Most recognize Jonathan Roumie for his role as Jesus Christ in the popular series, “The Chosen.”
The actor, director, producer and voice-over artist temporarily stepped away from “The Chosen” to add a new role to his portfolio — that of enigmatic hippie street-preacher.
“I didn’t really have to cut my hair or my beard, which was great,” Roumie told the Deseret News. “That helped a lot.”
Roumie stars alongside actor Kelsey Grammer (“Frasier”) in the new film, “Jesus Revolution,” a drama based on the real Jesus people movement of the 1960s and 1970s.
Is ‘Jesus Revolution’ a true story?
“Jesus Revolution” tells the true story of American Evangelist Baptist pastor and author Greg Laurie (Joel Courtney), his wife Cathe (Anna Grace Barlow), Pastor Chuck Smith (Grammer) and one hippie street-preacher named Lonnie Frisbee (Roumie).
When does ‘Jesus Revolution’ come out?
“Jesus Revolution,” produced by Kingdom Story Company (brothers Jon and Andrew Erwin) and Lionsgate, is scheduled to open in theaters on Feb. 24. The film is rated PG-13 for some strong thematic elements and strong drug content.
Who was Lonnie Frisbee?
Filmmakers describe Frisbee as an “enigmatic character, whose charisma both enchanted and, at times, alienated those around him.” Frisbee came from a broken home and painful childhood. He became interested in mysticism and drugs before he found religion and became a key figure in the Jesus movement.
Roumie prepared for the role by reading everything he could find about Frisbee, watching all available videos and visiting Frisbee’s grave in southern California. He also spoke with those who knew the evangelist and self-described “seeing prophet.”
Roumie said Frisbee was someone who loved Jesus and was blessed with spiritual gifts, but who was also very human.
“Despite those flaws and weaknesses, he was still a willing participant in God’s mercy and grace,” the actor said. “God used him to great effect to bring an entire generation of hippies to himself in the late ’60s and early ’70s. ... I think Lonnie’s heart was to serve God in the best way possible. ... It was a real honor for me to be able to step into his shoes and hopefully I did him some some justice.”
Roles in ‘The Chosen’ and ‘Jesus Revolution’
How does Roumie, a Catholic, keep finding himself in faith-related roles?
“I guess God — God just keeps bringing me certain roles that he knows I will really love to sink my teeth into,” he said.
Roumie said he was drawn to both “The Chosen” and “Jesus Revolution” because of their scripts and characters, which “spoke to his heart.”
“I love Jesus and it is the honor of my life to get to portray him,” he said. “As long as God keeps bringing me stories that I can honor him with, to me, it doesn’t matter what genre they may or may not fall into. It just happens to be that at this stage, there is a lot for me to mine and relate too that are in sort of the faith-minded genre.”
Defining ‘faith-based’ films
Roumie followed up his previous thought by saying it was hard for him to think of either project — “The Chosen” or “Jesus Revolution” — as “faith-based.”
“When I think of faith-based films, I think of films that are preachy, the films that I don’t want to do. I think of films that lead with the message at the expense of the medium and end up resulting in a bad reputation for Christian media in general,” he said.
“Jesus Revolution” and “The Chosen,” he said, are stories that appeal to people of no faith. Roumie said “The Chosen” once received a letter from somebody at the Church of Satan who wrote, “I don’t really believe this stuff but you guys tell a good story.”
“There is something to that. It’s beyond this little category or subcategory,” Roumie said. “That’s what Jesus did. Hopefully the stuff that I work on has its own sort of brand or expectation-defying standards that transcend one title or another.”
Why is ‘Jesus Revolution’ relevant today?
In the 1960s and ’70s, the hippies were one group searching for identify, meaning and purpose.
“The circumstances change, but the story and the search doesn’t,” Roumie said. “I think people today that are searching for meaning and identity will see themselves as the hippies in the film. And the answer is still the same — the answer is timeless — it is Christ.”
Audiences can also learn about accepting and loving others from Grammer’s role as Pastor Chuck Smith, who wasn’t afraid to open the doors of Calvary Chapel to thousands of hippies.
“There will be no shortage of people who need love, mercy and compassion by today’s standards,” Roumie said. “I think if people find themselves identifying with Chuck, I think that’s good.”
What Jonathan Roumie wants ‘Jesus Revolution’ audiences to know
Roumie hopes the biggest takeaway for “Jesus Revolution” audiences is spiritual.
“They can find meaning and purpose in having a relationship with Christ, and God loves them no matter who they are or what they have done,” the actor said. “If they walk away with a relationship of some kind, whether it is the beginning of the relationship or a deeper relationship, a deeper walk, I think that’s the ultimate goal.”