Jonathan Roumie Reveals How ‘The Chosen’ Reached 30 Percent Non-Christian Viewers

Too often, he said, faith-based content does not appeal to a wider audience because it is "heavy-handed" or it "just missed the mark in terms of excellence." The Chosen, though, has appealed to audiences with its production quality, he said.

"Thirty percent of our audience now is non-religious," Roumie said, noting that the overwhelming majority of the audience in its earlier years was made up of Christians. 

"That's a lot," he added. 

"If you're not telling these stories with the sense of truth and authenticity and respect that they deserve, then you end up with films that do miss the mark, or they alienate the core audience that they're trying to reach. And I think that's where we get it right."

Roumie, a devout Catholic, said the series must achieve excellence for viewers to fully embrace its core gospel message.

"I think one of the reasons that we're successful, and it's one of the priorities for both [director] Dallas [Jenkins] and myself, and I think everybody involved, is that we recognize, first and foremost, this is a TV show. It's based on Scriptures, based on the Gospels, but there's stuff that we've had to take creative license in certain situations to be able to tell a more well-rounded story," he said. "But if the vehicle of this story is anything less than top quality, if it's not a great TV show first, then anything else that any of us might want to have people take away from the show from a personal perspective or a faith perspective, none of that's going to matter."

Roumie compared a low-quality Christian production to a nugget of gold wadded up in a ball of trash on a sidewalk. 

"Nobody's gonna want to even touch it. They'll just walk by it," he said. "If the message behind the show is a little piece of gold wrapped up in a wad of garbage, forget it. You're done. It still has to be a great TV show first, and then everything else from that can flow."

Meanwhile, Roumie told The Times his own faith gives his role a level of authenticity.

"I feel that it lends an authenticity to the role that allows me to understand more of why Jesus did the things He did and said the things He did than somebody who is completely unfamiliar," Roumie said. "I struggle to follow Jesus like anybody else who considers themselves a Christian, but the struggle is part of it. And I think God knows what we struggle with, but we're still challenged to do what he would do in those situations. And I think because I actually believe that -- that seems to have lent me a kind of credibility and an authenticity in approaching the character that maybe people haven't seen."

His faith, he said, keeps him humble. 

"I recognize that none of this is about me. I don't matter in the grand scheme of things," he said. 

WATCH: Jonathan Roumie on Faith, Surrender and Playing Jesus on TV

Photo Credit: ©The Chosen

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.