Filming “The Chosen” Season 5 was heavier than previous seasons, according to cast members. But the cast found solace in each other and still made time for lighter moments on set.
“Five was a very intense season,” Elizabeth Tabish, the actor who plays Mary Magdalene, told the Deseret News.
“I just remember crying a lot,” Tabish added. “We usually all try to cheer each other up during the heavier sequences and scenes.”
The fifth season of the biblical drama covers Holy Week, which includes scenes of the triumphal entry, the last supper, Jesus turning tables at the temple and the betrayal of Judas.
As Jesus’ disciples begin to understand the imminent fate their master is facing, some “tumultuous” and “fiery moments” follow, said George H. Xanthis, the actor who plays John on the series.
Throughout the heavy — and lighter — moments of making Season 5, friendship and support among cast members “extended to outside of filming,” said Noah James, who plays Andrew.
“We really do have to decompress after some long days sometimes,” James continued. “So on the weekends, we do get together, we go out for dinner, we hang out because we really do love each other and care about each other, and it’s fun to show up.”
Still, the cast recalled lighter memories from on set of Season 5.
While filming the Last Supper scene over a two week period, the food placed around the table was not regularly replaced, recalled Paras Patel, the actor who plays Matthew on the series.
“We had this lentil soup that started fresh on Monday, but by Friday it was bubbling, and then it smelled — and of course it’s right in front of Matthew," Patel said, laughing.
He added, “We were grossed out by that.”
Xanthis and James recalled keeping a Stars Wars-themed “tabletop card game” set up in their green room, which they would race over to play during a brief 15-minute scene neither of them had a role in.
When the scene was completed, they would “remember where their piece is” and race back to set until their next opportunity to play the game, James said.
“I think the strength of a good show is you can tell that the relationships between the characters are genuine,” Xanthis said.
He continued, “I don’t know how many shows have that kind of relationship, and that kind of laid back nature to them.”
When will ‘The Chosen’ Season 5 be released on streaming?
There are no official streaming dates for “The Chosen” Season 5.
Like previous seasons of “The Chosen,” all episodes of the fifth season will be released exclusively in theaters before launching on streaming platforms.
The fifth season will be available in full in theaters over Easter weekend (April 19-20).
Following the season’s theatrical run, the fifth season will be launched exclusively on Prime Video before it is available to watch for free on “The Chosen” app, as previously reported by the Deseret News.