'The Chosen' swaps Texas for Italy to film the crucifixion for the hit drama about Jesus Christ

Matera, in the south of Italy, is known as the “City of Stones” for its architecture. For the next season of “The Chosen,” it’ll be known by another name: Jerusalem.

With its ancient caves, breathtaking scenery, dramatic cliffs and houses made of stone, Matera is doubling as the ancient city for the hit religious drama’s sixth season, which focuses on the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This month, the cast and crew traded their Texas studio for three weeks in Italy, during which The Associated Press visited the set.

George Harrison Xanthis, who plays the apostle John, says that filming in Matera has helped his performance by immersing him in the world of the show. On the show’s sets in Texas and Utah, “you do step from civilization into the ancient world, whereas here you are just always in the ancient world,” he tells the AP. “It’s amazing.”

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Director and showrunner Dallas Jenkins explains he wanted authenticity with the crucifixion on the backdrop of a real horizon. While the city of Matera — which has also provided the setting for “The Passion of the Christ,” “Mary Magdalene” and even “No Time to Die” — does most of the work, the tingly and warm smell of spices in the air, coming from a prop cart, adds to the atmosphere.

Starring as Jesus is Jonathan Roumie, beloved by the show’s fans who blush around him like he’s an actual religious figure, revealing he’s part of their daily prayers. This observation was confirmed by Jenkins, who has witnessed people crying, touching his hands and calling him Jesus.

“Seeing Jonathan reminds them of the experience they have with Jesus. So, there is a lot of tears. But they know the difference,” says Jenkins. Apart from a friendly hello, Roumie was not available to the media during the set visit, so he could stay concentrated for the demanding scenes that saw him covered in blood with a swollen prosthetic eye closed shut.

Other members of the cast have experienced emotional encounters with the audience, albeit with perhaps not the same intensity as Roumie’s. Vanessa Benavente, who plays Mother Mary, recalls being recognized during school drop-off.

“It was kind of out of nowhere. And I was very surprised because I was wearing a hat, it was very hard to even see my face,” she remembers. “Them saying ‘I know you are not her but it’s like the closest thing’ — it’s also a lot of responsibility.”

Jenkins originally financed the pilot of “The Chosen” through crowdfunding in 2017. While its success saw it move to Amazon Prime Video, the show continues to be supplemented by crowdfunding and the nonprofit Come and See Foundation. Beginning with Season 3, bundled episodes were released theatrically. Season 5 was first released to theaters in three parts as “The Chosen: Last Supper,” together grossing tens of millions of dollars at the worldwide box office.

When Jenkins yells “Action!” the set resounds with the actors’ cries as they follow Roumie as Jesus, carrying the cross to the hill of Golgotha. Elizabeth Tabish, who plays Mary Magdalene, was still caught up in the scene when she stepped off set teary-eyed for an interview.

“It’s just pure devastation, to watch your friend be paraded through the streets and mocked, and publicly executed. He never hurt anyone, you know. So there’s a lot of grief,” said the actor, wiping her eyes.

She’s not worried about bringing those feelings back home — a plate of authentic Italian pasta after work for three weeks straight will have the power to uplift and help her move on, she assures.

The first two episodes of Season 5 debuted Sunday on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S., and the rest will release over the next two weeks. Jenkins says the episodes focus on “the most famous moment in the scriptures,” such as the Last Supper and Judas’ betrayal. As the stakes rise and the show grows, his goal is for the audience to have a more personal and intimate experience when they watch.

“That’s the challenge,” he says. “Making sure that the audience still can connect with the characters, not just the size of the story.”

Season 5 will be available to watch for free on the show’s app of the same name and website beginning Sept. 13. Season 6 will air in 2027, and the series will come to an end with its seventh season, focused on Jesus’ resurrection.