The Chosen
The Chosen is a groundbreaking historical drama based on the life of Jesus (Jonathan Roumie), seen through the eyes of those who knew him. Set against the backdrop of Roman oppression in first-century Israel, the seven-season show shares an authentic and intimate look at Jesus’ revolutionary life and teachings.
Season 4
Clashing kingdoms. Rival rulers. The enemies of Jesus close in while His followers struggle to keep up, leaving Him to carry the burden alone. Threatened by the reality of Jesus’ growing influence, religious leaders do the unthinkable—ally with their Roman oppressors. As the seeds of betrayal are planted and opposition to Jesus’ message turns violent, He’s left with no alternative but to demand his followers RISE UP.
With over 253 million viewers, The Chosen is one of the most-watched shows in the world. The series is consistently a top performer across streaming platforms Amazon Prime, Peacock, and Netflix plus a top-rated broadcast weekly on The CW. What started as a crowd-funded project has now garnered over eight hundred million episode views and more than sixteen million social media followers.
Meet Elizabeth Tabish
Elizabeth Tabish is an actor and filmmaker known for her portrayal of Mary Magdalene in The Chosen. She received her M.A. in Theater and B.A. in Screen Studies from Oklahoma State University. Elizabeth has produced and directed a number of award-winning short films. She currently lives in Ohio with her husband and likes to paint in her spare time.
Interview
Cinema Scholars’ own, Glen Dower, sat down with actor Elizabeth Tabish to discuss season four of the wildly popular C.W. series, The Chosen. They discussed how affecting it is to have over two hundred million viewers after four seasons, Elizabeth’s approach to playing Mary Magdalene, and how important historical accuracy is, among other topics.
(Edited for content and clarity)
Glen Dower:
Elizabeth Tabish. How are you, Ma’am?
Elizabeth Tabish:
I’m good. How are you?
Glen Dower:
I am really good. As a professional actor, being in a globally praised show, reaching season four and beyond, two hundred million viewers. How does that feel?
Elizabeth Tabish:
Surreal, and I don’t think my brain can really comprehend that number. Unreal!
Glen Dower:
That’s a good way to put it. Why not? So, of course, you play Mary Magdalene. I was just thinking we don’t learn about Mary in Sunday School. She’s in the ‘adult version’ of the Bible, isn’t she? How did you approach playing her? She has so many sources that we learn about. The Bible, but we as viewers have had so many representations through different media: from The Passion of the Christ to The Da Vinci Code and even Family Guy! How did you approach playing her?
Elizabeth Tabish:
Well, I think that’s been the interesting thing about her. As a historical figure. There have been so many depictions of her. There’s been so much curiosity about her. But then, also because of that so much speculation about who she was and people’s imaginations kind of got crazy with it. And I. What I love about the show’s depiction of her is that everything in her storyline is rooted in the Gospels. It is rooted in what has been said about her.
I know that her story is probably not Sunday School appropriate for kids, because she was possessed by seven demons, and whatever that looks like – probably horrifying! But what The Chosen has done is really show what that looks like, and it is overwhelming scary, and painful. So rooting it and starting it there, and seeing how she’s completely transformed by Jesus, which is also in the Gospels where he heals her, is a really steady place to start building a character.
Then, of course, as the seasons continue, and she grows, she becomes a follower. She helps with financing the ministry and all these parts of of her story that are in the Gospels we get to see enacted, and then lived out. Then, of course, you know what’s coming up. She’ll be there at the Crucifixion, and she’ll be at the Resurrection and at the tomb. So I’m looking forward to those storylines because that’s really the part of Mary Magdalene that everyone recognizes, children and adults. That’s the part that is so incredible about her.
Glen Dower:
Yes, for sure. We get that disclaimer at the top of every episode for those viewers who fear the show is over-dramatizing the story, but is like, you say, rooted in the Gospels and written as truth as much as possible. Does that come across on the page?
Elizabeth Tabish:
Yeah, I mean with with all of the characters there. There’s this historical root in them, and then of course they are all so different. In my head, growing up, the twelve disciples were all just twelve very similar men. And then this show shows how very different they were. They all have different backgrounds, different families, different attitudes, different behaviors. The reality of that must have been pretty difficult sometimes. Where there are probably clashing opinions and attitudes about things.
And of course, we see the women financing the ministry, and that’s in the Gospels. We see all of these different female characters who are also very unique and they have their own clashing and attitudes. So, I just think the whole process of making it all come to life, is so realistic because not everyone is following and listening. They’re talking about these things that Jesus is teaching, and they’re trying to make sense of it. And they’re trying to apply it to their lives. And sometimes that’s really challenging.
Glen Dower:
You mentioned The Crucifixion. Of course, in the lead-up to the season, you have said, there’s a lot of grief in this season. It’s very painful. We, the audience and creators still go back to the story of Jesus, don’t we? There are no spoilers anymore in Jesus’ story. How does The Chosen approach it in the realism aspect that we’ve seen so far?
Elizabeth Tabish:
I think The Chosen is telling this story through the eyes of the people that followed him, and that were close to him and interacted with them. That means we’re getting perspectives from everyone. Not just the twelve disciples. We’re getting perspectives from Pontius Pilate and his wife, King Herod, from the Romans, from the Pharisees. There are so many different characters and they all see Jesus in a very different way. In many ways, that’s how it is today.
There are so many different opinions about who Jesus was and is. The biggest thing about this show that makes it different is that it’s relatable. It’s the Bible. It’s the Gospels, but it’s relatable somehow. And we can see ourselves in these characters and see how they grow and learn from their experiences.
Glen Dower:
Now, I live in a Muslim country right now. I’m Irish myself, but I live in Qatar. So it was really interesting for me to see this show, based 2,000 years ago, and when I go into the street I walk around and I am still seeing the traditional dress today.
Elizabeth Tabish:
Wow, yeah.
Glen Dower:
Do you think that’s really important, that people are reminded that this is where these traditions come from? The Muslim, Jewish, and Christian traditions are based on this time. Do you take pride in that as well?
Elizabeth Tabish:
A wonderful thing about this show is showing the cultural norms of the time and what that looked like in the midst of Roman occupation. So, it’s rooted in this. In the Jewish faith. We’re watching all of these characters go through Jewish holidays celebrating them and learning about them. And then also the message of Jesus and who he is. And what he’s doing really offended and upended people. The Pharisees were just completely offended and shocked by the things he was doing and saying. The healings he was doing, and the miracles. So we can see this point in history. Where there’s lots of different cultures kind of clashing at this moment.
And we are seeing Jesus emerge as this figure that not only changes everything but is sort of the central focus of everyone’s aggression in a lot of ways. And how this could have happened. Also, the historians who work on this show are making sure that this all looks and feels historically accurate. Really, everyone’s done a wonderful job of visualizing that experience. Because it’s important. It’s important to the story.
Glen Dower:
Mary is going to play a big part in the upcoming series of events. Is it still a spoiler to say she is there when the tomb opens?
Elizabeth Tabish:
No, no, it’s not. I mean I don’t think so! With season five, we finished filming this summer. So we’re not quite at the Crucifixion yet. It’s a very, very intense season. Very memorable sequences and parts of the story. And then, I believe, Season six will probably – I don’t know if that’s a spoiler or not – but probably be The Crucifixion!
Glen Dower:
I can’t wait. Elizabeth, thank you for your time!
Elizabeth Tabish:
Thank you, Glen.
The Chosen is an independent production written, directed, and produced by Dallas Jenkins and distributed globally by Lionsgate.
