"The Chosen" Brings Tears to Phil Robertson's Eyes

The former "Duck Dynasty" star sings the praises of the streaming show about Jesus.

Jase Robertson, Al Robertson, Phil Robertson and Dallas Jenkins (from left) during the "Unashamed" podcast. Image: Blaze Media/YouTube.

Dallas Jenkins, the man behind The Chosen, swung through Louisiana recently to visit with Phil Robertson and his sons Jase and Al on their Unashamed podcast. It turns out that the family members, who shot to fame on A&E's Duck Dynasty reality TV show, are big fans of the program about Christ's earthly ministry.

Phil, the patriarch of the Robertson clan, in particular has been touched by The Chosen, telling Jenkins during the podcast that he and his team "did an outstanding job." Robertson also acknowledges that though he doesn't cry often, the series has made him emotional "more than once," saying that, "I don't cry easily, but after watching that: it was real."

A devout Believer for decades, Robertson knows the Bible well and consistently and boldly shares his Christian faith. The authenticity of the scripts and performances in the show nonetheless had a surprising effect on him.

"I learned that seeing something is far more powerful than reading something, reading about something (touches Bible). The Scriptures - you all were able to bring that to life."

Jenkins, for his part, praised the Robertsons for their authenticity, which became such a hallmark of Duck Dynasty, pointing out that that served as a model for him in his approach to The Chosen. He also addressed the awesome responsibility that he and especially lead actor Jonathan Roumie feel about portraying Christ in their show, sharing a poignant moment that took place between them during production of season one.

"He (Roumie) pulled me aside and he got emotional and he says, 'This is making me nervous, preaching to these people. I don't feel worthy of this.' And I said, 'Gosh, Jonathan, none of us are. I'm not worthy to be here either. Let's embrace that. That's the whole point. That's the whole point of the show, that's the whole point of the Gospel, that's the whole point of Jesus, is none of us are worthy. So let's hold onto this for the rest of the time we're filming the show.'"

The Chosen is currently five episodes into the second of an anticipated seven seasons. Episode 6 should release later this month and Christian Film Blog will let you know the date once it is announced. In the meantime, we recommend you check out the Unashamed podcast with Jenkins. It runs just over 55 minutes and we've included the YouTube version below.