Exclusive from Cairo: ‘The Chosen’ actor Jonathan Roumie tells THE ROSENBERG REPORT why he backed film based on story of 21 Egyptian Christians beheaded by ISIS

Ten years ago, in February 2015, the Islamic State terror organization (ISIS) released a brutal video that sent shockwaves across the Middle East and the entire world. In a gruesome act of Christian persecution, masked ISIS terrorists wearing black, marched 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians on the beach in Libya dressed in orange jumpsuits.

After kidnapping and torturing them, the modern-day Christian martyrs were beheaded when they refused to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ.

A decade later, a group of producers and 70 artists worldwide came together to honor their tremendous faith and courage. They created a new film titled “The 21,” which was recently added to the shortlist for a possible Academy Award. Even though it didn’t make the final list of nominations, being shortlisted is a testament to the film’s high quality.

In the latest episode of THE ROSENBERG REPORT on TBN, host and ALL ISRAEL NEWS Editor-in-Chief Joel Rosenberg traveled to Cairo, Egypt, along with his wife Lynn to attend the film’s premiere.

“Lynn and I loved this film,” said Rosenberg. “It starts in late 2018, as President el-Sisi invites me and a group of other Evangelical Christian leaders to come and meet with him at a hotel near the United Nations in New York City, where he was going to be giving a major address at the opening session of the UN General Assembly.”

During that visit, the Egyptian President revealed his plans to give the largest Christian cathedral ever built in the Middle East, at his encouragement, to the 17 million Christians of Egypt in Christmas 2019. He asked Rosenberg to bring in an Evangelical delegation for the unveiling of the Church of the Nativity.

Rosenberg then returned to Egypt for the festive, historical event with another delegation that included Leanne and Mark Rogers. Mark, who once served as chief of staff for a United States senator, went on to start a company to help produce faith-based films and multimedia projects.

During their trip, Rosenberg and the Rogers were informed of the barbaric tragedy.

“We heard the story of the 21 and we were intrigued,” Rosenberg shared. “What I didn't know was when they all went home to America and when I went back to Israel, this story of the '21' and Mark and Leanne’s first trip to Egypt ever started really cooking in them. The Holy Spirit began working in them. What happened was, Mark thought, ‘we need to make a film to honor these 21.’”

When the film was completed, Mark and Leanne invited Joel and Lynn to the premiere in Egypt, where they also met actor Jonathan Roumie, who was involved behind the scenes as an executive producer. 

Roumie is best known for playing the role of Jesus Christ in the global phenomenon TV series, "THE CHOSEN." What most people don't know is that Jonathan's father was born and raised in Egypt. Some of his family members are Coptic Orthodox. Roumie is a born-again Catholic Christian, who had never been to Egypt before.

In an exclusive interview, he told Rosenberg why he decided to become part of the production of “The 21.”

“Your response to it was exactly what I went through when I saw it,” Roumie told Rosenberg. “You were just completely moved by the story, by the resilience in these men's commitment to their faith – not to deny their faith, even under the threat of death. And the values, the strength and the courage that they showed and their commitment to Christ – which is something that I found completely inspiring myself – as a man of faith. And I thought, 'If there was any way for me to be a part of it somehow, connected to it, to help spread the word about the event through this beautiful piece of art that, I it would be something that just felt right for what I'm trying to do in my own life.'”

Rosenberg said the film is “very evocative” thanks to the producers’ choice not to make it a classic documentary. Instead, they chose to tell the true story through animation, using Egyptian iconography.

“The medium of animation just creates for the possibilities of a much more impactful journey for these men,” Roumie agreed.

He added, “I think it's going to move a lot of people to want to know more about this story and about the power of faith in a person's life and what it means to be a follower of Christ.”

Roumie described working on the film and presenting it to Coptic ministry leaders in Egypt as a “full circle moment” for him on a personal level. 

“My work as an artist and as in this case, culminating as an executive producer on ‘The 21’, getting to screen the film in Egypt, in Cairo, where my father is from – was kind of a dream come true… to be able to see the country and see the sights that I had dreamed about as a kid,” he said.

“It's an opportunity for me to continue to connect my faith to my art in a way that I couldn't have foreseen, until this movie.”

Rosenberg noted that he wants as many people as possible to watch the film. He explained, “We’re going to have to all process the courage of 21 men saying, I will not renounce my faith in Jesus. You can offer me money. You can terrorize me. I'm not renouncing Jesus. The next person I see is going to be Jesus.”

Roumie couldn’t agree more.

“The film poses a question that I think is worthy to each and every one of us that are followers of Christ. How would we respond to that call? What would we do in their shoes? Could we be as faithful? And I find myself challenged by the question, and I pray the answer is yes. I pray I will go to my grave with the same confession of Jesus' name on my lips,” said ‘The Chosen’ actor.

When asked by Rosenberg about the challenge of playing Jesus in the hit TV series, Roumie replied: “It has been life-changing.”

“I can't bring an experience of divinity to the role… I can only bring the fullness of my own humanity,” he explained. “We do bring the divinity into the show, into the portrayal – it's just that me, personally, that I can't relate to that. So luckily, I don't have to. The words are written for me. The words are derived from scripture.”

Watch the full interview in a special edition of THE ROSENBERG REPORT from Egypt on the TBN website.

THE ROSENBERG REPORT airs Thursday nights at 9 p.m. EST and Saturday nights at 10:00 p.m. EST – on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), the most-watched Christian television network in the United States.