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We are all ‘Chosen’

CHARLOTTE — Thousands of fans of the groundbreaking show “The Chosen” gathered Feb. 19-21 at the Charlotte Convention Center for ChosenCon 2026 – and the Diocese of Charlotte was on hand to welcome them. It was a chance to interact with cast members and take part in panel discussions, screenings and other experiences centered around the series, which dramatizes the ministry of Jesus Christ.

Organizers said 4,500 tickets were sold for the event, which was the third gathering of its kind. Previous ChosenCons were held in Orlando and Dallas.

Launched with one episode in 2017 by creator and producer Dallas Jenkins, the show has since become the largest crowd-funded media project in history. The series was recognized in Charlotte for the second time by Guinness World Records as the most-translated season of a streaming series in history. The first season is now available in 125 languages.

Jenkins and members of the cast took time Feb. 20 to talk about their experiences and to inspire local fans to carry the show’s message of discipleship forward.

“When I started making The Chosen, I got rid of all my expectations,” Jenkins said. “I said, ‘I’m responsible for five loaves and two fishes.’ and I gave that to God. Seeing it grow to this level isn’t shocking, because I know God is capable of anything. I’m solely focused on watching God do the miracles, and I have a great front-row seat for it. If I had set out to accomplish something this big, God would have broken me down. Right now, I’m just being sustained by Him.”

Actor Jonathan Roumie, who is Catholic and portrays Jesus in the series, met with Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte on the “teal carpet,” where members of the cast chatted with media and fans.

“The faith that they inspire among the hearts of so many – it’s a beautiful thing, especially during this season of Lent,” Monsignor Winslow said.

Roumie said his role has given him a new perspective on his faith, and the fact that ChosenCon took place in Lent offered a deep spiritual experience.

“To portray Jesus means I get to bring the fullness of my sacramental life as a Catholic to my experience portraying the origins of those sacraments,” Roumie said. “To be able to do this during Lent and talk about it during Lent is a gift. It’s beautiful. I’m also going to have a more intense and fuller experience of this coming Holy Week because of what we went through on the show last season.”

Season five, the most recent, depicts the events of Holy Week up through the Last Supper. Season six is expected to portray Christ’s crucifixion.

“The Chosen” has been praised for the diversity of its cast and writing, which builds out the well-known New Testament characters into full-fledged human beings with distinct flaws, struggles and personality types.

The character of Matthew, the tax collector who becomes a disciple, for example, is written as a person who is on the autism spectrum. Actor Paras Patel said portraying Matthew allows him to show the disciple’s humanity.

“It feels like a gift – I feel like I was chosen for this part,” Patel said. “What drew me to Matthew was the fact that he’s neurodivergent. There’s so much depth to the character, and portraying him this way shows neurodivergent people that there is a space for everybody – you are seen and you have worth. Sometimes we don’t know our own worth, and with Matthew’s story you see that he finds himself, his own strength and purpose.”

One of the show’s greatest strengths, which has led to its wide appeal, is its message that Christ’s message is for everyone, Jenkins said.

“The goal of The Chosen is to capture the totality of Jesus’s ministry,” he said. “He welcomed all sorts of people, and that’s something we tend to forget today when we tend to say, ‘I have my tribe and I’m going to stick to that.’ The show has been an opportunity for people to be reminded that we’re all welcome at the table.” 

— Christina Lee Knauss. Photos by Troy C. Hull

The key word is ‘surrender’

Actor George Xanthis points to a bracelet of brown beads he wears on one wrist as a symbol of how he feels about his role as John the apostle in “The Chosen.”

“That’s from Patmos – that’s where John wrote the book of Revelation,” Xanthis said. “I visited there, saw the monastery built in his honor. Over time I’ve become more and more obsessed with this role. Once upon a time I would have just told you, ‘Cool, I’m playing John on a show,’ but now I’m visiting islands where this person was. I’m so proud of this character. I feel such a connection to this person. I just want to keep exploring this character for as long as possible.”

Xanthis sees a lot of himself in how the character of John is written, a man who initially is nicknamed “Son of Thunder” because of his hot temper but matures into the compassionate “beloved disciple.”

That journey from anger to compassion not only resonates with Xanthis but can serve as a lesson for viewers, he said.

“When you go into love, you learn to be more compassionate,” he said. “I think the character of John always had that compassion in him; he just didn’t know how to express it. I think the key word for John in the series is surrender. That’s the most important thing about him, and we know this from Scripture. Initially he wants to rain fire on the Samaritans, people he doesn’t know and doesn’t recognize. … He wants to control things. And Jesus is there to tell him that he’s not the one to control things. When John learns to trust his rabbi more and surrenders, he finds himself through service to others. I think John just kept surrendering and ended up where he needed to be.”

‘A different approach to Mary’

Vanessa Benavente feels she had a special connection with Jesus’s mother Mary long before she was offered the role in “The Chosen.”

Benavente, who was born in Peru, took time out of events at ChosenCon in Charlotte to recall how her grandmother and great-aunt were both devout Catholics with a special devotion to the Blessed Mother.

“My grandmother predicted I was going to be born a girl and born on Dec. 8 (the Feast of the Immaculate Conception) – and I was!”

That childhood connection to Mary drew her when she was asked to read for the role, and the series’ script sparked her interest even more.

“I was actually surprised that Mary spoke in such a normal way, and I realized that we’re seeing Mary in a whole new light, a very different approach to Mary,” she said. “She reminds me of my grandmother and great-aunt, who were people who suffered a lot yet were ready to laugh and be merry and just live their lives. They loved life and just had so much love to give, and I felt that connection.”

Her character’s constant love for her child, the Son of God, and her ability to find happiness in life also resonates with Benavente.

“That’s something I guess I recognize as very Latina – we love to mother our children even if our children are adults,” she said. “We just love to love our children, and I recognized Mary in my family. It doesn’t mean you haven’t suffered – it means you decide to focus on life, the good instead of the bad.”

While some depictions of the Blessed Mother make her seem “fragile, pure but kind of almost made of glass,” Benavente says “The Chosen” highlights her strength and bravery.

“This is a woman who went through so much and had so much courage to take it on all by herself – she was the first one there, she followed. I think that speaks volumes to her strength, the fighter in her.”