This is a reflection on the news that Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus in “The Chosen,” has described experiencing PTSD from filming the crucifixion scenes in Season 6.
Carrying the Cross: When Art Becomes Reality
There’s a moment in every actor’s career where the line between performance and reality blurs. For Jonathan Roumie, that line didn’t just blur—it shattered. In an interview with Lila Rose, Roumie opened up about the profound toll portraying Jesus’ crucifixion has taken on him, describing his own “sort of PTSD” from the experience.
“Any time you put yourself in a set of circumstances where mentally, psychologically, and emotionally, you are trying to convince yourself that something is true, your brain doesn’t know the difference.” — Jonathan Roumie
What strikes me isn’t just the dedication—though that’s remarkable—but the sacrificial spirit behind it. This is an actor who dislocated his AC joint (the shoulder he’d carry the cross on) and kept filming. Not because he had to, but because he felt called to.
The Fruits of the Spirit in an Unexpected Place
The Apostle Paul gives us a beautiful list in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
When we look at Jonathan Roumie’s experience through this lens, something powerful emerges:
Love — Roumie described the experience as being “in service to the Lord.” That’s love poured out.
Patience — Filming the most challenging season of a multi-season series, pushing through injury, processing the emotional aftermath—this requires extraordinary patience.
Faithfulness — Five and a half seasons of portraying Jesus, and he still shows up with everything he has. That’s faithfulness.
Self-control — The ability to enter into suffering, to summon emotional truth, while holding back enough to actually do the work—that’s a different kind of self-control.
But there’s another fruit that might be the most powerful of all: Gentleness (or “meekness”). Roumie didn’t boast about his sacrifice. He spoke about it with humility, crediting God for using it for His glory. There’s no “look at what I gave up” — just a quiet acknowledgment that it was all for something bigger than himself.
A Modern kenosis
In Philippians 2, we read about Christ emptying Himself (the Greek word is kenosis). He didn’t cling to His divine privileges—He gave them up to become human, to suffer, to die.
What Roumie described sounds like a modern kenosis. He emptied himself of the comfort of just “acting.” He entered into the suffering not as a performance, but as a form of worship. That’s not ego—that’s devotion.
What This Means for Us
We don’t all play Jesus on TV. Most of us won’t dislocate a shoulder for our faith. But we’re all called to something.
“For all of us that filmed it, it was the hardest thing we’ve ever done, especially for myself… it was all in service to the Lord and for Him to use it for His benefit and His glory, not any of ours.”
That sentence should convict us. How often do we serve for God’s glory, and how often do we serve for our own recognition?
When was the last time we entered into someone else’s suffering—truly entered into it—not to fix it, but just to be present?
A Prayer
Lord, give us the courage to empty ourselves like Roumie emptied himself for that role. Give us the patience to stick with the long haul of faithfulness. Give us the gentleness to credit You for every good thing we do, and to never boast about our sacrifice.
And Lord, thank you for reminding us that even in Hollywood, there are people taking up their crosses and following You.
Sources:
- Premier Christian News: “The Chosen star Jonathan Roumie describes PTSD following crucifixion scenes”
- Movieguide: “Jonathan Roumie Says He Has ‘PTSD’ from Shooting THE CHOSEN Season 6”
- Church Leaders: “Jonathan Roumie Opens Up About Injuries, Emotional Toll of Filming Crucifixion in ‘The Chosen’ Season 6”
This article was drafted on February 27, 2026. Share it if it blessed you.