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An independent, crowd-driven and funded series is breaking the mould when it comes to Christian viewing and is raking in numbers along the way. It’s also perfect viewing during lockdown. Grethe Kemp speaks to the director of The Chosen.
Created by Dallas Jenkins, the writer and director of The Resurrection of Gavin Stone and other hit faith-based films, The Chosen follows the story line of the gospels through the eyes of those around Jesus.
The series is somewhat of a phenomenon and holds the title as the number one crowdfunded media project in history, raising roughly $13 million (R229 million) from more than 6 000 investors.
It is now being translated into 52 languages, which is also crowdsourced by the audience.
It’s the first streaming TV series to be released globally in more than 180 countries via its own app.
The app has been downloaded more than 1 million times, with more than 12 million episode viewings in a short period of time.
We caught up with Jenkins to find out more.
Hi Dallas, I’d like to ask a bit about your personal spiritual history. Can you tell us about your journey with Christ?
I was born and raised in a very strong, conservative evangelical family and I went to Christian schools all the way through college.
I married my college sweetheart and haven’t strayed from my faith other than some bouts with bad sin habits.
But my spiritual life transformed dramatically in 2017 after the financial disappointment of my film, The Resurrection of Gavin Stone. God taught me some incredible lessons that led to The Chosen.
And the ride of this show has been its own spiritual journey.
Tell me more about the financial failure of The Resurrection of Gavin Stone. What would you like readers to know about ‘failing’?
Well, I think that there are failures and disappointments; I’m not going to claim that there aren’t.
I just believe that sometimes God allows or even causes the disappointment for the purpose of bringing us to a place of dependence on him.
And, ultimately, we must remember that it’s not our job to feed the 5 000; it’s our job only to provide the loaves and fish.
The outcome isn’t our responsibility.
There’s no doubt the show has been massively popular.
What makes The Chosen unique in terms of telling the story of Jesus?
There are a few things that make this show quite different and, in fact, one of our mottos is based on a line from Jesus in episode 7: “Get used to different.”
One, it’s the first multiseason show about the life of Christ which allows us to go deeper into the stories and people of the gospels, and take more time to develop them.
Two, we’re portraying Jesus and the others from the gospels in human and authentic ways, rejecting the sense of formality and, at times, stiffness that have seemed common in some other Bible projects.
In short, we feel as if the show feels real.
The Chosen is the number one crowd-funded media project in history. Did you expect that you would raise so much money to make the show?
Definitely not. Most crowdfunds don’t work and they’re for small projects, so the notion that we’d shatter the all-time crowdfund record was ridiculous to me.
But, that said, I just take things day by day and I rarely get overly optimistic or pessimistic. I just put it in God’s hands.
Can you share some of the responses you’ve received from viewers?
Every day on our social media channels we see dozens of comments from viewers that the show has had a tremendous impact on their lives.
The most common comments refer to how the show has enhanced their love of scripture more than ever before.
And we got an incredible note from a mother in China whose family binge-watched the show while under quarantine.
She said her husband and children don’t speak English but they still watched the show ‘with their mouths open’.
We’ve been blown away by how it’s broken down cultural and age barriers.
What do you think the show’s popularity says about the need for faith-based content?
We’re in an age of binge-watching and shows that are popular worldwide, from Game of Thrones to Stranger Things, and it’s hard to think of any that are faith based.
And, when you add in the factor of all the political and cultural divisions in society, the timing for a show like this couldn’t be more relevant.
VidAngel is a service that filters content and is especially useful for Christian viewers and parents. How important do you think a service like that is today?
What’s great about VidAngel is that it doesn’t filter stuff; it allows you to do it. Because each family is different and has different standards, I think it’s important nowadays to have more control of what comes into your home.
Will viewers who aren’t necessarily Christian also enjoy this series?
We hear all the time from non-Christians who like the show. And the reason is that it’s like any other historical show.
It doesn’t feel like a church production. I enjoy Stranger Things even though I don’t believe in the Upside Down. We enjoyed the (VidAngel-filtered) Harry Potter movies even though we don’t believe in magic and wizards. A good show is a good show and we hope people will see The Chosen in that way.
Can you tell us a bit about casting – how did you go about choosing your actors?
We just looked for the best actors possible for each role – as long as they looked Middle Eastern – regardless of their fame or experience.
We believe good acting is essential to the long-term health of a show, especially one like this in which we’re trying to show the humanity of these people. Our cast is incredible.
Christianity is global, but is there anything in particular you would like to tell your South African viewers?
I love South Africa because of how strong your country is. You’ve been through more pain and challenges than almost any country in the world, and yet it’s still a strong and passionate country.
The actor who plays Moses in episode 7 is from South Africa and has many friends and family there, so we’ve talked about it a lot.
Hopefully, a show like The Chosen, which is free and easy to access on your phone, can provide some light in the darkness.
- Want to watch The Chosen for free? Watch it on YouTube, or download the app from the iStore or Google Play
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