Portraying Jesus Christ is definitely a tough challenge and a heavy responsibility for an actor to carry, but there are exceptional actors who courageously took the challenge. 

Here are some of foreign actors who notably starred in your favorite religious movies and series that featured the life of Jesus Christ:  

Jonathan Roumie

 American Actor Jonathan Roumie is among the pool of exceptional actors who played Jesus Christ. 

Jonathan played the said role in the historical drama series The Chosen by Dallas Jenkins, which made its debut in 2017. The series tells the story of Jesus through the lens of the people who were close to him. It also gave emphasis on the Lord’s teachings that left a revolutionary impact on the lives of people in Israel. 

For its fifth season, The Chosen: Last Supper featured a trilogy that revolves around Jesus’ journey that led to his crucifixion. It has been hitting numbers in cinemas in the United States and in few countries including the Philippines. It premiered in selected cinemas in the country on April 10. 

Photo credit: @jonathanroumieofficial Instagram

Diogo Morgado

Portuguese actor Diogo Morgado portrayed Jesus Christ in the highly acclaimed 2014 film Son of God. 

The film depicted the life of Jesus on earth, from his humble birth to his preaching days until he was crucified. It also featured the miracles Jesus had made for his people. 

 Diego also played the same role in the 2013 mini-series The Bible, which featured the significant events in the Bible, from God’s creation until the day Jesus died on the cross and resurrected.  

Jim Caviezel

 You probably watched the 2004 film The Passion of the Christ, which has been the go-to movie for most Filipino families during Lenten season. If you're wondering who played Jesus in that film, it was American actor Jim Caviezel. 

The movie featured the last twelve hours of Jesus in Jerusalem until he died on the cross, highlighting the struggles he went through to save humanity for their sins. 

Although few in numbers, the Philippines also has its own set of actors who portrayed Jesus Christ in locally produced religious films and series.  

Pepe Herrera 

In the 2023 high-grossing film Rewind, Pepe Herrera played a significant role, which contributed to the overall emotional appeal of the movie. He portrayed “Lods,” a representation of Jesus Christ as the source of second chances in life.

Initially hiding in the shadows of an electrician named “Mang Jess,” Lods gave John (Dingdong Dantes) an opportunity to change his past mistakes and the tragic ending of his wife Mary’s (Marian Rivera) life who died in a car accident. 

Pepe’s impressive performance did not only give justice to his role as Jesus Christ, but it also earned him a Best Supporting Actor award at the Manila International Film Festival (MIFF) in 2024.  

Love Thadani 

In the 2010 television series May Bukas Pa, then child star Zaijian Jaranilla’s character Santino, who was an orphan who found a home and family in the church, had unique personal encounters with Jesus, whom he called “Bro“.

The man behind the character “Bro” was Love Thadani. Always appearing as a glowing being clad in white cloth, Love’s face was never shown in the series.  

WATCH: Santino and Bro start talking to each other | May Bukas Pa

Mat Ranillo III 

Mat Ranillo III will always be remembered as the actor who starred the 1996 Filipino biblical drama film Kristo.  

He worked with some of the prominent actors in industry including Aga Muhlach, Gabby Conception, Christopher de Leon, Amy Austria and Lorna Tolentino, among other veteran artists. 

The movie had a Filipino take on the life and death of Jesus, featuring customs and traditions that were observed by the faithful in the country.

Mat is the son of actors Mat Ranillo Jr. and Gloria Sevilla.  

WATCH: KRISTO | Full Movie | Mat Ranillo III, Amy Austria, Rudy Fernandez

The number of the Filipino actors who portrayed Jesus Christ both on television and big screen may be counted on the fingers of one hand, but there are several personalities who played the same role on theatrical plays.

This includes Wolfgang vocalist Basti Artadi in the musical play Jesus Christ, Superstar in 2001 and singer-composer Noel Cabangon in the play’s 2000 version.

The Senakulo play Martir sa Galgota also featured the following actors through the same role: Jao Mapa in 2008, Jojo Riguerra in 2014, and Lance Raymundo in 2018. 

Actor-model Kirst Viray also portrayed Jesus in the play Kristo XXIX in 2019.   

In many parts of the country, the annual Senakulo tradition during the Lenten season remains alive. People devote their time and talents to participate in the play in honoring the struggles of Jesus Christ.

According to the National Museum of the Philippines, Senakulo (or cenaculo) “is the staged re-enactment of Christ’s passion and death.”

“The performance of the Senakulo is traced to the late 17th and early 18th centuries when the first Pasyon text was written. Unlike the Pasyon which is chanted in a mournful tone called tagulaylay, the Senakulo aims to dramatize scenes while also deriving from the contents of the Pasyon,” it said.