Latest / Crosswalk Talk: Celebrity Christian Interviews / Jonathan Roumie on Solo Mio, Kevin James & Life Beyond The Chosen

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Jonathan Roumie on Solo Mio, Kevin James & Life Beyond The Chosen · Crosswalk Talk: Celebrity Christian Interviews

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Life Audio, Jonathan, I really enjoyed this movie. Of course.
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: The movie is Solo Mio, which tells the story of
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: a man who has stood up at the altar during
• 0:11
  Speaker 2: his wedding day in Italy and he decides to go
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: ahead and go on the honeymoon alone. Jonathan, you portray
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: a new friend of the main character and hilarious main character. Also,
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: what made you want to be part of this film?
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: What attracted you to this project?
• 0:25
  Speaker 3: I needed a job quite frankly, Michael and getting off
• 0:29
  Speaker 3: Cameron was a friend and they say, hey, I think
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  Speaker 3: I got a movie for us, and I said, whatever
• 0:33
  Speaker 3: it is, I'm in because it's Kevin James. And when
• 0:36
  Speaker 3: he asked you to do a movie, you don't say
• 0:37
  Speaker 3: no because you know it's going to be hilarious. And
• 0:39
  Speaker 3: then we had a call after that with the director
• 0:43
  Speaker 3: of the Kannain Brothers, who are brilliant, all eight of them,
• 0:46
  Speaker 3: you know, who participated in making this movie, and we
• 0:49
  Speaker 3: talked about the story and I was just I was hooked,
• 0:52
  Speaker 3: and I thought, Okay, I can't wait to number one
• 0:55
  Speaker 3: shave my beard, number two wear modern clothes, and number
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  Speaker 3: three just have a blast with a brand new film.
• 1:01
  Speaker 3: Family which really was an extension of the Canaine I'm
• 1:05
  Speaker 3: an honor I think I'm an honorary Canain brother. Now
• 1:08
  Speaker 3: there's like that with with the cast and crew, there's
• 1:10
  Speaker 3: like two hundred and forty seven Canain brothers and sisters.
• 1:13
  Speaker 3: So it was it was just a blast shoot in
• 1:15
  Speaker 3: this movie.
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: You sit on your Instagram that Solomeo elevates the rom
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: com genre? What did you mean by that? How is
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: this different?
• 1:24
  Speaker 3: Because I think it hits people in a way that
• 1:28
  Speaker 3: goes below the surface. It hits on a deeper level,
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  Speaker 3: and there's also like pretty hardcore plot twist to it
• 1:34
  Speaker 3: that you normally don't see in a rom com. So
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  Speaker 3: I think it's got so much going for it, and
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  Speaker 3: it's absolutely stunningly beautiful. It needs to be seen in
• 1:45
  Speaker 3: theaters where it's where movies are meant to be seen,
• 1:48
  Speaker 3: but specifically this it's like we live in an age
• 1:51
  Speaker 3: of distraction and isolation and this film can only best
• 1:56
  Speaker 3: be enjoyed and experienced in a gathering of a community strangers, family, friends,
• 2:03
  Speaker 3: wherever you want to bring with you, laughing, crying, gasping,
• 2:07
  Speaker 3: like things that you're not expecting, and it makes you
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  Speaker 3: just feel good, like you. There's nothing unwholesome about it.
• 2:15
  Speaker 3: My nieces saw it, they thought it was hysterical. We
• 2:17
  Speaker 3: got people octogenarians watching it. They're like this, I love
• 2:21
  Speaker 3: the film like it's for everybody, and nobody makes films
• 2:24
  Speaker 3: like this right now.
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: So many rom comms and theaters, like you said, Jonathan,
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: are not appropriate for everyone in the family. This one
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: especially for teens and tweens. Is I mean, little kids
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: might be bored because it's not animating. But yeah, but
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: tell us briefly about your character. Neil a supposed therapist. Yes,
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: Neil Simmons is a therapist.
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: I'll just use heavy air quotes for that and we'll
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: let people figure out what that's exactly. But his mission
• 2:49
  Speaker 3: is to help. He sees somebody in paying, somebody in need,
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: Matt Taylor played by Kevin James, and he wants to
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: help them. They're all on this honeymoon package, Neil and
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: his wife Donna Julian played Kim Coats and his wife
• 3:01
  Speaker 3: played by Alison Hannigan and Kevin James and his non
• 3:06
  Speaker 3: wife don spouse, non no show fiance, and so they
• 3:11
  Speaker 3: recognize he's on this package. He's by himself. Why is
• 3:14
  Speaker 3: he by himself, how can they help fix whatever happened?
• 3:18
  Speaker 3: And that basically becomes the plot of the film, and
• 3:22
  Speaker 3: we get to see who what Neil's heart is, and
• 3:24
  Speaker 3: what his aim and his means of trying to help
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  Speaker 3: Matt looks like versus what Julian's take looks like, and
• 3:31
  Speaker 3: the Neil's sort of the angel to Julian's devil on
• 3:35
  Speaker 3: Matt's shoulders as to how to fix his relationship. Of course,
• 3:38
  Speaker 3: so many people only only know you about as portraying
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: Jesus and the Chosen and the Chosen. What is it
• 3:44
  Speaker 3: like for you to portray other characters? And secondly, what
• 3:47
  Speaker 3: times of roles and projects are you seeking? I think
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: ones where I'm wearing shoes and like modern day clothes
• 4:03
  Speaker 3: are pretty good change. It's a nice change for me
• 4:06
  Speaker 3: to just not wear sandals for like for the last
• 4:09
  Speaker 3: seven years. Is that it's the feet just dry right up.
• 4:12
  Speaker 3: That's really uncomfortable, But it's no, it's in all serious.
• 4:17
  Speaker 3: I mean, the Chosen's changed my life, and playing Jesus
• 4:21
  Speaker 3: has changed my life and continues to change my life
• 4:23
  Speaker 3: and my faith and deep in my faith, and so
• 4:27
  Speaker 3: that'll always forever be there. But as an actor it's
• 4:30
  Speaker 3: just fun to flex your other muscles, your comedic muscles.
• 4:33
  Speaker 3: In fact, before I ever did the Chosen, a lot
• 4:35
  Speaker 3: of the guest stars and smaller roles on TV I
• 4:37
  Speaker 3: did were comic. We're comedic roles, and so so this
• 4:42
  Speaker 3: was this was a wonderful departure for me to get
• 4:45
  Speaker 3: to do something different and also not feel like I'm
• 4:48
  Speaker 3: carrying the weight of the world in this character. You know,
• 4:52
  Speaker 3: Neil's trying to help in me, but he's human, He's
• 4:55
  Speaker 3: fully human, and he's flawed, but he has a beautiful heart.
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  Speaker 3: And I think the g Jesus in Neil Simmons share
• 5:01
  Speaker 3: of that. They both have big, big hearts, and it's
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  Speaker 3: lovely to kind of get to show that in a
• 5:06
  Speaker 3: different context here.
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: You're also in Jesus Revolution of Wars that Chowsen has
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  Speaker 2: really been one that's kind of led this renaissance of
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: faith and family entertainment.
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: Do you see yourself as kind of helping lead this
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: renaissance and faith and family entertainment.
• 5:19
  Speaker 3: I hope I'm certainly a part of it. I mean,
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  Speaker 3: I think I think I love telling stories that honor
• 5:25
  Speaker 3: God and glorify God and bring light into the culture
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  Speaker 3: and My aim is, I think, as my mission is
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  Speaker 3: as a storyteller, as an actor, even as a producer
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  Speaker 3: on some of the forthcoming projects, is to also do
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  Speaker 3: that is to continue to bring light into the culture
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  Speaker 3: and do it in ways, and do it with characters
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  Speaker 3: that aren't necessarily divine that in fact, if they are human,
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  Speaker 3: they can be flawed, they can be broken. But what
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  Speaker 3: is the trajectory of their arcs and how do they
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  Speaker 3: end up coming into the light? Because those are stories
• 5:57
  Speaker 3: that really speak to me. I think that kind of
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: starting in the gutters and then being redeemed and finding
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  Speaker 3: redemption or finding wholeness and healing, those are the stories
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  Speaker 3: that right now really really speak to me and compel
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  Speaker 3: me to want to tell them and to share them
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  Speaker 3: with audiences.
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: Briefly, what has God been teaching you lately? You post
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  Speaker 2: a lot often about your faith owed online.
• 6:19
  Speaker 3: Continue to trust them in every aspect of my life.
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  Speaker 3: Just to continue to surrender all those parts of my
• 6:25
  Speaker 3: life that I may be holding on to control and
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  Speaker 3: to just yeah, just yield them to Him in the
• 6:32
  Speaker 3: way that I did with my career. Just other areas
• 6:35
  Speaker 3: I gotta continue to surrender. It's a daily challenge, but
• 6:40
  Speaker 3: I too have to pick up my crops.
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: If you like today's episode, please subscribe and leave a
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: five star review.
• 6:48
  Speaker 4: That's how we help more people just like you find
• 6:50
  Speaker 4: the show. A big thanks to the team at life
• 6:53
  Speaker 4: Audio for their partnership with us on the podcast. If
• 6:56
  Speaker 4: you go to life audio dot com, you will find
• 6:58
  Speaker 4: dozens of other faith centered podcast in their network.
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: See you next time.