Actors David Amito & Amy Bailey talk to The Inside Reel about impact, approach, pscyhology and the context of forgiveness in regards to the 4th season of their landmark series: “The Chosen”.
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00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:03 Remembering wishing there could be another way.
00:17 And looking back, I do too.
00:20 I still don't know why it has to be this way.
00:23 The bitter often mingled with the sweet.
00:29 You told us it would be like that with how you lived.
00:36 The man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.
00:41 The great thing about The Chosen,
00:46 especially with both of your characters,
00:49 is the practicality of how it shows them
00:52 about how they deal with things.
00:54 Obviously, Amy with Joanna, the aspect
00:57 of how she sees the politics and how that keys
01:00 into her following of Jesus.
01:03 And then obviously, David, the aspect
01:06 of what ministry means in terms of correlation
01:10 to Jesus with John the Baptist and obviously
01:12 what you're going through and what you
01:14 will go through in season four.
01:17 Could you guys talk about the psychology of these characters,
01:22 making them real, making them grounded,
01:24 but also making sure they key into the idea of the scripture
01:27 and the story that The Chosen is telling?
01:30 Yeah, a lot.
01:32 I've said this now a few times, but John is not Jesus.
01:37 He's not God.
01:39 He is a man that is paving the way for Jesus
01:44 amongst the Jews, amongst his community.
01:49 And it was very important that I didn't
01:52 treat him like a superhero, that this is all coming easy for him,
01:56 that if he's in prison, no problem,
01:59 that if he's facing his own mortality,
02:03 that that's totally fine.
02:06 That's not a human response to a life that I believe he loved.
02:10 I believe he had a lot of mission and purpose.
02:13 To speak to your point about where he belongs in scripture,
02:17 there's a real purpose to his existence here on Earth.
02:21 And he's coming to the end and fulfillment of it.
02:24 But in how it revealed itself on set
02:28 was that he was a man that also loved his life
02:31 and loved his purpose and loved the people around him
02:34 and had a beautiful relationship with Andrew, with Jesus,
02:39 or with Joanna.
02:40 And so I think, like all of us, it's complicated.
02:45 And every time we think we have a momentous time
02:49 to face in our life, it's never quite how we might think it is,
02:56 going into it.
02:57 But it unfolds, usually, in a beautifully surprising way,
03:01 which is really life, life itself.
03:04 And so that was very important, I think, for me
03:08 and for the writers, that John be human and yet have
03:11 all these colors to him, where he is both a wild man
03:16 and yet very centered in the scripture.
03:21 He's seemingly crazy on the outside,
03:25 but the ability to see further than the average man in terms
03:30 of Jesus and his arrival.
03:34 And so, yeah, it's been beautiful to play.
03:38 And that's as close as I can articulate the psychology,
03:42 because a lot of it was in experience.
03:44 [MUSIC - "WHAT WONDROUS LOVE IS THIS"]
03:48 It's time.
03:54 (SINGING) What wondrous love is this?
03:59 Oh, my soul.
04:00 Listen carefully to my words.
04:01 (SINGING) Oh, my soul.
04:04 There are those for whom this will set off a series of events.
04:07 (SINGING) What wondrous love is this?
04:12 Oh, my soul.
04:14 Amy, for you, because obviously it's different,
04:16 plus the connection that gave her that spark point with John
04:21 sort of keyed into that beyond the aspect of Jesus.
04:23 But if you could talk about that psychology with her as well.
04:26 In a way, it surprised me at how I was very quickly
04:30 able to modernize the psychology that's
04:33 happening with this character, because there is so much
04:37 importance right now on materialism and personal fame.
04:42 I mean, the stuff that kids are having
04:44 to go through with the pressures of social media
04:46 and social standing and how beautiful you are,
04:48 how rich you are, and look what I have.
04:50 There's so much posturing, and it's debilitating.
04:54 And I think it's ruining a lot of early experiences
04:58 for young people, because it clouds an experience
05:02 of true love and beauty and what it really means.
05:06 And so for me, this character is going through it
05:09 in real time of looking around her going,
05:12 oh, I thought I had everything.
05:13 I have nothing.
05:15 And in fact, I'm looking at these people who have nothing,
05:18 and they have everything.
05:20 And so it was a very literal interpretation to me
05:24 of what is going on societally.
05:27 And I'm hoping that maybe it will inspire people who
05:33 are going through the same thing,
05:34 and they think that they need so much more.
05:39 And really, everything that they have is right in front of them.
05:41 So I'm curious to see what they're
05:43 going to write for Joanna going forward
05:46 when she does give it all up.
05:47 Because like David just said, nothing's simple, right?
05:51 So here she is. She's going to give it up.
05:52 She's going to follow Christ.
05:54 But there's going to be a moment where she's like, oh, I
05:56 don't have money in my money purse anymore.
05:58 I don't have a castle to go back to.
06:00 So we'll see if Joanna can hang with that.
06:03 Tim, you also ask a very interesting question
06:06 about the psychology.
06:07 Because this show is so attentive
06:09 to the different psychologies of pretty much every character.
06:15 Everyone has their own unique struggle.
06:17 Shafar is dealing with Paris and the conflicts
06:23 that they've had together.
06:24 And Jesus himself is like--
06:26 there is an emotional--
06:31 it's a God having a human experience.
06:34 And so he's dealing with the emotions that come.
06:39 Jonathan does not play it as if it doesn't have emotions.
06:41 So I think that's a really--
06:44 I like that question.
06:45 Because I think it's so true to what the writers are
06:47 doing with the show and how it's become so relatable.
06:50 Because we all have a particular issue
06:53 that we can relate with deeper than others.
06:55 So it's pretty beautiful that way.
06:58 My followers won't understand.
07:01 The Son of Man must suffer many things.
07:05 But you are the Son of God.
07:07 What wondrous love is this that calls the Lord of bliss?
07:17 I know it's hard.
07:19 Man makes it much harder.
07:21 To bear the dreadful curse.
07:26 The disciples, Mary, Joanna, it's all about questions.
07:30 Why?
07:30 Why is this happening?
07:32 How does this happen?
07:33 How do we have to look at this?
07:35 Miracles versus non-miracles.
07:37 What the Romans are doing, all these things.
07:39 It's interesting to see that because it grounds it.
07:42 But what you were saying, Amy, as well as well as you,
07:44 David, was the aspect almost of perspective and perception.
07:49 How the materialism will fall away and what is left.
07:53 What is left with the faith, A.
07:55 But B, also the aspect of how you show that, how combative.
07:59 I mean, there's that discussion, David, with you and Jonathan
08:03 as Jesus about what does it mean?
08:06 Should we talk about this about Herod?
08:09 Should we not?
08:10 Should we do this?
08:11 Should we not?
08:12 And the same thing, obviously, Amy,
08:13 talking inside Herod's house with Juzah.
08:16 How far do you go?
08:18 How do you sort of play that?
08:19 That's some really neat details that
08:21 go on about perspective and perception in this time period
08:25 and how it reflects in, obviously,
08:27 the Bible and Christianity as it is now.
08:30 Could you guys both talk about it?
08:32 Sort of an esoteric question, but the idea
08:34 of what perspective and perception means in this world
08:36 and how it leads to a greater faith, per se.
08:40 I think, David, you've given a beautiful answer on this
08:43 over and over again.
08:44 And it's why people--
08:45 why does this show, which had very, very humble beginnings,
08:50 a crowdfunded little Christian show in the beginning,
08:53 is no longer that?
08:54 And we're reaching almost a billion views.
08:55 So why?
08:56 And people in Hollywood are saying, why?
08:59 What are they doing?
09:00 And it's the fact that they're able to humanize
09:04 these ancient characters who are thousands of years old
09:07 and to some people may or may not believe they were real.
09:10 Treated as historical, treated as Christian, whatever.
09:15 We don't change that much as people.
09:18 Thousands of years ago till right now here in January 2024
09:22 when they're watching these characters up on stage,
09:25 people are crying because they're
09:28 watching humanity unfold in all of its messy glory.
09:32 And that's essentially what it is.
09:34 That is, it's the psychology of being a human being
09:36 and how these stories happen to us over and over again.
09:40 When he leans on his own understanding.
09:42 ♪ To bear the dreadful curse ♪
09:48 ♪
09:52 I dread what is to come.
09:54 ♪
10:00 Story.
10:01 You think it's in?
10:02 And I'll end with this question,
10:03 because that's what I love what you were saying, Amy,
10:06 is about human behavior.
10:07 Human behavior doesn't change.
10:09 I mean, greed is always going to exist.
10:12 Love is always going to exist.
10:13 Jealousy will always exist, but also forgiveness,
10:16 which I was asking Jonathan and Elizabeth about.
10:19 Forgiveness will always exist.
10:21 It just depends on the amount that we allow it to enter.
10:25 Could you sort of talk about that in human behavior
10:27 as a metaphor for bigger ideas per se?
10:32 Go ahead.
10:36 - Yeah, I mean, there's a powerful theme,
10:40 especially in episode two about forgiveness
10:43 and about who's carrying the weight when you don't forgive.
10:48 You know, and there's elements to that that are,
10:53 the confluence of like, of scripture
10:59 or religious text of any sort and the human being,
11:02 the human beings kind of experiencing that
11:05 and how it can help us psychologically,
11:08 how it can help us spiritually on our path
11:11 to living a fulfilling life.
11:15 And I think- - And also sacrifice.
11:17 And also sacrifice, I wanted to add that in.
11:19 Not just forgiveness, but the sacrifice
11:21 and the sacrifices you make for others.
11:23 - Yeah, which ultimately is like,
11:27 it does speak to how interconnected we are.
11:31 Like in a way that the sacrifice you do
11:33 is for a greater glory, a greater good
11:38 that's not just heavenly, but earthly,
11:41 that for the community around.
11:43 And all these people are a community as well.
11:46 They look out for each other, these disciples
11:48 and Joanna coming into that
11:51 and all the allies that Jesus is building
11:56 and how they're grappling with their own perception
12:01 and how Jesus is really disrupting the status quo
12:06 and making them think like, maybe it's not just,
12:09 maybe there's a way to look past these ceremonial things
12:12 into what is the deeper truth.
12:14 And I think a lot of great leaders
12:17 and spiritual people have done that.
12:19 And in this story, Jesus is this light to,
12:30 I think also self-understanding,
12:34 at least how the show has been done.
12:36 So that's how I've received it.
12:40 Amy, anything to add there?
12:42 - Yeah, no, I think that that was beautifully put, yes.
12:45 - It is on this rock that I will build my church
12:51 and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
12:59 - This infernal chaos, why can no one control these people?
13:04 - What just happened to all of you?
13:11 It's about to get worse.
13:12 - Now that I'm here, physical death
13:17 does not interrupt our eternal life.
13:19 - Lazarus, come out!
13:24 (dramatic music)
13:28 (dramatic music)
13:31 (dramatic music)
13:34 (gunshots)
13:36 [BLANK_AUDIO]