An incredibly evil act vs. incredible death-defying faith in Jesus!
(LOS ANGELES, CA) Ten years ago, the world had the horrifying front row seat to a video of ISIS militants executing 21 Coptic Christian prisoners in orange jumpsuits on a beach in Libya.
Their only crime was refusing to deny their faith in Christ. These innocent men were beheaded.
Recently, MORE Productions released a new animated short film called 'The 21' based on the men's abduction, detention, and execution. It was created based on extensive research, multiple conversations with family members, and Coptic clergy who knew the 21.
K-LOVE's Monika Kelly had a chance to speak with the film's executive producer, Jonathan Roumie (most well-known for playing the role of 'Jesus' on The Chosen television series).
Rather hear the conversation?
Monika: Jonathan, it is so good to have you.
Jonathan: It's a pleasure to be here, Monika.
Monika: Thanks for sitting down with us to chat about this really important and profoundly beautiful film, just giving the world a snapshot of who these men were and what they went through and the strength of their faith. Tell me about what drew you to this movie.
Jonathan: You know, I think the thing that often draws me to certain projects is sort of a hallmark of the faith that God uses, which is, well, there are three of them, truth, beauty, and goodness. And beauty is one that most of us can relate to and respond to and react to immediately.
So when I first saw this film, I was struck by how beautiful it was, being also a visual artist myself in addition to an actor. I'm always on the lookout for art and cinema and television that just has a beauty to it. But then not only that, not only the beauty on the surface is when you realize what makes it beautiful and what makes the images beautiful. And with this particular film, with the 21, the imagery is based on this Coptic iconography. And the Coptic people are basically the original Christians in Egypt, specific to Egypt. They have a style of iconography that was implemented in this film, in this animated film. And it's just stunning and really makes the telling of this story, it elevates it in a way that you wouldn't be able to really do live action if you were to shoot it like a regular live action film. That was the thing that drew me first and foremost.
And then understanding what it was that these men actually faced, why they were martyred, why they were killed, and the resilience and courage that they displayed in professing the name of Jesus to their dying breath, which is what was the only supposed crime that they had committed is that they wouldn't deny Jesus, as you said.
The fact that they, despite potentially weeks or months of torture, it didn't change their minds, it didn't change their faith, didn't change their heart. And so when you see the story, it was impossible for me not to be compelled by it, to want to be connected to it. And so at that point, I just decided that I would do whatever I could to get involved and help get their story into the farthest reaches of the world as a testament to the power of faith and the power of devotion to Jesus.
Monika: When I watched the film, which is only a little bit over 13 minutes, it is the most gripping film in such a short period of time. It's heartbreaking. It's riveting. You can't stop watching it. And, you know, tears at the end. So good. But I want to know, what is your heart about religious persecution? Because we don't have a taste of it in the United States. What have you seen as you've been all over the world?
Jonathan: Yeah, you know, we don't have it as so ostensibly apparent as it is in the rest of the world. I think it does exist here. It's just much more hidden and not as, you know, a clear, a physical threat to our lives on the daily basis, (or even to our ability to freely practice religion in this country. But, you know, I think statistically almost 80% of the world's inhabitants live in countries where there are still extremely high levels of governmental restrictions on religion or persecution. I think even the amount of the Christian presence in like the Middle East, or specifically the Holy Land, is something like 1% or possibly even less now. It's just constantly dwindling.
There are threats to people's lives for professing their faith in Christianity. So many of the countries, especially in the Middle East, have had laws against, you know, that kind of expression of worship, and the sharing of Bibles, or even the allowance in some countries of Bibles in countries. It's just, we don't have the concept of what it means to truly be persecuted to this level.
I'm Middle Eastern, and I'm part Middle Eastern, and my father, you know, is from Egypt. And so he grew up with these kinds of threats, and these kinds of, you know, persecutions for Christians that I never grew up with. And I think it's part of the reason that, you know, brought him to seek a better life in the United States. So it's something that I've always been aware of.
And then as I've gotten older, you know, I've been connected here and there to organizations that are trying to really make it more well known in the West that this is something that happens to millions of Christians around the world. And I think being aware of it is the first step in being able to combat it, and to try to do something about it. And for me, being involved with the 21 is a way that I can try to do something about that kind of persecution, and especially when it comes to just the awareness and trying to provide, you know, resources to organizations like Coptic Orphans, which is connected to the families of the 21 martyrs, taking care of the children, the orphans, and the widows of these men who were martyred.
You know, trying to get the word out about these organizations that help provide resources for families of persecuted Christians as well. It's just one of the many ways that people can actually combat religious persecution.
Monika: That's so good. You mentioned your father. How has his faith impacted yours?
Jonathan: Well, I mean, I was raised with faith. You know, I was baptized as a baby, and faith has been, I mean, it's been like a second language. You know, it's like we learned English, and then we, you know, we learned God, and the two were always connected. The two languages, so to speak, were always in sync.
Even culturally, there's a phrase in Arabic that is just part of the culture, "inshallah", meaning God-willing. Like, you'll hear people who speak Arabic, like, that's a common phrase. It's part of their common parlance to just use, you know, these phrases that invoke their faith in some way, connect their faith to their everyday life, and so it's a part of the fabric of who he was, and my mother as well, even though she's from Ireland.
There was always this connection to faith in the day-to-day, and so, you know, my family, we were just raised with faith, and there was never any, you know, question as to whether or not there was a divine creator, and who was his son, and what did we believe, and so as I've gotten older, it's just gotten stronger over time, and especially now, you know, getting to play Jesus in The Chosen, it's sort of put me on a deeper path to exploring what my own relationship with my faith is, and what it means to be a follower of Christ, and then this story with the 21, when you see the film, I mean, you can't help but be forced to confront the same question.
Well, if I were in their shoes, what would I do? Could I hold to that same level of strength, of faith, and devotion that they did up until the very end? And I pray always that the answer is yes, and that in times where my strength may not be present, that God's strength will then fill me to be able to continue to profess my faith to my dying breath.
Monika: And indeed, I don't want to give away too much of the film, so I won't tell, you know, there are so many nuances and opportunities for them to deny their faith, and they didn't.
Jonathan: The music (in the movie, 'The 21') is stunning and haunting, and the people who made this film, there are over 70 different artists from 24 different countries, headed by the director Tod Polson, who was with Cartoon Saloon, which is a very, very well respected animation house. I mean, they got the best of the best to put this film together. And yeah, I think people will be moved by it and inspired and encouraged to continue to find a deeper relationship into their own connection to Jesus.
Monika: Well, thank you so much, Jonathan Roumie. One last question. How can we be praying for you?
Jonathan: Oh boy, thank you for that. You know, I'm just praying for strength as we get ready to film season six of The Chosen, which covers the crucifixion. For me, it's going to be probably the most difficult thing I've ever done in my life, professionally and personally and spiritually. So yeah, just praying for strength and rest and divine guidance every step of the way would be amazing.
Monika: Okay, we'll do that. Well, thank you so much for your time and just your dedication to this project.
Jonathan: Thank you. God bless you. God bless all your listeners. Be praying for you as well.