“The Chosen” actor Jonathan Roumie opened up about his Christian faith during the 2023 Advent season.
In a phone interview with Fox News Digital, Roumie, 49, who portrays Jesus Christ in the faith-based hit series, spoke about trusting in God amid his worries and anxieties.
“I think it all comes down to the simple act of surrender to God in a person’s life. And I went through this in a very visceral, substantial and transformative way in my life five years ago,” he shared.
Roumie continued, “I literally was on my knees and I said, ‘Jesus, I surrender myself to you. Take care of everything.’ And He did.”
Following his prayer, Roumie, who is a Catholic, said he was called to do “The Chosen” three months later.
“It was a point that I think my life was building to when that happened — and I realized that trying to micromanage God was not something that was working in my favor,” he said.
He continued:
“And once I let him take the wheel, everything changed. The decisive moment was that simple prayer of surrender and I think that’s really difficult for people, especially when we feel so out of control. When we turn on the news and see what’s going on today, it feels like we have no control in our own lives.”
On Monday, Roumie partnered with the Catholic prayer app Hallow for the Advent Pray25 challenge alongside actor Liam Neeson to guide listeners guide “people through a variety of prayers, meditations and Bible readings,” Fox News reported.
He revealed how the app helps him stay focused on his relationship with God, noting “Any opportunity to connect to Jesus is a welcome one.”
“I think that for me, I’m very easily distracted — and technology is one of the things that contributes to that distraction,” he explained. “But in this case, I have such a deep gratitude to the technology that’s arrived in the form of this app — of the Hallow app.”
Roumie added, “I can literally go to my phone and if I find myself or my mind wandering — or my anxiety building — all I have to do is literally click on the app and just start praying or meditating on one of the challenges or one of the prayers.”
The fourth season of “The Chosen” will premiere exclusively in theaters on Feb. 1.