Creating “The Chosen” has involved countless moments of what those involved describe as divine intervention, so many that creator Dallas Jenkins eventually stopped being shocked by what he experienced as God’s direct hand in the making of the series.
Still, Jenkins has maintained a deep sense of gratitude for these moments, especially the pivotal turning point when he received permission to film “The Chosen” on the Motion Picture Studio South Campus in Goshen, Utah, which is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Before returning to the Goshen set to begin filming the show’s final season, Jenkins spoke with Sheri Dew, the executive vice president and chief content officer of Deseret Management Corporation, on the “Deseret Voices” podcast where they reflected on the winding process of securing access to the Jerusalem replica — which Dew played an instrumental role in helping arrange.
‘Heavenly help’ during pandemic
“I don’t like to throw the word miracle around loosely,” Dew said of the process, “but it certainly was something that involved heavenly help.”
Months before her first meeting with Jenkins in early 2020, Dew was asked by the Presiding Bishopric of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to oversee the review of requests from commercial entities seeking access to the Goshen set.
When Dew met with Jenkins in her office, she had heard of “The Chosen,” but had never watched it. At the time, only the first season had been released, and the production had already outgrown the small Texas set where it was filmed. Jenkins was seeking permission to move the series to the church’s Jerusalem set, one of the few locations in the U.S. that offers a first-century Israel backdrop.
“You walked out and I remember thinking, ‘Oh, I kind of like that guy,’” Dew said of their first meeting. “I think I like what he’s doing. I feel pretty good about it.”
On the heels of their meeting, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Dew had been working toward submitting her request on Jenkins’ behalf when pandemic-related restrictions halted the process. She was told that no one would be allowed to use the Goshen set amid the pandemic and that she should not inquire about it further.
Jenkins had still never seen the Goshen set in person. He actually didn’t want to visit it, he said, because he knew that once he saw it, he would be impressed. He did not want to get his hopes up. Then, he was invited by a friend to tour it.
“And when I was on the set, I really felt God’s presence,” Jenkins said. “I felt — and this has only happened to me a handful of times in my life as well — where I felt, not an audible voice, but a clear impression of, ‘People’s lives are gonna be changed by what you do on this set.’”
Then in July, Jenkins received an official “no.” He began to second-guess the impression he had felt in Goshen and told his wife that the opportunity to use the set was over.
She pushed back, telling Jenkins, “I think this is God just putting you at the edge of the Red Sea so that when the waters part, you know it’s him.”
On Dew’s end, the process was beginning to move again. Members of the church’s senior leadership, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, were preparing to leave on their summer break, when one of them was given a DVD of “The Chosen”
After watching the show, that leader contacted Dew, and three days after receiving the rejection notice, Jenkins was invited to a Zoom meeting with church leaders. Dew then emailed a memo to the First Presidency of the church.
The next day, Jenkins received formal approval to use the Goshen set.
“It took the help of several leaders,” Dew said of the process. “But it felt like a miracle.”
With permission from the church, “The Chosen” has used the set for filming since Season 2. This week, Jenkins wrapped three weeks of filming scenes in Goshen for the show’s seventh and final season.
In its five released seasons, “The Chosen” has reached more than 300 million people in over 175 countries, amassing nearly a billion episode views. It has also been translated into a record-breaking 125 languages, making the biblical drama accessible all around the world.
“We couldn’t have done the show without use of the set,” Jenkins said. “I’m not a member of the LDS church, but there’s been this mutual respect and I think a shared goal in making Jesus known around the world.”
He continued, “And this show has been doing that in every country of the world. And so that relationship and the use of the set has been an immense blessing. And you guys have been so generous.”
As “The Chosen” moves toward its conclusion, Jenkins reflected on the many moments — including securing access to the Goshen set — where he says divine intervention opened doors that made the series possible.
“It was an indication ... that the show is bigger than me,” Jenkins said of receiving divine help along the way. “When God has something to do, God has something to say, we get fortunate to be asked to be part of it, to be called to be part of it.”
Jenkins’ advice for Latter-day Saints
Using The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ film set naturally associated Jenkins — who is evangelical — and the series with the church. Many members of the Latter-day Saint faith have also been involved in the making of the series, which has at times drawn criticism toward Jenkins.
Dew asked Jenkins if he has felt “sorry” about his association with the church.
“No,” he said. “I’m not only willing to work alongside members of the LDS faith, I’m willing to work alongside members of any faith background or any non-faith background to get this particular story to the world. And I’ve been not only willing to do that, I’ve been thrilled and excited by it.”
Jenkins acknowledged that while there are theological differences between evangelical and Latter-day Saint beliefs, those differences have not distracted from a shared goal of spreading the story of Jesus to the world.
“My relationship with members of this church have been life-giving, have been huge for the success of and the spreading of the show,” he said.
When asked by Dew if Jenkins had any advice to share with members of the church, he said he would give the same advice to anyone, Latter-day Saint or otherwise: “Know Jesus more,” he said. “To go deeper into scripture, to go deeper into your Bible, and know and love Jesus more.”
In nearly a decade of writing, directing and producing “The Chosen,” Jenkins said he has come to greater understand the “intimacy of Christ.”
“I think we sometimes forget that God has a personal relationship with you,” he said. “He knows your heart. He knows your history. He’s knit you together in your mother’s womb. And I think that the intimacy of our relationship with Christ is something that I didn’t necessarily always value as much as I do now.”
