Actor George Xanthis, known for his powerful performance as John in The Chosen, stars in the historical drama that premiered in theaters on March 28 and soon after arrived on streaming platforms. In addition to acting, Xanthis also stands out as a screenwriter, producer, and comedian. His portrayal in the series, which tells the story of Jesus and his followers, is already considered one of the most impactful of recent times. With a solid career, the actor has also received nominations for the Australian Academy of Cinema & Television Award (AACTA) and has appeared in acclaimed productions such as Impeachment: American Crime Story and WeCrashed.
You’ve been portraying John in The Chosen, a role that carries significant emotional and spiritual weight. How was it for you to connect with this character and bring to life such an iconic figure in Christian history?
I’ve always said this has been the role of a lifetime. Of course the role can bring so much weight but that’s only if I think of him as Saint John, rather than John the human being. What The Chosen has done so well is take these “iconic” figures off from the iconography and down to earth. This humanity is how myself and so many fans across the world are able to resonate with people like John the Apostle.
Your career is quite diverse, spanning comedy, drama, and even biographical productions. In what ways did playing John in The Chosen challenge or transform you as an actor compared to your previous roles?
The confidence that the writers, Dallas Jenkins, Tyler Thompson and Ryan Swanson have for me is reflected in the writing of my character. John can be a bit abrasive. He can be loving. He can be funny, and he can be thoughtful. They’re not afraid to feed me emotional scenes, action scenes or scenes with a comedic edge all in the same episode. It can be a challenge, but being on The Chosen has allowed me to traverse all of these different tools I have in my arsenal. And I’m so grateful for our writers for entrusting me with such a multi-dimensional character.
In Impeachment: American Crime Story, you portrayed George Stephanopoulos, a real-life political figure. What was the preparation process like for playing a character based on a real person, in contrast to your approach in The Chosen, which deals with historical figures with a strong religious background?
Well, for one, I watched YouTube videos of George Stephonopoulos and impersonated him! I used to be on a sketch series and myself and my writing partner Jay K. Cagatay were the resident “impressionists” on the show. I’m so proud of the fact I’ve been able to take my skills I learned in comedic impression and apply them to dramatic television and film. For John, there’s obviously no person to impersonate, so it allowed me to create a character from scratch using the holy trinity of character creation; Body, Voice and Point of View (thanks Groundlings!).
You’ve worked alongside big names in the industry, like Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway in WeCrashed. What did you learn on those sets that you brought to your work in The Chosen?
Jared remains to this day one of the best artists I’ve ever worked with. I learned so so much from him and he was so giving, so open and so inviting to me while we worked together on WeCrashed. He never broke character! But, to allay any discomfort, he welcomed me to set in character and handed me a present for “my office in the WeCrashed building”. This gave me the permission to be my character as well, and from there it was non-stop play and creation for the both of us. Conversely, Anne was able to show me pictures of her dog in one moment, then snap into character the next moment and deliver an emotionally charged scene the next. It was amazing to see two different styles at play under the same roof!
Being nominated for the Australian Academy of Cinema & Television Award (AACTA) for a comedy series like Open Slather shows your versatility as an actor. Is there something about comedy that you find essential in balancing the emotional challenges of a historical drama like The Chosen?
Absolutely, and I think that’s one of the strengths of The Chosen in general, is that we are humanising these historical figures from the Bible so much that we allow them to have moments of levity and humility, to the extent that laughs can be shared. I’m so proud of my work on Open Slather, and getting that award nomination was a dream come true.
Besides being an actor, you’re also a screenwriter and producer. How do these different facets of your career influence your creative process when portraying a complex character like John?
I started my writing career in comedy. It teaches you to churn out scripts that need to get to the point and have an objective: a joke every half page! My studies at The Groundlings School in Los Angeles also taught me to keep things “character-centric”. Like I mentioned earlier, the holy trinity of character creation at Groundlings is Body, Voice and Point of View, and this “character-centric” approach allows me to always put character first, whether I’m writing comedy, drama or reading a script that contains John in it.
The Chosen has become a global phenomenon, reaching a diverse audience across different parts of the world. How does it feel knowing that your work is touching so many people on such deep emotional and spiritual levels?
I think that the aim of any artist is to aspire to create work that impacts people and makes a difference in their lives. Sometimes people can enjoy art because they are entertained but to have people impacted emotionally and spiritually – that is the type impact that has the power to change lives. To know that our show achieves these things on a global scale in so many different languages – it’s a true honour.
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