‘The Chosen’ Season 4 has a controversial scene. Here’s what the central cast member said about it
“The Chosen” Season 4 is in full swing ($12 million at the box office to date) — and much of the buzz is about one scene at the end of Episode 3.
The central cast member in the scene did a video call interview with the Deseret News to talk about what happened.
Spoiler alert — This article talks about the scene in question.
Viewers were surprised, shocked and sad at the end of Season 4, Episode 3 when Ramah (Yasmine Al-Bustami) was killed by Roman magistrate Quintus, as Jesus and the Pharisees engage in a public debate. Her romance with Thomas was brought to an abrupt end and Jesus did not heal her.
When Al-Bustami first saw the scene, it was with Para Patel (Matthew). She described it as “a special moment.”
“I just remember both of us were just holding each other during it and that was my reaction,” Al-Bustami said. “I didn’t realize how much I would really want a friend to be there and especially a friend who has become a friend because of the show.”
The scene has “many, many emotions” involved, Al-Bustami said, but, in part, she’s learned a valuable lesson from her character that’s helped her reflect on the scene. “If there’s anything that Ramah has taught me, it’s just go with the flow.”
When speaking with USA Today, the show’s creator Dallas Jenkins said the scene shows why Thomas becomes “Doubting Thomas.”
“We’ve always known this was coming,” Jenkins told the outlet. “But it’s going to be very painful for fans. There’s going to be people upset and confused why we even chose this path if we didn’t have to.”
Al-Bustami told USA Today, “Ramah had always been this positive force, always encouraging Thomas to not be doubtful, to take a leap of faith. He’s going to continue, but without her influence. That’s going to have an impact. It hurts, but it’s a beautiful story.”
As this season has debuted, Al-Bustami has heard just how much people love the character. “I love seeing how Ramah has impacted people. And of course, I think we all want to see where the relationship with Thomas goes and then also get a little update with how it’s going with her dad. All of those things, we get all of that in the first three episodes of Season 4.”
Describing it as “very touching,” she said whenever she starts acting as a character, she tries to stay true to the character. “It’s very humbling. It’s very nice to know especially when people share their personal stories of how Ramah might have affected their life or what she brings to the table for them.”
Al-Bustami waited until the premiere to see Episodes 1 and 2 in Los Angeles.
“That’s my first experience really to see something that I’ve been a part of, a project that I’ve been a part of on the big screen and with people that I don’t know in a theater,” Al-Bustami said. “To get that experience, to hear how a scene affects someone or something that makes someone laugh is really cool to experience in real time with people.”
As for what’s next for “The Chosen,” the next batch of episodes comes out on Feb. 15. Streaming dates have not yet been announced.
