WEBVTT - DALLAS JENKINS 0:00:04.200 --> 0:00:08.680 You know, there are so many things that I love 0:00:09.560 --> 0:00:13.119 about my podcast. I love I love that I get 0:00:13.160 --> 0:00:16.200 to spend more than a minute or two or three 0:00:16.239 --> 0:00:20.320 that my radio program allows to talk about a particular 0:00:20.360 --> 0:00:25.880 topic or talk to a particular guest. I love that 0:00:25.960 --> 0:00:29.480 I'm not limited, I have no limitations on what topics 0:00:29.520 --> 0:00:32.360 I can or can't cover, and that I've had the 0:00:32.400 --> 0:00:38.959 pleasure of hosting guests that come from so many different backgrounds, 0:00:39.800 --> 0:00:48.920 writers and authors, musicians, dreamers, teachers, nurses. I have talked 0:00:48.920 --> 0:00:54.240 to so many fascinating people on my podcast, Folks that 0:00:54.280 --> 0:00:59.280 are changing the world with their skills, their talents. They're 0:00:59.320 --> 0:01:04.480 innate gifts, like folks working tirelessly on behalf of vulnerable 0:01:04.560 --> 0:01:08.680 and at risk children and teens, those that are feeding 0:01:08.800 --> 0:01:14.080 and housing people in need, health and wellness professionals, book author, singers, 0:01:14.120 --> 0:01:19.600 songwriters and musicians who entertain who inspire stage and screen actors. 0:01:20.160 --> 0:01:22.960 They have all been here with me on Love Someone, 0:01:23.680 --> 0:01:26.560 and I look forward to every new episode that we 0:01:26.680 --> 0:01:30.800 are able to produce. Today's guest comes to us from 0:01:30.880 --> 0:01:34.680 the world of faith based entertainment. He's the son of 0:01:34.880 --> 0:01:39.600 celebrated Left Behind author Jerry B. Jenkins, and he grew 0:01:39.760 --> 0:01:43.039 up to be a writer, a director, a film producer. 0:01:43.840 --> 0:01:47.000 Twenty years ago, at the age of twenty five, he 0:01:47.200 --> 0:01:52.880 produced the independent film Hometown Legend and Shepherd to distribution 0:01:53.320 --> 0:01:57.680 by Warner Brothers. Remember that movie, Hometown Legend. I can't 0:01:57.680 --> 0:02:01.200 believe that's been twenty years ago. Then he's directed and 0:02:01.360 --> 0:02:06.600 produced a dozen feature in short films for companies like Universal, 0:02:06.800 --> 0:02:11.680 Pure Flicks, Hallmark Channel, Amazon, and lions Gate. But he's 0:02:11.800 --> 0:02:15.280 probably best known now as the creator, director, and co 0:02:15.480 --> 0:02:21.240 writer of The Chosen, the first multi season series about 0:02:21.440 --> 0:02:24.639 the life of Christ, which also happens to be the 0:02:24.800 --> 0:02:29.880 most successful media crowdfund of all time. And that is 0:02:29.960 --> 0:02:32.799 why I am so thrilled to welcome him to our 0:02:32.880 --> 0:02:38.560 podcast today. Since jan Jan Haynes, who is the director 0:02:38.720 --> 0:02:41.640 of Point Hope, got me and my family hooked, watching 0:02:41.680 --> 0:02:45.400 The Chosen has become a big thing in our household. 0:02:45.800 --> 0:02:50.480 I am absolutely forbidden to watch any of the episodes 0:02:50.880 --> 0:02:55.079 without my kids. There's like this golden rule that Mom 0:02:55.240 --> 0:02:59.200 can't watch an episode of The Chosen, even if we've 0:02:59.320 --> 0:03:03.519 already seen it four or five times without them. That's 0:03:03.560 --> 0:03:07.400 a temptation I've had a hard time passing up. Just 0:03:07.560 --> 0:03:09.280 between you and I. When I get off the air 0:03:09.400 --> 0:03:12.679 late at night and there's an episode that I so 0:03:12.960 --> 0:03:16.639 want to watch, It's the perfect way to relax too 0:03:16.720 --> 0:03:21.400 in the day a crazy day, but generally most of 0:03:21.440 --> 0:03:24.239 the time, I am able to resist most of the time, 0:03:26.080 --> 0:03:28.359 and so glad that I have when I finally settle 0:03:28.440 --> 0:03:30.679 in with the kids and a bowl of popcorn and 0:03:30.840 --> 0:03:35.800 we all watch it together. Welcoming Dallas Jenkins to love 0:03:35.960 --> 0:03:38.480 someone is a really big treat, and I'm going to 0:03:38.640 --> 0:03:42.080 do that right after I share some information with you 0:03:42.600 --> 0:03:47.480 about one of my amazing podcast sponsors, Annie's Kit Clubs. 0:03:47.680 --> 0:03:52.880 Without them, these conversations would not be possible. I love 0:03:53.080 --> 0:03:57.360 being creative, and I'm excited to welcome Annie's Kit Clubs 0:03:57.520 --> 0:04:00.960 as one of my podcast sponsors. As fast paced and 0:04:01.240 --> 0:04:05.040 crazy as the world is today, I love that Annie's 0:04:05.200 --> 0:04:09.760 Kids get kids off the screens and into some hands 0:04:09.960 --> 0:04:14.600 on creative fun. There's kids for all ages, even adults, 0:04:15.040 --> 0:04:19.200 from young woodworker kids to card making to knitting. Annie's 0:04:19.240 --> 0:04:23.280 has a great summer offer sec off your first month 0:04:23.920 --> 0:04:29.240 visit Annie's Kit Clubs dot com slash radio. Annie's Kit 0:04:29.400 --> 0:04:34.920 Clubs dot com slash radio. They let everyone escape into 0:04:35.000 --> 0:04:41.120 a world of creativity. Hi Dallas, Hello, Hello, how are you. 0:04:42.040 --> 0:04:46.040 I'm good, Dallas. I'd like you to meet Jan Haynes. 0:04:46.480 --> 0:04:49.799 Jan is one of my dearest friends in the world. 0:04:50.440 --> 0:04:54.000 I invited her to be a part of this podcast 0:04:54.680 --> 0:04:58.440 for one reason. She's the reason I know about you 0:04:58.960 --> 0:05:02.920 and I know about Chosen. Jan and I go away 0:05:03.560 --> 0:05:09.480 way back. We were friends in college and then we 0:05:10.120 --> 0:05:13.800 you know, when our separate ways lost touch and how 0:05:13.880 --> 0:05:15.960 many years ago, Jan to God bring us back together, 0:05:17.080 --> 0:05:23.400 fourteen fourteen years ago, and when we reconnected, I convinced 0:05:23.440 --> 0:05:25.720 her to step up to the plate and become the 0:05:25.800 --> 0:05:29.720 director of my ministry, my charity that I birth and 0:05:29.839 --> 0:05:35.160 that she has carried to amazing heights. She is the 0:05:35.360 --> 0:05:39.120 international director of Point Hope. That is really awesome to hear. 0:05:39.680 --> 0:05:42.880 When covid hit, Jan said, you have to watch the Chosen, 0:05:42.960 --> 0:05:44.480 And every time she would call me, she said, have 0:05:44.560 --> 0:05:46.680 you watched the Chosen yet? Have you found the Chosen yet? 0:05:47.160 --> 0:05:52.320 So we started watching the Chosen. Oh my word, Dallas, 0:05:53.520 --> 0:05:58.480 I can't even tell you how your projects has blessed 0:05:58.520 --> 0:06:01.400 our family. It means a lot, Thank you. Yeah, it's 0:06:01.640 --> 0:06:05.520 it's it's been a life changing experience for all of 0:06:05.640 --> 0:06:07.680 us involved, and I feel fortunate to just be a 0:06:07.720 --> 0:06:10.880 part of it. God clearly has something to say, and 0:06:10.960 --> 0:06:12.880 I feel like he has something he wants communicated to 0:06:13.680 --> 0:06:15.320 the world right now and I'm just trying to do 0:06:15.440 --> 0:06:17.280 my best to steward it. And it's it's been a 0:06:17.400 --> 0:06:19.480 it's been really cool to see. So tell me I 0:06:19.720 --> 0:06:22.080 know a little bit about your history. Thank you, jan Um, 0:06:22.839 --> 0:06:26.720 But tell our listeners you kind of have a background. 0:06:26.800 --> 0:06:33.360 It's kind of in your DNA to create amazing programming. Well, yeah, 0:06:34.240 --> 0:06:36.280 my dad is Jerry Jenkins, who's the author of the 0:06:36.320 --> 0:06:39.760 left Behind books. Last year was actually the anniversary of 0:06:40.000 --> 0:06:43.160 left Behind coming into the world, which was right around 0:06:43.160 --> 0:06:44.920 when The Chosen was really coming into the world. So 0:06:45.000 --> 0:06:47.760 it's been really cool to see two different generations kind 0:06:47.760 --> 0:06:51.800 of have a similar experience, which is my dad took 0:06:52.000 --> 0:06:54.640 the Bible, in his case, the Book of Revelation and 0:06:55.320 --> 0:06:57.040 and put it into a context of what would it 0:06:57.080 --> 0:06:58.920 look like if it was if you know, if it 0:06:59.040 --> 0:07:04.200 came true today. And The Chosen isn't a modern telling 0:07:04.279 --> 0:07:06.120 of the story, but it also takes the Bible and 0:07:06.200 --> 0:07:09.880 puts it into a context that is digestible and viewable 0:07:09.960 --> 0:07:12.400 and something that makes it a little bit more real, 0:07:12.400 --> 0:07:14.280 a little bit more personal, more human, a way to 0:07:14.360 --> 0:07:18.520 really experience it, you know. So I think that's clearly 0:07:18.600 --> 0:07:21.000 where I inherited the desire to tell stories, or to 0:07:21.080 --> 0:07:23.920 desire to take my faith and communicate it through the 0:07:24.160 --> 0:07:27.160 power of storytelling and through media in some ways. So yeah, 0:07:27.160 --> 0:07:30.040 that that is my my background. And for sure, I 0:07:30.120 --> 0:07:32.120 think the greatest thing that I inherited from my dad 0:07:32.840 --> 0:07:35.160 besides the love of storytelling, though, is just the fact 0:07:35.240 --> 0:07:39.560 that when he experienced the Left Behind phenomenon, I saw 0:07:39.720 --> 0:07:41.920 firsthand just how much it humbled him and how much 0:07:42.000 --> 0:07:45.520 how surrendered he was, and how it didn't actually become 0:07:45.560 --> 0:07:47.840 a personal thing for him or an ego thing for him. 0:07:48.240 --> 0:07:51.680 As the Chosen has started to reach some of the 0:07:51.720 --> 0:07:54.960 heights that Left Behind reached, I I just had such 0:07:54.960 --> 0:07:58.600 a great model of how to make sure that I 0:07:59.000 --> 0:08:03.280 maintain that this is not about my own work, you know. 0:08:03.320 --> 0:08:05.080 I mean, I've, I've I'm trying to do my part, 0:08:05.160 --> 0:08:08.920 but ultimately, the feeding of the five thousand uh is 0:08:08.960 --> 0:08:11.000 God's job, and my job is just to provide the 0:08:11.080 --> 0:08:15.200 loaves and fish. The first episode, I was so hooked 0:08:16.120 --> 0:08:17.960 and I thought, yeah, how's how are they going to 0:08:18.040 --> 0:08:24.440 follow that up? Each one gets better and better. Yeah, 0:08:24.560 --> 0:08:26.920 that's good to hear. I mean, but since you're using 0:08:26.920 --> 0:08:28.920 the term better and better, and I would I would 0:08:28.920 --> 0:08:30.880 push back just a bit on that, because I don't 0:08:30.920 --> 0:08:35.160 think that I'm necessarily a better storyteller or director each episode. 0:08:35.200 --> 0:08:38.000 I think that it's just we're doing something that's really unique, 0:08:38.400 --> 0:08:41.040 which is there's never been a multi season show about 0:08:41.080 --> 0:08:43.120 the life of Christ. And one of the things about 0:08:43.160 --> 0:08:46.199 multi season shows that I think is really great, and 0:08:46.320 --> 0:08:48.800 I think what has served us really well for this 0:08:48.960 --> 0:08:51.400 story is that in a movie or a mini series, 0:08:51.440 --> 0:08:52.880 when you're trying to tell the story of Jesus, you 0:08:52.920 --> 0:08:54.360 have a lot of ground to cover in a short 0:08:54.360 --> 0:08:56.959 amount of time, So you don't get the characterizations, you 0:08:57.000 --> 0:08:59.280 don't get the you don't fall in love with certain 0:08:59.360 --> 0:09:01.120 characters during needs, you don't see much of an arc. 0:09:01.160 --> 0:09:03.640 It's just Jesus goes from miracle to miracle, Bible verse 0:09:03.720 --> 0:09:07.160 to Bible verse, and you're not really emotionally engaged in 0:09:07.240 --> 0:09:09.040 each incident. You're just kind of watching it from a 0:09:09.400 --> 0:09:12.319 voyeuristic perspective, like, oh, that's cool, Yeah, I remember that, 0:09:12.440 --> 0:09:14.160 I remember that story from the Bible. Oh look how 0:09:14.200 --> 0:09:17.959 they did that. That's really interesting. Um. Whereas with the Chosen, 0:09:18.760 --> 0:09:20.880 because we have the time to introduce you to these 0:09:20.920 --> 0:09:23.959 people and really show you there before that, that's what 0:09:24.040 --> 0:09:26.319 we call the before they met actually Jesus, they actually 0:09:26.360 --> 0:09:28.480 met Jesus, and we get a chance that we were 0:09:28.480 --> 0:09:31.160 not rushed. We really get to take our time. It's 0:09:31.200 --> 0:09:32.959 not that the episodes are getting better and better. It's 0:09:33.000 --> 0:09:35.240 just that you know these people more and more, and 0:09:35.400 --> 0:09:37.720 so in the first episode, when you don't know them 0:09:37.720 --> 0:09:39.719 at all, you're kind of confused. Maybe you're trying to 0:09:39.720 --> 0:09:41.319 figure out who they are. You're trying to get to 0:09:41.360 --> 0:09:43.199 know them, like like any show, the first episode of 0:09:43.240 --> 0:09:45.560 any show can be a little bit challenging. But then 0:09:45.640 --> 0:09:46.959 once you really get to know them and fall in 0:09:47.040 --> 0:09:48.640 love with them, you'd love you. You'd be happy to 0:09:48.640 --> 0:09:51.560 watch them read the phone book. And so each episode, 0:09:51.600 --> 0:09:54.120 the more you know them, the more impactful each of 0:09:54.240 --> 0:09:58.199 these moments are. And so that's been what's so cool 0:09:58.240 --> 0:10:00.319 and unique about the show is that we are doing 0:10:00.360 --> 0:10:02.280 it in a multi season format that really gives the 0:10:02.360 --> 0:10:06.080 time to explore each of these stories to their full extent. Well, 0:10:06.400 --> 0:10:08.600 that may be part of it. But I've picked up 0:10:08.679 --> 0:10:13.839 two on the chemistry between the actors the performers. You 0:10:13.960 --> 0:10:21.120 can tell there is genuine love, respect, humor, Like you 0:10:21.240 --> 0:10:23.280 can't fake that. I don't care how good of a 0:10:23.440 --> 0:10:25.400 director you are, how good of writers you have, you 0:10:25.520 --> 0:10:30.559 cannot fake the tenderness that has developed. And it's a 0:10:30.600 --> 0:10:33.760 beautiful thing to watch to be a part of. Yeah, 0:10:33.840 --> 0:10:36.599 we really have become in many ways a family, the 0:10:36.679 --> 0:10:39.480 cast and crew. What's really exciting about it is that 0:10:39.640 --> 0:10:41.839 you know at least half, if not more, of the 0:10:41.880 --> 0:10:43.719 cast and garity, even believers. I mean, this is just 0:10:44.640 --> 0:10:47.240 for a lot of them. They range from atheists to agnostic, 0:10:47.400 --> 0:10:51.120 to journeying in their faith to two believers. We have 0:10:51.240 --> 0:10:53.840 the we have the whole spectrum, but we're all united 0:10:53.920 --> 0:10:55.880 by the desire to really to make a great show 0:10:55.920 --> 0:10:58.280 as much as possible and to see the impact that 0:10:58.360 --> 0:11:01.240 it's having. I think has been in has been life 0:11:01.280 --> 0:11:04.640 altering for everyone involved. And I think because we're part 0:11:04.679 --> 0:11:07.079 of something that feels bigger than we are, and I 0:11:07.120 --> 0:11:10.640 think we all feel lucky and humbled to be part 0:11:10.720 --> 0:11:13.199 of it, I think that does contribute to it. I 0:11:13.280 --> 0:11:15.600 think you do see a we don't want to screw 0:11:15.679 --> 0:11:17.760 this up. We don't want to let our egos get 0:11:17.800 --> 0:11:20.080 in the way. And I try to model that from 0:11:20.120 --> 0:11:23.800 the top, you know, just from a servant leadership and 0:11:24.480 --> 0:11:27.080 and humor and all of these things that that when 0:11:27.120 --> 0:11:29.360 people come onto our set, they do feel loved, they 0:11:29.400 --> 0:11:32.199 do feel cared for and seen and uh and I 0:11:32.240 --> 0:11:35.200 think that comes through in the show. So in this podcast, 0:11:35.760 --> 0:11:39.439 I'm just going to assume that most people listening have 0:11:39.679 --> 0:11:43.520 not seen the full series and now the second series 0:11:43.600 --> 0:11:46.000 of The Chosen, the second season of The Chosen. But 0:11:46.520 --> 0:11:50.520 more than that, we stay and watch you because after 0:11:50.679 --> 0:11:55.440 each episode, sometimes before each episode, you share a little 0:11:55.480 --> 0:12:00.480 bit of information and for me, that is as actful 0:12:00.720 --> 0:12:06.920 almost as the episode, hearing the little behind the scenes stories. 0:12:07.440 --> 0:12:10.040 So tell my listeners how this thing came to be, 0:12:10.160 --> 0:12:13.640 because you're not funded by one of the big you know, 0:12:13.880 --> 0:12:18.319 movie tell the story of how it came to be 0:12:18.600 --> 0:12:21.600 and how you really had to step out on faith 0:12:21.679 --> 0:12:25.440 to make this happen. Yeah, my partner in this project 0:12:25.559 --> 0:12:27.160 is a guy by the name of Darrell Leaves, and 0:12:27.240 --> 0:12:29.920 he told me early on, he said, it's one thing 0:12:30.040 --> 0:12:33.640 for a project or a show or YouTube influencer or 0:12:33.679 --> 0:12:37.280 a brand or a company to have success. But the 0:12:37.360 --> 0:12:40.800 brands and the companies and the projects and the ministries 0:12:40.840 --> 0:12:44.400 whatever that really have a legacy, and that really makes 0:12:44.440 --> 0:12:46.440 people feel like they're part of something and that they're 0:12:46.440 --> 0:12:49.120 part of a mission, or when they actually know your 0:12:49.200 --> 0:12:52.600 story as well, and when they trust you and they 0:12:52.679 --> 0:12:55.240 feel like they're on a journey with you. And so 0:12:55.360 --> 0:12:57.719 he was really encouraging me to make the as I'm 0:12:57.760 --> 0:13:00.120 making the show, to be telling my story as well, 0:13:00.200 --> 0:13:04.479 and to build our social media pages as an unvarnished, 0:13:04.600 --> 0:13:07.240 authentic peek behind the curtain of how this has made 0:13:07.480 --> 0:13:10.120 and also what it's doing in my life. And I 0:13:10.240 --> 0:13:12.040 was at first a little bit resistant to that, partially 0:13:12.040 --> 0:13:14.360 because I didn't think I had time, but also there's 0:13:14.400 --> 0:13:17.400 always that fear of what it's not about me, you know, 0:13:17.480 --> 0:13:19.240 I want I want people just to enjoy the show 0:13:19.360 --> 0:13:21.760 or to be impacted by the stories. But he said, no, 0:13:21.880 --> 0:13:24.480 that's it's actually it actually can be an enhancing part 0:13:24.520 --> 0:13:26.599 of the process. So the reason I say that is 0:13:26.640 --> 0:13:28.640 just to explain kind of where the decision came from 0:13:28.760 --> 0:13:32.240 to show this journey from the beginning. And people have said, 0:13:32.280 --> 0:13:34.200 like what you just said, which is for a lot 0:13:34.240 --> 0:13:36.640 of them, not everybody. Some people don't care about me 0:13:36.760 --> 0:13:39.000 and just want to watch the episodes, and that's completely fine. 0:13:39.640 --> 0:13:42.320 But for a lot of people seeing my story, seeing 0:13:42.320 --> 0:13:45.199 my wife's story, seeing how we went from failure from 0:13:45.240 --> 0:13:47.280 a very low point. I mean, this show was birthed 0:13:47.320 --> 0:13:50.080 from failure. I had just had a big career failure. 0:13:50.160 --> 0:13:52.320 My movie had bombed at the box office. I went 0:13:52.360 --> 0:13:54.320 from the director with a bright future to a director 0:13:54.360 --> 0:13:56.320 with no future, and to suspend of a couple of hours. 0:13:56.840 --> 0:13:59.599 I ended up pouring myself into a short film for 0:13:59.679 --> 0:14:01.679 my true Just Christmas Eve service that was filmed on 0:14:01.760 --> 0:14:03.960 my friend's farm in Illinois, twenty minutes from my house. 0:14:04.600 --> 0:14:07.240 And that thing, that little short film I did about 0:14:07.280 --> 0:14:10.360 the birth of Christ is the catalyst. Is the the 0:14:10.520 --> 0:14:12.880 quote unquote proof of concept that ultimately went out on 0:14:12.960 --> 0:14:16.480 social media and generated over ten million dollars from nineteen 0:14:16.520 --> 0:14:19.600 thoud people around the world who crowdfunded Season one. That 0:14:19.880 --> 0:14:26.200 is mind blowing. The first time something that magnitude has happened. Yes, 0:14:26.400 --> 0:14:28.880 it's the number one all time crowdfunded media project of 0:14:28.920 --> 0:14:32.360 all time. I love that. I don't think Dallas it 0:14:32.480 --> 0:14:36.280 would be what it is had you been a huge 0:14:36.320 --> 0:14:38.920 success with your last movie. Had you been writing that 0:14:39.120 --> 0:14:42.960 high Oh, that's that's unarguable. I mean, I think, first 0:14:43.000 --> 0:14:45.400 of all, just from a purely logistical perspective, if my 0:14:45.520 --> 0:14:48.240 last movie had succeeded, I would not be making the 0:14:48.240 --> 0:14:49.960 show because I'd be doing other movies. That was the 0:14:50.000 --> 0:14:52.360 plan with all these Hollywood companies was who We're gonna 0:14:52.360 --> 0:14:53.800 do this movie, that they're gonna do five more movies 0:14:53.840 --> 0:14:55.720 over the next ten years. And I was set. And 0:14:55.760 --> 0:14:57.920 then they all pulled out after the first movie Bone, 0:14:58.560 --> 0:15:01.320 and two things happened. One is I think again, I 0:15:01.600 --> 0:15:05.280 became available to do what I think God was really 0:15:05.360 --> 0:15:08.040 calling me to do. But then second, I think, just 0:15:08.200 --> 0:15:11.040 even for me personally, God was waiting for me to 0:15:11.120 --> 0:15:13.480 be broken. He was waiting for me to be surrendered. 0:15:13.760 --> 0:15:16.360 He was waiting for me to truly believe it's not 0:15:16.480 --> 0:15:18.280 my job to feed to five thousand, It's only to 0:15:18.320 --> 0:15:21.840 provide the loaves and fish. And I didn't truly believe that. 0:15:22.120 --> 0:15:24.280 I was trying to control everything. And so once I 0:15:24.400 --> 0:15:27.520 was truly broken and surrendered. Uh. And and that's been 0:15:27.640 --> 0:15:29.280 part of my story and part of the story of 0:15:29.320 --> 0:15:30.960 the show. If I tell the story All the time, 0:15:31.360 --> 0:15:34.040 I show how I'm growing, how I'm failing. We just 0:15:34.160 --> 0:15:36.120 let you see behind the curtain. And for a lot 0:15:36.160 --> 0:15:38.720 of people, I think that that allows them to a 0:15:39.000 --> 0:15:41.080 connect with the show a little bit more because they 0:15:41.160 --> 0:15:44.520 trust me. But I also think that they also connect 0:15:44.880 --> 0:15:47.440 with my story. I think people everyone can connect with 0:15:47.560 --> 0:15:50.360 being in the wilderness, with being under the fig tree. 0:15:50.400 --> 0:15:53.040 Like Nathaniel was crying out to God, you know, asking 0:15:53.080 --> 0:15:55.520 if he sees him, and that was me. And I 0:15:55.640 --> 0:15:59.160 think that as they've seen us not shy away from 0:15:59.200 --> 0:16:02.200 showing our failure years and showing our struggles and those times, 0:16:02.240 --> 0:16:05.480 even after the show started to be successful, other problems 0:16:05.520 --> 0:16:07.320 creeped up and I would get online and say, look, 0:16:07.400 --> 0:16:08.760 this is where I'm struggling. What do I do? I 0:16:08.800 --> 0:16:10.960 don't know what to do next. That whole part of it, 0:16:11.040 --> 0:16:13.080 I think has connected people even more to the show. 0:16:13.160 --> 0:16:16.200 And I think that's been all part of this whole process. Well, 0:16:16.240 --> 0:16:20.200 you're doing a wonderful job and I don't even know 0:16:20.360 --> 0:16:22.360 is there a way to rate how many millions of 0:16:22.440 --> 0:16:26.160 people have been touched, have watched have Like do you 0:16:26.240 --> 0:16:29.040 have a barometer? Do you have a measuring stick? Not 0:16:29.200 --> 0:16:32.240 that it matters. I mean, well, yeah, it doesn't. It 0:16:32.320 --> 0:16:34.160 really doesn't matter in the sense that I don't actually 0:16:34.200 --> 0:16:36.280 have expectations or goals. I'm just trying to do what 0:16:36.400 --> 0:16:38.520 God wants me to do, and I wanted my My 0:16:38.640 --> 0:16:41.560 goal is to introduce the authentic Jesus to the world. 0:16:42.000 --> 0:16:43.800 And the way we phrase it is we want to 0:16:43.800 --> 0:16:46.400 introduce the authentic Jesus to a billion people. But the 0:16:46.440 --> 0:16:49.640 billion people goal is more just like a symbol. It's 0:16:49.640 --> 0:16:53.160 a representation of the fact that we want people to 0:16:53.200 --> 0:16:55.600 spread the word we want like jam for you, your 0:16:55.600 --> 0:16:58.400 friend jan who told you to watch the show. She 0:16:58.600 --> 0:17:01.640 was like Philip do or Nathaniel. You know in the Gospels, 0:17:01.640 --> 0:17:04.520 Philip goes to Nathaniel and says, come in, see those 0:17:04.600 --> 0:17:05.919 three words that I think are three of the most 0:17:05.960 --> 0:17:09.000 powerful words in all of the Scripture. And Nathaniel's responses, Oh, 0:17:09.040 --> 0:17:10.639 can anything good come out of Nazareth? I mean, he 0:17:10.720 --> 0:17:12.800 just doesn't believe it. So many people were hesitant to 0:17:12.800 --> 0:17:15.080 watch The Chosen because they thought, can anything good come 0:17:15.119 --> 0:17:18.399 out of Christian media? But there's always a Philip who says, no, 0:17:18.600 --> 0:17:20.760 just just watch it, just come and see. We want 0:17:20.800 --> 0:17:22.680 to encourage people to go and tell others and to 0:17:22.680 --> 0:17:24.440 spread the word and say, come and see this is 0:17:24.480 --> 0:17:27.919 how the show has impacted my life. But right now, 0:17:28.080 --> 0:17:30.320 so far, we know how many views there have been, 0:17:30.320 --> 0:17:32.880 how many people have watched the show in some form, 0:17:32.960 --> 0:17:35.359 and it's approaching a hundred and seventy million or so. 0:17:36.040 --> 0:17:38.000 How many people that is, we don't know for sure 0:17:38.040 --> 0:17:40.359 because so many people watch the show together. So sometimes 0:17:40.400 --> 0:17:43.119 there's one view that shows up on our app, but 0:17:43.240 --> 0:17:45.960 that was ten people watching all at once, or nine 0:17:46.440 --> 0:17:50.280 nine nine in our living exactly. Or you know, we 0:17:50.359 --> 0:17:52.600 saw a picture from Nigeria where there's this whole group 0:17:52.640 --> 0:17:54.879 of Nigerians who watched the show all at once, and 0:17:54.920 --> 0:17:57.320 then there's other people who've watched the show twenty five times, 0:17:57.600 --> 0:18:00.359 even though it's one person. So we don't know exactly 0:18:00.359 --> 0:18:01.960 how many people it is. What we do know that 0:18:02.040 --> 0:18:03.879 it's in every country in the world. We know that 0:18:03.960 --> 0:18:06.440 we've heard from people in countries like Iran and China 0:18:06.840 --> 0:18:09.359 who said that because of the app was free and accessible, 0:18:09.400 --> 0:18:12.000 they could they could have an experience with the scripture 0:18:12.240 --> 0:18:14.159 or at least the stories of the scriptures that have 0:18:14.320 --> 0:18:16.080 driven them closer to the Bible, which they would have 0:18:16.119 --> 0:18:18.360 been able to do otherwise if it wasn't on this app, 0:18:18.400 --> 0:18:20.960 that could just get directly to their phone. So the 0:18:21.040 --> 0:18:23.439 numbers don't matter on one sense, but another sense, they 0:18:23.520 --> 0:18:25.959 do represent lives touched, and that really is what it's 0:18:25.960 --> 0:18:29.000 all about. Well, I am so excited to talk to 0:18:29.080 --> 0:18:31.600 you and so proud to get to talk about this because, 0:18:31.680 --> 0:18:34.359 like I said it, it's really been a gift to 0:18:34.480 --> 0:18:37.879 our family, especially during the COVID shutdown. I think it 0:18:38.040 --> 0:18:42.879 drew us closer. And don't tell my older kids, but 0:18:43.440 --> 0:18:47.439 Jan made me watch a few episodes in the new season. 0:18:47.720 --> 0:18:50.159 Now we've watched two of them as a family together. 0:18:50.680 --> 0:18:53.000 They don't know that I kind of cheated and my 0:18:53.160 --> 0:18:56.359 husband and I watched without them, because that would be 0:18:56.440 --> 0:19:00.280 a big betrayal. It's a family thing. I'm make sure 0:19:00.280 --> 0:19:02.320 that doesn't get out as long as long as we 0:19:02.359 --> 0:19:04.520 don't talk about it on this podcast. Yeah, and they 0:19:04.600 --> 0:19:08.520 know they don't listen to my podcast. Come on, are 0:19:08.560 --> 0:19:12.360 you kidding me? Um? And I want to talk specifically 0:19:12.600 --> 0:19:16.720 about a couple of the elements in the show. Where 0:19:16.720 --> 0:19:19.560 do you shoot it? So? Most of it has been 0:19:19.560 --> 0:19:22.960 filmed in Texas. Half of season two was filmed in Utah, 0:19:23.359 --> 0:19:26.159 there's an extraordinary set in goshen Utah that's kind of 0:19:26.200 --> 0:19:29.040 a first century recreation of Jerusalem that we used for 0:19:29.119 --> 0:19:31.159 some of Season two. We'll use that off and on 0:19:31.320 --> 0:19:34.200 throughout the future seasons. I'm also moving to Texas this summer. 0:19:34.280 --> 0:19:36.520 My family is moving because we're setting up our permanent 0:19:36.600 --> 0:19:39.639 home both for our family and for the show in Texas. 0:19:39.760 --> 0:19:42.240 We're building some sets. Yeah, Texas is the primary spot. 0:19:42.960 --> 0:19:45.320 I wanted to bring up a couple of things about 0:19:45.560 --> 0:19:50.479 the actual characters and the actual show. Tell everybody how 0:19:50.640 --> 0:19:56.080 you found the actor that plays Jesus. The actor is 0:19:56.119 --> 0:19:59.840 named Jonathan Roomy, And about seven years ago, I did 0:20:00.000 --> 0:20:02.479 a short film for my church is Good Friday Service 0:20:02.960 --> 0:20:05.879 and it was about the Crucifixion from the perspective of 0:20:05.920 --> 0:20:08.000 the two thieves. So that's when I first started doing 0:20:08.080 --> 0:20:10.879 this of telling the stories of Jesus but from different perspectives, 0:20:11.200 --> 0:20:14.560 not changing the story, just giving you a unique look 0:20:14.640 --> 0:20:19.240 into it, an a unique perspective. And Jonathan, the Jesus 0:20:19.320 --> 0:20:21.040 only shows up in the short film for about five 0:20:21.119 --> 0:20:23.680 to ten minutes and the majority of it is about 0:20:23.720 --> 0:20:26.159 these two thieves. And Jonathan had auditioned for one of 0:20:26.200 --> 0:20:27.960 the two thieves, and he did a good job. But 0:20:28.080 --> 0:20:29.679 I had these two guys who were terrific and they 0:20:29.720 --> 0:20:31.639 were the best choices. But I didn't have a Jesus. 0:20:31.680 --> 0:20:33.480 The people who are auditioning for Jesus just weren't very 0:20:33.520 --> 0:20:36.439 good at all. So I had Jonathan auditioned for Jesus, 0:20:36.920 --> 0:20:39.880 and twenty seconds into it, I thought, oh, my goodness, 0:20:40.320 --> 0:20:43.560 this is special. I mean, this guy has something. I 0:20:43.600 --> 0:20:45.440 don't know what it is, but uh. And then I 0:20:45.480 --> 0:20:47.800 remember when we were filming it. Uh, you know, the 0:20:47.880 --> 0:20:49.840 only scene we had with Jesus in this in the 0:20:49.880 --> 0:20:53.000 short film was on the cross, and I remember saying 0:20:53.080 --> 0:20:55.720 to a few people around me, this is the best 0:20:55.800 --> 0:20:58.720 portrayal of Jesus I've ever seen, and it's only five 0:20:58.800 --> 0:21:02.520 minutes of screen time. He had the tenderness mixed with masculinity, 0:21:02.640 --> 0:21:05.840 he had the heart mixed with you know, the intensity. 0:21:05.880 --> 0:21:08.000 I mean, it was really something. And so for the 0:21:08.040 --> 0:21:10.440 next few years I would do short films and vignettes 0:21:10.480 --> 0:21:12.879 for my church and we and I would cast jon 0:21:13.040 --> 0:21:15.159 you know, I would work with Jonathan as Jesus. And 0:21:15.280 --> 0:21:16.800 so when it came time to do this show, when 0:21:16.800 --> 0:21:19.480 we had this opportunity, I called him up and obviously, 0:21:19.480 --> 0:21:20.760