It would be understandable if Andrew James Allen felt pressure ahead of starring in “The Chosen.” In the fifth season of the Christian drama series, Allen portrays Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea who presided over the trial of Jesus (Jonathan Roumie) and, ultimately, ordered his crucifixion.
But while Allen undeniably felt a weight of expectation before filming, he eventually reveled in portraying the biblical character. “He is probably my favorite character that I’ve ever played,” Allen says. “He’s just so dynamic and layered and nuanced. None of the characters on the show are black and white. That’s what makes the show so sharp and real.”
Since premiering in 2017, “The Chosen” has depicted the life of Jesus through the eyes of people who came into contact with him. While the project was initially crowdfunded by fans, it has since amassed more than 280 million viewers. To celebrate its fifth season, titled “The Chosen: Last Supper,” all eight episodes are being released in theaters over three weeks, culminating on April 11.
When Allen was initially approached about auditioning for the role of Pilate, he didn’t think he’d be right. The baby-faced 38-year-old thespian remembers that the casting call was for someone in their 40s and even 50s. But “The Chosen’s” creator, director, co-writer and executive producer, Dallas Jenkins, saw something in Allen, so he decided to skew a little younger with the character.
“I read the script, which had some of the best writing I’d read in a while,” Allen says. “I sent in the tape, then I didn’t hear anything for well over a month. I just thought I hadn’t got it.”
As is the case with any actor, Allen has faced his fair share of rejection during his career. After being cast to play Geena Davis’ son in the pilot for the ABC political drama “Commander in Chief,” which also starred Donald Sutherland, Allen was replaced for the rest of its first season — “That was really devastating. It took me a while to recover from that.”
A few years later, Allen was cast in “The Lovely Bones,” Peter Jackson’s eagerly anticipated adaptation of Alice Sebold’s best-selling fantasy novel. “I shot that. But then I was told that 80% of everything I’d done was going to be cut because the movie was so long. That was hard. But you just have to pick yourself back up.”
Allen credits his resilience with his Washington roots. Born in Redmond, Allen regularly returns to Seattle and the surrounding area every few months. “I always feel very grounded when I’m back in Seattle. Just the trees, water and nature. It just makes me feel steady. It’s a place of solace. It’s one of my safe places.”
Allen was 9 years old when he first became interested in acting. Even before then, though, he’d been in front of the camera — as a baby, he’d been photographed for JCPenney and Nordstrom catalogs. But after starring in his first school play, Allen found himself fascinated by acting.
“I loved it. It was just so fun, exciting and different. My mom told me there was more to do than just school plays. I got an agent in Seattle and started doing commercials and indie films in the city and Canada.”
Around the age of 13, Allen and his mother started spending more and more time in Los Angeles, so much so that they decided to move there. He appeared in episodes of “Lizzie McGuire,” “Charmed,” “ER,” “Criminal Minds,” “Malcolm in the Middle” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” He began to explore the work of other actors, developing a deep appreciation of Gary Oldman, Daniel Day-Lewis and Philip Seymour Hoffman. “It’s been a roller coaster. As I’ve become older, the true value of acting comes from playing someone else, hiding behind a character and discovering everything about them.”
As he prepared for the part of Pilate — reading various books, watching documentaries, endlessly Googling — Allen’s aim was to make him feel as real as possible. Allen credits Jenkins with helping to create such a nuanced and original portrayal.
“He just wants to get the best out of everybody on set,” Allen says. “He’s so kind, patient and empathetic. He’s had his own ups and downs in this industry. He just wanted to create a really safe space that allowed us to take big risks with a character that has only been painted one way in history.”
For Allen, Jenkins’ compassionate take on everyone involved in the story of Jesus is exactly why “The Chosen” has struck such a chord with so many viewers.
“More than it being about religion or religious figures, I feel like ‘The Chosen,’ and its characters, is about personal growth and transformation. I think people really relate to these characters because everybody grows and changes throughout their lives.”
Allen hopes audiences will connect with his performance of Pilate and see the devastating choice he had to make in a new light.
“We wanted to create empathy for him. In our story, he’s not a bad guy. He’s just in a very difficult situation and he’s pushed to do what he does.”
The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times.