Dallas Jenkins on The Chosen: We’re showing a Jesus who dances with friends, laughs at jokes and feels human emotions

The Chosen: Last Supper (Season 5) is set to premiere in theatres across India this April 2025, bringing Jesus Christ’s final moments with his disciples to the big screen for the first time.

Director Dallas Jenkins spoke exclusively with LiveMint’s Sounak Mukhopadhyay ahead of the release.

You’ve often said that The Chosen is not a replacement for Scripture, but a lens through which people can engage with it. Has there been a scene or moment where creative liberty made you pause and rethink your own understanding of the Gospel?

I wouldn’t say that my creative liberty makes me rethink my understanding of the Gospel, I would say my understanding of the Gospel informs my creative liberty. There have been scenes, such as where Little James asks Jesus why he hasn’t been healed, that aren't in Scripture.

But, I do believe that the totality of the Bible supports the creative liberty taken in that scene. I would never want to impose my own ideas to the point where I have to then make the Bible change meaning to fit my idea.

The show humanises biblical figures in a way that’s rarely been done. How do you navigate the fine line between authenticity and reverence when portraying someone like Jesus as both divine and deeply relatable?

It's difficult, but I do believe we can find enough in the gospels and in Jewish history to understand that Jesus would have had the full range of human emotions and personality.

Our goal is to never do anything that seems implausible, anything that contradicts the character and intentions of Jesus and the gospels. But, we absolutely believe that stained glass windows and statues don't fully capture who Jesus was, and we believe depicting a Jesus who dances with friends, laughs at jokes, and feels all the human emotions is the authentic Jesus.

You’ve built an entire global movement around a crowdfunded show. Beyond storytelling, what leadership lessons have you learned while stewarding something that has become part art, part ministry and part business?

I've learned that everyone is different and there's no one way to lead everyone. So I've learned to be a psychologist as well as a manager. I've also tried to learn from the teachings of the Bible about leadership, that I need to also be a servant.

Finally, I don't impose my personal mission and calling onto everyone who works for me, which is why I don't have a religious litmus test for anyone who wants to work on this show.

If you could go back and direct any other moment in biblical history outside of the Gospels, what would it be—and how would you reimagine it for a modern audience?

I'm hoping to do a series about Moses after this show, and I'll apply the same approach to that that I do to the story of Jesus. I'll try to strip away the size and scope of the story and make sure we focus on the humanity and spiritual intimacy so we can see that these people were human like we are.

Season after season, The Chosen sparks emotional and spiritual reactions in viewers. Have any surprising personal stories from fans changed your outlook on the impact of the series?

Early on, I heard from a family in China where the mom was the only one who spoke English. Her husband and young kids didn't speak English but were obsessed with the show and very moved by it.

I'll never forget that because I didn't expect kids to love it, I didn't know it would transcend borders and even language. It became clear early on that this show was way better than I was capable of and bigger than I could ever get on my own.

For a deeply-Christian series like The Chosen, what are your expectations from non-Christian Indian viewers from India?

I would expect non-Christians in India will respond the same way as non-Christians have responded elsewhere. Whether you're a believer or not, this is a great story, and you can appreciate it as a historical drama just like I can appreciate plenty of stories from the Hindu faith or any other faith or lack thereof.

All are welcome at the table to appreciate this story, and how you react spiritually to it isn't up to me, which is why the show doesn't feel preachy. I'm just telling the story.