project has happened has changed my life as much as the content of the show itself. And I think it's been.

00:04:44 Dallas Jenkins

The the process of making a show about Jesus and how he changes.

00:04:48 Dallas Jenkins

Lives has matched what's been going on behind the scenes as well, so really appreciate you having me on.

00:04:56 Paul Cardall

Obviously, when we talk about a biblical film, a biblical series, what is it that makes it stand out, and why has it become this sensation? It's like a.

00:05:08 Paul Cardall

It's like a a stone cut out of the mountain as Daniel talks about that's rolling forth and it's going to get.

00:05:12 Paul Cardall

Bigger and bigger and bigger, I think that.

00:05:16 Dallas Jenkins

The passion of the Christ is probably the last Jesus project that united as many people as it did both Catholics and evangelicals. But when I've talked to some of my LDS friends, they said, yeah, the passion of the Christ was too too bloody for the LDS crowd. You know, they're the LDS crowd and their depictions of Christ.

00:05:38 Dallas Jenkins

Tend to be much more reverent and and heavenly. You know, there's usually light beaming out of his head.

00:05:45 Dallas Jenkins

And whatnot. And hallmark.

00:05:47 Dallas Jenkins

Yeah, I genuinely with this show and focused solely on the stories of Christ and his followers and and yes, I've done a lot of scenes and and dialogue that's not from the Bible.

00:05:59 Dallas Jenkins

From it's from history or from artistic imagination, but it comes from a genuine love of scripture and a genuine love of the Gospels. I've been pleasantly shocked and and thrilled by how much. When you go to the chosen fan club on Facebook.

00:06:14 Dallas Jenkins

You get Catholics, LDS evangelicals, Messianic Jews, Orthodox, all those people who all they come there with with this immense love for the show and this immense love for the portrayal, of course. Then of course, some some arguments end up ensuing because people can't help it. But for the most part, we're finding these barriers are breaking down. And I think that's.

00:06:34 Dallas Jenkins

Testament to Jesus and the fact that I am.

00:06:39 Dallas Jenkins

I'm not going to. I'm not. Here's. I'm not going to brag about my skills as a filmmaker, but I will brag on my on what I've been doing more than anything else in the last year and a half and that's listen.

00:06:50 Dallas Jenkins

And the reason I feel comfortable bragging about it is because it reflects.

00:06:54 Dallas Jenkins

A tremendous attempt on my part at humility. I'm not a naturally humble person. I think I I tend to be more of a someone who is very confident because I don't. I don't like to.

00:07:10 Dallas Jenkins

Make decisions or say things unless I've really studied them and I've come to a confident decision. So the reason I say that is I've really recognized that for this shows success, I need to step out of the way. And yes, I'm still going to bring my loaves and fish. And yes, Jesus still had the disciples involved in the miracle and he had them.

00:07:27 Dallas Jenkins

Do their part.

00:07:29 Dallas Jenkins

And I'm going to make the loaves and fish as.

00:07:30 Dallas Jenkins

Good and healthy as they can be.

00:07:32 Dallas Jenkins

But what's happening with this show? The feeding of the 5000 the breaking down of cultural barriers, the breaking down of religious barriers, the breaking down of age barriers, the fact that so many people are coming together with this show.

00:07:43 Dallas Jenkins

All I can tell you is that I've been really trying to listen when I'm writing and really trying my best to make sure that this show is focused solely on the stories of Jesus and not bring my own biases to it.

00:07:53 Dallas Jenkins

And that's what I think is responsible for, because this show is way better than I am and the effect that it's having on people is way better than anything I could ever do. There's no amount of success this show could have that would ever lead me to believe that I'm responsible.

00:08:06 Dallas Jenkins

For it so.

00:08:08 Dallas Jenkins

God is doing something special when people watch it, they said. They tend to say the same thing they say.

00:08:13 Dallas Jenkins

I can't explain it, but my heart was just.

00:08:16 Dallas Jenkins

Like wrecked, but in the best way possible, and the Holy Spirit spoke to me. And I that's not me. That's not Dallas Jenkins. I didn't write something going. What I really want to do is make sure that anyone who watches this, their heart is, is broken down by the Holy Spirit. I'm not responsible for.

00:08:31 Dallas Jenkins

That so all I know is I'm going to continue to do my best to listen. And I think if I continue to do that.

00:08:37 Dallas Jenkins

And what's been happening so far in season one where God has been kind of connecting what he wants said to what the viewers are experiencing? And I'm just trying to.

00:08:47 Dallas Jenkins

That be a helpful conduit in that I think that will continue to happen as long as I continue to try to stay out of the way.

00:09:05 CLIP

But whose authority do you teach?

00:09:09 CLIP

Answer me if you are willing, rabbi. You know you can't.

00:09:16 CLIP

I'm talking to you.

00:09:18 CLIP

By whom do you teach?

00:09:19 CLIP

Certainly not the authority of any rabbi from Nazareth. Where did you study?

00:09:24 Paul Cardall

Your faith.

00:09:26 Speaker 5

It's beautiful fake heart.

00:09:37 Speaker 7

Your sins are forgiven.

00:09:44 Speaker 7

Who is this who speaks blasphemies?

00:09:49 Speaker 7

Who can forgive sins? But God are on.

00:09:53 Speaker 5

Right.

00:09:55 Speaker 7

But I ask you, which is easier to say?

00:09:59 Speaker 7

Your sins are forgiven.

00:10:02 Speaker 7

Or rise up and walk.

00:10:08 Speaker 7

It's easy to say anything, no?

00:10:11 Speaker 7

But to show you.

00:10:15 Speaker 7

And so that you may know that the son of man has the authority on Earth to forgive sins.

00:10:29 Speaker 7

I say to you, my son.

00:10:36 Speaker 7

Pick up your bed.

00:10:39 Speaker 7

And go home.

00:11:08 Speaker 7

Usually does it.

00:11:20 Announcer

Yes, yes.

00:11:45 Speaker 5

Thank you.

00:11:47 Paul Cardall

Now go on.

00:11:56 Paul Cardall

We're going to, we're going to talk about the chosen, but I want to talk.

00:11:59 Paul Cardall

About you.

00:12:01 Paul Cardall

I I've seen a lot of interviews with you.

00:12:03 Paul Cardall

With, you know, everybody wants to know about the chosen. I want to know about Jonathan.

00:12:09 Paul Cardall

To my understanding and and please correct me, your father is Egyptian and Greek Orthodox and your mother is American and Roman Catholic.

00:12:19 Jonathan Roumie

She. Yeah, she she was raised on a farm in Ireland and and came out in her 20s to the United States. My father was raised in the city.

00:12:28 Jonathan Roumie

Cairo. And then he traveled to the United States in the mid to late 60s as well. And then they met in New York City and then started a life. And and I was raised in New York City. And then we moved to the suburbs. And then there wasn't the quite the. So I was. I was.

00:12:48 Jonathan Roumie

Not ties Greek Orthodox and my my parents were married in a Greek Orthodox Church and and for my mother like you know, it's there was no. They're so similar and in in how in their.

00:13:04 Jonathan Roumie

You know, theology in in so many ways that it wasn't a big deal. And then when we moved to the suburbs of Long Island, there wasn't really an Orthodox community that we, you know, found and then that felt, you know, like home for us. So.

00:13:24 Jonathan Roumie

We started going to Catholic Church and my dad went to Catholic school as a kid in Egypt, so it was he was kind.

00:13:33 Jonathan Roumie

Of raised with with both.

00:13:35 Jonathan Roumie

Orthodoxy and Catholic.

00:13:37 Jonathan Roumie

So again, they're shifting back was, you know, for for my dad to shift over. There was no real conflict, you know, theological or or liturgical or, you know, or religious conflict for him. And so we we myself and my.

00:13:57 Jonathan Roumie

Sisters made our First Communion in our confirmation in the Catholic Church. And then, yeah, just kind of.

00:14:04 Jonathan Roumie

So I was raised with the.

00:14:06 Paul Cardall

I was in Cartagena.

00:14:09 Paul Cardall

On a film set with Jim Caviezel, he said that was the best. This is the second most important role.

00:14:16 Paul Cardall

For him, other than playing Jesus Christ, and I thought, wow, that's, you know, because the man got electrocuted playing.

00:14:24 Jonathan Roumie

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:14:25 Paul Cardall

Having your birthday.

00:14:28 Paul Cardall

So hopefully, hopefully that's not.

00:14:30 Jonathan Roumie

No, I got. I got. Who knows, I mean, you know, at this point our my job.

00:14:36 Jonathan Roumie

As a a faithful.

00:14:39 Jonathan Roumie

Christian, if I'm really walking, the walk is to just offer, you know, OfferUp myself. And as as a vessel for the project and allow God's will to be done through me. And if I'm sure there was going to be some kind of suffering and and as a as a Catholic.

00:14:59 Jonathan Roumie

Especially we're we're big on offering up our suffering, you know, or and and in the same way that the Saints did, you know, martyrs and people that suffered for years for for the sake of Christ and it helps.

00:15:11 Jonathan Roumie

It helps deal with the suffering. You know what I mean? To to kind of know that the the person responsible for your salvation went through this already. So it it becomes much easier to deal with suffering when you're offering it up to to Christ. So if that's if that's what's meant to happen then.

00:15:30 Jonathan Roumie

So be it, but hopefully I won't get electrocuted or or have to have surgery.

00:15:37 Paul Cardall

When you decided to move out to LA because obviously you're close.

00:15:42 Paul Cardall

To your mother and your father's a devout religious home.

00:15:47 Paul Cardall

And you're making this move from a place they know is safe.

00:15:51 Paul Cardall

To this big new world out there, what was that like for them?

00:15:58 Jonathan Roumie

You know, I I don't.

00:16:00 Jonathan Roumie

Think it was an easy thing for.

00:16:01 Jonathan Roumie

Them to hear.

00:16:03 Jonathan Roumie

But they I think they also recognize that God had given me gifts in this arena since I had been working a bit. You know, even though it would, it didn't amount to those 10 years to what I was doing 10 years out here it it was setting me up for something larger.

00:16:23 Jonathan Roumie

And I think they kind of knew I.

00:16:25 Jonathan Roumie

Felt I was sort of called or I had, you know, a part of my destiny was was coming out to Los Angeles.

00:16:34 Jonathan Roumie

But it was of course it was extremely difficult to to leave them and and for them to to see me leave. And you know, I was no longer an hour train ride away from from them coming home every weekend. So. So it was it was tough. But, you know, they they've been.

00:16:54 Jonathan Roumie

Nothing but supportive from from the beginning.

00:16:58 Jonathan Roumie

From from my everything I've ever done, they've they've been supportive of they I couldn't ask for two better parents, especially as an artist in, in, in at that time leaving New York, you know, particularly unstable, you know, circumstances to to to come out here. I.

00:17:17 Jonathan Roumie

Couldn't ask for.

00:17:18 Jonathan Roumie

For more support than than what they gave you.

00:17:21 Paul Cardall

I want to skip to that scene in the chosen.

00:17:24 Paul Cardall

And we're going to the how he ended up doing the chosen. But there's a beautiful scene in there where Jesus is with his mom.

00:17:31 Noah James

Actually that would be a terrible thing.

00:17:32 Noah James

To behold my.

00:17:33 Speaker 7

Son Andrew. You see, even my own mother will join us in the.

00:17:36 Speaker 7

Song of Miriam. There's a lot of wine.

00:17:41 Noah James

But it's only the first day.

00:17:42 CLIP

Yes. And it's only now that they've left.

00:17:48 Speaker 7

Are you telling me this?

00:17:49 Paul Cardall

We can't let the celebration end like.

00:17:50

This and the actress family humiliated.

00:17:57 Speaker 7

Boys, go join the others. I'll be right there.

00:18:12 Speaker 7

My time has not.

00:18:13 Paul Cardall

Yet come.

00:18:20 Speaker 5

Not now.

00:18:47 Paul Cardall

And you see that very human.

00:18:50 Paul Cardall

Boy, like Mommy, like relationship. That is actually fun. How does that compare to the relationship you have with your own mom?

00:19:03 Jonathan Roumie

Well-being somebody who kind of works as a method actor, as we discussed earlier, I brought my relationship with my mother into that relationship with Jesus between Jesus and the Blessed Mother. So for me, I I, you know, one of the things when you first see us meet.

00:19:22 Jonathan Roumie

In episode 5.

00:19:23 Jonathan Roumie

Before the wedding of Cana, I kind of took her up. I bear hug her and I spin her around and and that was something that I wanted to do because that's how I greet my mother when I haven't seen her in a while. And and.

00:19:36 Jonathan Roumie

My mother's they're.

00:19:36 Jonathan Roumie

About funny enough, they're about the same height. My mom's petite, and so it's an easy thing to do, and anytime I.

00:19:43 Jonathan Roumie

Pick her up. She's literally like laughing because she just she her feet are like 2 feet off the ground at that point. So it it's just the moment of joy for me. And and I just.

00:19:48 Paul Cardall

Not accent.

00:19:54 Jonathan Roumie

Just make sure Dallas was cool with that and he's like, yeah, yeah. Do whatever. So and he's been, you know, great with with allowing us to bring our own personal, you know, Nuggets of of our our own lives into the show as through our characters.

00:20:14 Paul Cardall

There's a word called long-suffering in the scriptures. Everywhere God is, God has long-suffering, meaning he can.

00:20:23 Paul Cardall

Patiently wait for good things to come and I guess an optimist. That's the only way to survive that is to be an optimist.

00:20:33 Jonathan Roumie

Yeah, yeah. I mean, what's your alternative?

00:20:36 Paul Cardall

Right. And you've been doing quite a bit. You've done The Newsroom interns and CIS, you did Ballers.

00:20:36 Jonathan Roumie

You know why?

00:20:41 Paul Cardall

Hart, of Dixie Council Parenthood, Law and order, did a couple soap operas.

00:20:42 Speaker 5

Without it.

00:20:48 Paul Cardall

Yeah, yeah. And this goes on a lot of voiceover work, wonder pets. My kids will be happy about that knowing that.

00:20:55 Jonathan Roumie

Oh yeah.

00:20:55 Paul Cardall

Jesus is all the wonder pets.

00:20:58 Paul Cardall

All those things and it it leads to this.

00:21:03 Paul Cardall

Massive wall.

00:21:06 Paul Cardall

That you are now part of, which is.

00:21:09 Paul Cardall

You are the main character in one of the most important what I believe is one of the most important series that has found a way to be self funded.

00:21:21 Paul Cardall

But he says we're going to do this in complete, you know, season one, Season 2, we're going to go all the way to the resurrection slowly and carefully as a carica wave building the character.

00:21:34 Paul Cardall

In such a profound way that by the time we see you crucified, we're all going to be dying inside.

00:21:42 Paul Cardall

Now you have this major role.

00:21:45 Paul Cardall

How did you feel about all that?

00:21:48 Paul Cardall

Knowing that you would be the son.

00:21:49 CLIP

Of God well.

00:21:52 Jonathan Roumie

You know, I think having played Jesus before for Dallas, specifically in three other projects kind of gave us that shorthand that I knew that we'd have on set.

00:22:09 Speaker 7

From the beginning, there's.

00:22:13 Jonathan Roumie

It's it's been made public what the goal is. The goal is, God willing, eight seasons right of eight episode per season for the show.

00:22:24 Jonathan Roumie

But from the beginning.

00:22:26 Jonathan Roumie

There's never been any idea that anything is set in stone. The most I knew is that we were moving forward with a series that we would shoot at least four episodes. Hopefully we would get to shoot all eight for a season and then hopefully maybe we get a couple of seasons.

00:22:47 Jonathan Roumie

And if we were really lucky.

00:22:50 Jonathan Roumie

Seven or eight seasons by the time the series is done so.

00:22:55 Jonathan Roumie

I've learned to not think about the the entire scope of what it is. I think I my head would probably explode if I tried to really consider what it was that we were trying to tackle here, and I think God is very smart in his design with how he disseminates information and.

00:23:15 Jonathan Roumie

And our experiences on on Earth and in life, knowing what we could and couldn't handle.

00:23:22 Speaker 5

OK.

00:23:23 Jonathan Roumie

And I think also keeping us in faith and as.

00:23:31 Jonathan Roumie

As Dallas and his wife Amanda Jenkins say, keeping us on the the MANA program, the loaves and fishes where, you know, with the MANA program specifically, it's like you just get that day bread, you know, give us this day Our Daily Bread, not your weekly bread, not your monthly.

00:23:48 Jonathan Roumie

Bread. Today's bread. Let's eat today and worry about today. Tomorrow has worries all its own, so I've often reflected on that and I refer to that in my own life. So it's not really. I don't really think about it so much. I just. I know that it's important.

00:24:08 Jonathan Roumie

I know that there is a lot of people that are going to be affected by this and my only.

00:24:18 Jonathan Roumie

If I'm lucky, on a good day, my only thought is or. My only prayer is that Lord let people see not my face today or hear me speaking, but hear Jesus speaking and hear the speak, the spirit speaking through me and and see Jesus within me, portraying me, you know.

00:24:38 Jonathan Roumie

Reenacting these scenes out of scripture and then everything that's extra biblical that's in between Scripture. Let that be inspired by Scripture.

00:24:48 Jonathan Roumie

And let it be, let it resonate with people so that they turn to Scripture and that they're inspired.

00:24:55 Jonathan Roumie

By the word themselves, and to explore and to meet Jesus themselves in the Bible. Now having this, hopefully this relatability, that perhaps they didn't have before or or, you know, debunking these myths about, you know, who the son of God might have been and what it would have.

00:25:15 Jonathan Roumie

Meant to meet him as a human being on this planet. What's you know? Did he laugh? Did he? Did he dance? Did he smile? Did he do these things that we're portraying in the show? And and if we really believe that he was 100% human as well as 100% divine, 100% human and everything except sin, of course.

00:25:35 Jonathan Roumie

We really believe that then we have to believe he experienced everything to every degree that we did and then.

00:25:44 Jonathan Roumie

So that's what we're trying to depict is Jesus, humanity and how and the disciples humanity. They're not just, you know, icons on stained glass.

00:25:56 Jonathan Roumie

They are they.

00:25:57 Jonathan Roumie

Were living, breathing people like you and I sitting here right now having this conversation? And if people can relate to Jesus through their eyes?

00:26:06 Jonathan Roumie

And their experiences and then and be affected by him, then maybe we too can.

00:26:10 Jonathan Roumie

Be affected by Christ in that way.

00:26:11 Paul Cardall

It's fascinating because I'm talking to you and I'm talking to Jonathan. I don't. It's it's amazing how you were able to create.

00:26:20 Paul Cardall

You know, under Dallas's guidance that character, that of Jesus, because it's clearly a separate entity from who you are, you know and.

00:26:31 Paul Cardall

In the music.

00:26:32 Paul Cardall

World you have performers, but then when you meet them, they're just, you know, it's just average guys. Smart, intelligent.

00:26:40 Paul Cardall

Creative people under control.

00:26:43 Paul Cardall

Humility, I believe, is called is strength under control.

00:26:47 Paul Cardall

And you embody that, and yet you've created this Christ, that people are posting images of.

00:26:59 Paul Cardall

That Christ as their Christ.

00:27:02 Paul Cardall

On Facebook and you know of me personally? I've shared a couple of things and you know, I, I I I witness and I I share my feelings a lot about Jesus and I started using that image and it's interesting because I don't even.

00:27:17 Paul Cardall

Put Jonathan in that image. That's not well, you've done that.

00:27:22 Paul Cardall

Job. The other thing that you're.

00:27:24 Paul Cardall

I mean, it's fascinating. I know that you do a lot of advocacy work for.

00:27:32 Paul Cardall

Catholicism and you've been doing prayers, prayer hours nightly and my wife is Catholic and so sometimes I I say what you know, I lean over in bed and I say, what are you listening to? She goes. I'm listening to Jonathan do the rosary.

00:27:49

Ohh wow.

00:27:49 Paul Cardall

It colors.

00:27:52 Paul Cardall

It sounds.

00:27:53 Paul Cardall

Like Jesus is doing the rosary for her and she's having the sacred spiritual experiences, she's drawing closer.

00:27:53 Jonathan Roumie

What an honor.

00:28:04 Paul Cardall

To her, her to God.

00:28:06 Paul Cardall

Because of the work you're doing and we're just one.

00:28:09 Paul Cardall

Family Jonathan. And that's what's brilliant about the gift that.

00:28:13 Paul Cardall

God has given you.

00:28:15 Paul Cardall

We never know. We never know the lives.

00:28:16 Jonathan Roumie

That's good with you.

00:28:19 Paul Cardall

That are impacted by the choices we make.

00:28:23 Paul Cardall

That are all hurt.

00:28:24 Paul Cardall

To just be the best we can do the best we can and it expands.

00:28:31 Paul Cardall

Beyond, so I'm grateful for.

00:28:33 Paul Cardall

The gift God gave you and the ability to to to create what you've created. I do think that it's a.

00:28:41 Paul Cardall

It's, you know, it's.

00:28:43 Paul Cardall

If we go to the business side.

00:28:44 Paul Cardall

Of things, it's Oscar worthy. It's any worthy.

00:28:47 Paul Cardall

And I believe you 31.

00:28:48 Jonathan Roumie

Oh, wow. Thank you.

00:28:50 Paul Cardall

And we will be right back.

00:28:53 Speaker 1

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00:29:08 Speaker 1

Dance each song carefully crafted takes listeners on a cinematic journey to the lands of his ancestors. In all, return home features 13 songs from his original piano pieces. Shropshire Hills immigrant ships the shores of Normandy, red poppy fields, fathers and daughters. Eliza's theme.

00:29:28 Speaker 1

To arrangements of popular hymns, I believe in Christ and love one another.

00:29:34 Speaker 1

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00:29:53 Speaker 1

Pandora or some other for the sheet music and more information, visit www.paulcardall.com.

00:30:03 Paul Cardall

Noah James.

00:30:05 Noah James

For some reason someone had told me that NYU had a great acting program and I looked that one up only and was like, yes, it does look good. Let me only apply there. And so I only applied, which is like the worst advice anyone could ever give.

00:30:23 Noah James

I only applied to NYU and I was I was kind of going. My mom was like, you know, maybe look at some schools on the West Coast you're close. And. And so I was.

00:30:34

Like. Yeah, I'll. I'll.

00:30:36 Noah James

Look and maybe apply at some point and so.

00:30:38 Noah James

Like not paying attention. So I auditioned for NYU early decision and, you know, flew to New York with my mom. And I go upstairs and, you know, you're waiting with all the other kids and everyone is like, it's the most nervous I had ever been. And I didn't even know, like, really, it was. I was very ignorant.

00:30:58 Noah James

This bliss I didn't understand, like how many people are going to be auditioning or anything like that. But so I'm there. I do it and then I get home and I'm like, alright, let's take a few weeks off and then I can look at the other colleges, see what's going on.

00:31:10 Paul Cardall

And when you're auditioning, you're getting like.

00:31:12 Paul Cardall

A monologue of some kind.

00:31:14 Noah James

I did 2.

00:31:16 Noah James

I is that where I did 2 monologues. I had a dramatic monologue and a comedic monologue, and then I had.

00:31:25 Paul Cardall

Which one did you think was better, comedic or dramatic?

00:31:28 Noah James

They were both probably bad. I think they both were bad. If I look back like they, I would have probably said that my dramatic monologue was good and then looking back, I'm like, what was I doing? Just very strange.

00:31:47 Noah James

Idea of how to be dramatic, you know, just not, but kids. And I always sort of had a a.

00:31:54 Noah James

An innate, you know, I I understood performance and and how to be on stage and you know, make people laugh. So I got the comedic stuff and the the dramatic stuff was I don't know I I.

00:32:06 Noah James

I I definitely had.

00:32:07 Noah James

To go to school and learn I'm I'm happy they let me in.

00:32:11 Paul Cardall

For those that have watched the shows and we're big chosen people.

00:32:15 Paul Cardall

When we saw your character of Andrew, you're very soft spoken. You're very you're the virtual one because your character is the first to.

00:32:26 Paul Cardall

Recognize that you know Jesus of Nazareth is the life of God. You are following John the Baptist. As the story goes, John tells you to take. You know, this isn't in the chosen, but go follow the other guy because I can't even match it. His shoes or something like that and.

00:32:47 Paul Cardall

But then, here's your personality. In real life like this is the brilliance of acting you self going and fun and comedic, and yet you have this serious.