CNA Staff, Mar 16, 2025 / 06:00 am
Season 5 of the hit series “The Chosen” is set to be released in theaters on March 28. “The Chosen: Last Supper” focuses on the events of Holy Week — including Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the cleansing of the Temple, Judas’ betrayal, and the Last Supper.
“The Chosen: Last Supper” will be released in theaters in three parts — Part 1 on March 28, Part 2 on April 4, and Part 3 on April 11.
While the season was being filmed, CNA visited the set in Midlothian, Texas, and spoke to several of the cast members including actors Paras Patel, Elizabeth Tabish, Shahar Isaac, Luke Dimyan, Noah James, and Abe-Bueno Jallad. Each gave us a look at what we can expect from their characters in Season 5.
Simon Peter and Big James
One of the characters who underwent the greatest change in Season 4 was Simon Peter, who was given a new name by Jesus — Peter. Shahar Isaac, who portrays Simon Peter, spoke with CNA about the changes his character experienced and how he finds himself in a new leadership role among the disciples in Season 5.
“Last season it was ‘OK, I take the mantle and I take this leadership role, but I’m still not certain,’” Isaac told CNA. “With this season, it’s interesting, the person that gave me the mantle is now unraveling a little.”
He added that Peter finds himself “a little shocked” about what is happening and feels that he “may need to take care of things here. I may not be able to trust 100% of what’s going on. I don’t know the end, I’m still with it, so I don’t know what’s happening.”
“I’m feeling like the ground is shaking and I feel like whoever needs to guide us right now is shaking the ground rather than leading us. So at this point you’re catching me in the confusion and the realization that I may have to step up. I may have to take charge,” Isaac shared.
Abe Bueno-Jallad, the actor who plays Big James, biblically known as James the Greater, discussed the growth his character is experiencing in the newest season after attempting to gain a leadership role among the disciples last season. Encouraged by their mother, brothers James and John ask Jesus to sit at his right and left in his kingdom. Jesus’ response is not exactly what the brothers were expecting.
“I think you’re seeing a more careful trajectory of James and instead of wanting the title, he just starts to take the action that he believes is good for the group,” he said.
Judas and Andrew
A character that will be seen a lot in Season 5 is Judas. In Season 4, viewers began to witness his shift in character, teasing his betrayal, which will be seen in the upcoming season.
Luke Dimyan, the actor who portrays Judas, described his character as one with “a lot of fear, anxiety, ambition, and want that he is very desperate to have from Jesus’ presence.”
“He wants him [Jesus] to not only save himself, Judas, but his entire people, a people that’s been oppressed for years under a very harsh Roman rule,” he explained. “So, he wants so much more from Jesus than Jesus is willing to give him, in his mind. And so you can see where his dark thoughts and his paths start to lead.”
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For Noah James, the actor who portrays Andrew, Season 4 was a time of “growing up” for his character and now his faith will be put to the test in Season 5.
After John the Baptist is beheaded, Andrew, a former follower of John, experiences “this bittersweet nature of ‘I can’t fall apart at this news, even though I may want to, but I have to be strong and follow John the Baptist’s, and Jesus’, words of ‘Follow Jesus. You have a new rabbi now,’” James shared with CNA.
“So, I think Andrew is really just trying to be the best disciple of Jesus that he possibly can be and give of himself whatever he can,” he said.
He added: “And as we enter Season 5, the week of Holy Week, a lot comes to a head in this week, obviously, and so I think we see the biggest challenge yet to Andrew’s faith and understanding of ‘Can Jesus really mean what he says when he says some of the things that are to come?’ It seems unimaginable to Andrew.”
Mary Magdalene and Matthew
Elizabeth Tabish, the actress who portrays Mary Magdalene, teased that the new season will be a big one for her character as she is one of the only followers of Jesus who understands what he is telling everyone.
“At the beginning of Season 5, Jesus announces publicly that he will die and I think a lot of the followers don’t want to believe that, or hope that it’s symbolic in some way, but I think because Mary has been paying attention she knows that it’s going to happen,” Tabish said. “There’s no actual confirmation, but she senses it and she sees the signs and so at a certain point during this season she wants to try to help.”
Tabish added that while no one knows that Jesus’ death is “inevitable and must happen,” Mary Magdalene is “on a mission this season to keep it from happening.”
“I think there’s this realization that the Pharisees don’t understand him and are getting so upset and are taking things so personally, because of what he’s saying, and so I think there’s this hope that maybe if they do understand him that maybe they won’t call for his death,” she explained. “So there’s a lot at play and she’s kind of putting herself more into the political and cultural dynamics in Jerusalem, which is a little frightening, but she’s also doing it out of faith.”
Paras Patel, the actor who plays Matthew, added: “Mary has this touch where she can see things because when we’re walking into the triumphant entry, into Jerusalem, you [Mary] have that moment where you get it and all of us disciples are trying to figure out what to take from that.”
“With Matthew you see that he is very factual, so he’s trying to look for facts and evidence, so he’s not processing it completely, but he’s seeing his friends have this reaction,” Patel said. “So, he’s trying to pick up on something. And you see that this season in Season 5 because there’s a lot of chaos, turmoil, spiraling amongst the disciples and followers of what’s happening with Jesus’ message.”
