MANILA, Philippines — On the Solemnity of Christ the King, Catholics around the world commonly proclaim that “Jesus is coming soon.” For Filipinos, the actor who plays Jesus came: Jonathan Roumie.

Affectionately known as the “Jesus actor,” Roumie visited Manila for the official launch of The Chosen in the Philippines, which ranks third in viewership outside the United States, next only to Brazil and Mexico. The Chosen is the No. 1 crowdfunded project of all time and has garnered more than 800 million episode views in every country in the world, with subtitles translated in 75-plus languages, including Filipino. It is currently on its fourth of seven seasons. Season 5 is set to debut April 2025.

Roumie told Filipino fans, “We love the Philippines, and we love the Filipino fans; you’ve been such a great support for us. We’re so excited to be launching here finally, officially.”

Jonathan Roumie came to attend the teal-carpet premiere of The Chosen’s Christmas special, Christmas With The Chosen: Holy Night, which is a retelling of the birth of Jesus through the eyes of Mary and Joseph, to be seen in Filipino theaters starting Dec. 11.

Roumie encouraged attendees at the screening to witness to Christ: “Continue to be a people of faith; continue to be a culture of faith. You are leading the way for so many other nations as to what it means to be a culture that puts God above everything else.”

The fan event was free, but on a first-come, first-served basis. More than 3,000 people signed up, but only 700 were selected as “#TheChosenJuans” to meet Roumie in the first-ever Philippines live fan screening, held in SM Megamall Cinemas.

Filipino fans dressed up as Chosen characters to greet Roumie and shared with the Register why the series resonates with them.

“I see a part of myself in just about every one of those characters,” said Adi Isidro, 49, who braved the densely packed crowds in her wheelchair. “But I especially see myself in ‘Little James,’ who’s been praying for healing for so long, and at one point he asked Jesus, ‘You’ve healed so many others, why not me?’ It’s a question I sometimes ask myself, too. But Christ showed Little James that his suffering and brokenness had a greater purpose to fulfill, far beyond what his healing ever could.”

Joy Ras, 37, came dressed as the Blessed Virgin Mary holding Baby Jesus.

“This event means so much to me because it’s more than just about the show — it’s about building a community of believers,” she said. “I’ve met fellow believers of Christ here, and we shared our life testimonies with each other, had dinner together, prayed for each other, and prayed that this event would impact more lives for Christ beyond the fanatics.”

Impact of ‘The Chosen’

Filipino fans expressed their love for The Chosen, praising its fresh and deeply human portrayal of Jesus and his followers — highlighting their struggles, their relationships and their personal journeys.

Viewers also said that the show has reignited their passion for Scripture, making the Bible feel relevant and come alive.

“There are moments where I would have to stop, pause and feel so grateful for the goodness of God — for the Bible to be presented in such a beautiful way. I think it’s exactly what the world needs right now,” said Gary Valenciano, a well-known Filipino singer who attended the event.

“It’s the first time I saw Jesus smile, weep, laugh. … When was the last time anyone has ever seen Jesus portrayed as laughing?” shared Sally, 25, a fan dressed as the Blessed Mary.

Mark, 37, a fan dressed as Jesus, told the Register, “I love The Chosen because it brings the Bible to life and serves as a reference for people to mentally picture the scenes in the Gospels. I’m also portraying Jesus Christ in the Sinakulo.” Usually done as an act of faith or penance in Philippine culture, the Sinakulo is a popular Filipino street play depicting the passion, death and resurrection of Christ.

Angelo and Angela, a husband and wife who attended the event together dressed as Mary and Joseph, shared about their deep hunger for authentic, faith-based content. Last Holy Week, after scrolling through Netflix, they discovered The Chosen and said they were “hooked on Jesus” ever since. “After one episode, we were just hooked on Jesus. Our hearts started craving Jesus ever since,” Angelo shared.

“The characters are relatable, especially the struggles of each character — the struggle of Simon, his and Eden’s struggle together as a married couple, the struggle of Little James with his disability … there are just so many relatable situations. Sometimes, you just feel like Jesus is talking to you while you’re watching,” Angela added.

‘A Life of Surrender’

Earlier in the day, Roumie met with the Register and a select group of news outlets in a press conference held at Shangri-la Hotel in Bonifacio Global City.

The American actor opened up about his financial struggles prior to booking the lead role in The Chosen — and how those struggles led him to a life of deep interior surrender.

“I got to the point where I literally woke up one morning ... and I was deeply in debt. My credit cards were frozen. I only had enough food to last the day, and I didn’t know how I was going to get food the next day,” he added, recounting his “surrender” day, as he has in past interviews and appearances.

“I did the only thing that I could do that I had left to do, which was to just leave it all in God’s hands, because I had no other choice. I knew that if I was going to practice the faith I professed to believe, I had to rely on God, and I could no longer rely on myself and my concept of being in control of my career and being the one calling the shots. God gave me no choice but to surrender, so I did.”

Roumie went on to share how, a few hours after his prayer of surrender, he received four different paychecks in his mailbox — unexpected payments from past jobs.

“It was a financial and spiritual miracle — and proof that the minute I gave my life and my career to God, that’s when he opened the floodgates for me. It was a sign for me to just submit and just hand everything over to him. And three months later, I booked The Chosen, and nothing’s been the same ever since.”

This surrender also opened up opportunities for him beyond acting.

Roumie is also known as a powerful pro-life advocate, serving as a speaker at the 2023 March for Life in the U.S., where he called the fight for life the “worthiest and noblest cause possible.” He also addressed The Catholic University of America graduates this year — and spoke at the National Eucharistic Congress in July.

At the Manila press event, Roumie shared that being outspoken about his pro-life views was something he was initially anxious to do. “I just kept getting these promptings from the Holy Spirit that ‘It’s gonna be okay; it’s gonna be fine — don’t worry about it,’ and so the minute I let go of that, the minute I surrendered — again — to what I felt the Spirit was calling me to do, the speech that I had labored over for weeks and got barely more than a paragraph, literally just wrote itself in like 25 minutes. And I thought, ‘Okay, I have to continue to rely on God for my faith — because faith is a gift — for grace, for strength and for courage.’ And whenever I do that, I’m never left alone. Sometimes I feel fairly solitary, but I know that I’m never alone.”

The Philippines is known to be one of the strongest pro-life countries globally, having the only constitution in the world that explicitly protects the right to life of a child in the womb from the moment of conception.

Following the live fan screening, the American actor was invited to give a talk at the largest Catholic charismatic gathering in the country, The Feast Conference, held in SMX Convention Center in Manila with the theme, “Let There Be Light.”

In his address, Roumie shared about his deeper conversion to the Catholic faith and exhorted Filipino fans with one final message: “God loves each and every one of you so much, he took the trouble to put you on this Earth. He put each and every one of you on this planet for a purpose, for a purpose that would glorify him in some way.

“Have you taken enough opportunity to really get to know Christ, to really know Jesus as a friend, as your Lord, as your ransom? And if you haven’t, you must. You must know him, on the most fundamental molecular level that you can possibly imagine. Because only then will your purpose begin to be revealed to you.”

He added: “I am proof of this, because it was only recently, in the last several years, that I began to have a relationship with Jesus, and I’m still learning, still trying to get to know him, trying to love him. And so, if you’ve never had a conversation with him before, just start: ‘Talk to me, Lord; speak to me, Lord — tell me what you want from my life, Lord; show me how to serve you, Lord — and I will follow.’”

Valerie Joy Escalona writes from the Philippines.