Inside ‘The Chosen’ Season 6 Set With Cast & Creators
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While fans anxiously await The Chosen‘s sixth season, which will focus on a heartbreaking depiction of Jesus’ (Jonathan Roumie) Crucifixion, TV Guide Magazine needed to see how filming such a vital part of His story was handled. For that, we ventured to the Midlothian, Texas, set to chat with the cast and crew about the hard work that went into shooting this emotional day in Jesus’ life.
Not only did the show’s crew have to travel between Texas, Utah, and Matera, Italy, to film, but they also had to figure out how best to construct Jesus’ Cross, face new challenges in hair and makeup, and deal with the emotional and physical toll that shooting a season like this takes. Here, we pull the curtain back for a behind-the-scenes look.
Ciao, Italy!
The production usually bounces between Texas and Utah, whose landscapes have served as Capernaum, Jerusalem, and more throughout the series’ run. But in Season 6, cast and crew headed to Matera, Italy, to shoot crucial Crucifixion scenes in June 2025. Roumie, once he was back on set in Texas for the final leg of filming, reflected on the journey with us. “I think there’s a sense of relief that it’s done and that it’s not just hanging over our heads,” says the actor, who lost 20 to 25 pounds for this part of filming.
“It was difficult for all of us. Me in a different way from Liz [Tabish, Mary Magdalene] and the rest of the cast that were there, but I’m glad it’s behind us.”
His castmates, to a lesser extent than Roumie, also described those filming days as draining. “Relentless is probably the first word that comes to my mind,” says George H. Xanthis (Apostle John), who was present for the filming in Italy.
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The show shot for 16 days, and the cast often worked six out of the seven days of the week. “We were trying to [keep to the schedule], and Jonathan has [to spend time getting] the makeup, and we were moving on from emotional moment to emotional moment,” notes Xanthis.
Vanessa Benavente (Mother Mary) adds that being a part of Jesus’ Crucifixion scenes was something she found unexpectedly relatable. “I felt like we were going to the hospital every day to see our loved one who was sick and dying and saying goodbye,” she says.
As tough as filming in Italy was, they had each other. “Italy was both beautiful and intense and the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” Benavente continues. “Even the small crew that traveled with us, I think we were all trying to find our bearings the first week.”
Building the Cross
A critical part of the Crucifixion story is the cross that Jesus carries, and the production team went to great lengths in its construction. Historically, production designer James R. Cunningham notes, “Jesus only carried the patibulum — the cross post his hands were nailed to — and carrying a full cross would be very difficult for one person.” (That doesn’t
mean carrying only the patibulum was easy, given it measures 6 feet across and weighs 25 to 30 pounds.)
First, they crafted a wooden version to serve as a patibulum mold and then made the patibulum from Styrofoam. “We made a latex mold of [the wooden beam] and then poured a resin-based foam to reproduce it exactly,” says Cunningham, who has been working on the series since the beginning and — fun fact — was creator Dallas Jenkins‘ college roommate.
Adding the correct weight was done by hollowing out the patibulum and installing a steel rod inside. After, the outside was hard-coated and painted by the crew’s scenic artists. Knowing that Roumie would be with the cross for an extended amount of time, “We created supports for Jonathan’s wrists, so he wouldn’t become too tired during long filming hours,” says Cunningham.
It wasn’t just Roumie they were worried about wearing down. Four identical patibula were made to account for damages and necessary repairs. “Between takes, we’d swap in a repaired one while the scenic artists patched the exposed Styrofoam on the others,” says Cunningham. Having multiple crosses also helped with all the travel. “Because the patibula appear in all three filming locations, we built them in Texas, shipped them to Utah and then Italy and finally back to Texas,” says Cunningham.
Carrying the Cross
For Roumie, the cross that Jesus carries was much more than just a prop. “[The cross] became an extension of myself while we were in Italy. I very much felt like, ‘This is mine; this is my cross,’” the actor explains. “Oftentimes, before we’d do these scenes on the cross, I would actually kiss the cross out of respect for Jesus and also to connect with it in a very sacred and intentional way, because ultimately, as the character, I would have to become one with that cross.”
Xanthis remembers one hot shooting day (“90- to 95-degree temperatures”) when Roumie was carrying the cross, and the cameras were rolling. “Jonathan’s ready to shoot. He’s carrying weight, he’s done all of his fasting, and he’s got all the makeup on. He’s taking short breaths,” Xanthis recalls. “And they said ‘Rolling,’ but they never yelled ‘Action.’ Jonathan’s just standing there. And then he gets too tired and has to plant his prop into the ground and take a knee. It was this beautiful image. I’m looking at it like, ‘Is anyone getting this?’ I remember Dallas going, ‘Jonathan, is this part of your prep?’ He’s like, ‘No, I’m tired.’ That just shows how tough it was on him, but it was still beautiful.”
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A Collaborative Process for All
For the hair and makeup teams to make Jesus’ look as authentic as possible, working alongside the other departments was key. For example, to get the makeup right when Jesus is flogged, makeup department head Mandy Danielle Benton (who has also worked on AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead) coordinated closely with the props department. “I had to understand what the whip looked like and what the wounds would look like from that,” she says, adding that she felt a personal responsibility to get it right. “I’m a person of faith, so I was thinking, ‘This is so much weight on my shoulders.'”
Before and after Jesus has a crown of thorns placed on his head was a challenge, too, for hair department head Ashley Parker. “As [Roumie] is moving, and he’s falling, his hair is changing,” she notes. Then, with Jesus’ clothes frayed, finding a place to put a mic on Roumie was something Parker worked on with the sound department. “The crown has a little mic in it,” she reveals of a 2×3-inch square that was hidden by Roumie’s hair. “The wire runs down to the receiver, which is hidden by the costume.”
Lord, Give us Strength
As tough as shooting this season’s scenes was, there were some lighthearted moments between takes, which helped grow an even stronger bond between the already tight-knit group.
“We made sure to remind each other that we’ll get through this, and try to lighten the mood,” says Tabish (Mary Magdalene). Erick Avari (Pharisee Nicodemus) compared the cast and crew to a “band of brothers” who leaned on each other. “We’re seeing the Crucifixion within 24 hours for the entire season, so we’re living that,” he says. “I see it among the crew, [too]. Everyone is working for one goal, and that’s a wonderful thing.”
And though Roumie was doing much of the heavy lifting, he felt a closeness all around him. “There’s a level of intimacy that we’ve never really seen onscreen before between the characters,” he says. “And an intimacy that was present in our time filming the Crucifixion that [the cast] hadn’t been forced to get to up until that point.” That’s their Chosen family.
The Chosen, Season 6 Premiere, November 15, Prime Video
TV Guide Magazine’s The Chosen: Crucifixion Special Issue is available for order online now at Chosen.TVBooks.com, and for purchase on newsstands nationwide.
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