Elizabeth Tabish, who plays Mary Magdalene in “The Chosen,” wants viewers to be ready for “a lot of grief” in the upcoming episodes of the popular streaming series. Given the focus on the life of Jesus and his followers, the content of the fourth season in February should not be unexpected for most viewers.
“Hopefully, everyone’s been warned,” Ms. Tabish said in a video interview with newstodayalert. “It’s a really painful season; there’s a lot of grief in this season.”
In the upcoming season, viewers will witness Mary Magdalene accompanying Jesus as he enters Jerusalem to cheers from the crowd, only for him to be crucified days later. Her character will be the first to encounter the resurrected Christ at the tomb and share that news with others.
Reflecting on the upcoming season, Ms. Tabish, who resides in Cleveland with her family, expressed her thoughts, “I think about it all the time. I realized after each season’s finished filming, oh, there’s more, and it gets harder; it’s going to get harder and more painful.”
She acknowledged that the impending difficulty is not only about the events portrayed in the show, but also the emotional toll of portraying those events during production. “It’s showing up to work every day in the sun outside, crying over and over and over with all your friends,” she said. “Every time it’s over, after each season, there’s this relief of like, ‘Oh, I can rest,’ but not for long, knowing what’s coming up the line.”
Ms. Tabish mentioned that one of the issues addressed in the new season is why one person is healed by Jesus while another isn’t. According to her, “There’s just, I think, really difficult questions that are sort of answered.”
Despite the difficult subject matter, she indicated that there is hope in the story, emphasizing “the relief that comes from Jesus, the peace that comes with that, there is light to the dark, that there’s purpose in all of these things.”
“At the end of the day, it’s like, well, that’s what faith is: You aren’t really supposed to know while you’re alive,” Ms. Tabish said. “That’s the whole point of faith is believing in something without truly knowing it.”
While the show has been cathartic for many viewers, Ms. Tabish revealed that it has also been therapeutic for her. She disclosed, “I was going through a depression before I booked the show. I don’t think I would have booked this role had I not experienced that and felt that. I’m constantly surprised by these gifts that come from pain. And these wonderful things that come from really difficult experiences.”
Furthermore, she emphasized the responsibility she feels in portraying one of the most prominent women in Christian history. Given the familiarity of Jesus’ final week in Jerusalem and the events involving Mary Magdalene to billions of people worldwide, she understands that audiences may scrutinize their re-enactment in the series. “It feels like a responsibility,” she admitted.
“I’m eager to do these scenes, but they’re daunting,” she said, referring to the yet-to-be-filmed episodes. “They’re these really pivotal moments in history that we’re tasked to embody and act. It’s just always, always there in my mind, constant reminders everywhere I go.”
