Politics and more: New Stark GOP director lands side gig in Netflix series 'The Chosen'

PLAIN TWP. − Chris Vogt intends to be the president some day.

Don't bet against him.

He now serves as executive director of the Stark County Republican Party but his ambitions aren't limited to politics.

Vogt is in Utah filming an episode for the hit Netflix series "The Chosen." Now in its fourth season, "The Chosen" retells the story of Jesus' life and ministry in episodic form.

"I've always had interest in acting," Vogt said.

Chris Vogt's passions are acting and politics

The 2020 Jackson High School graduate previously portrayed John the Apostle in Trinity Gospel Temple's annual Passion play "A Hill Called Calvary."

"I've always had an interest in movies; my favorite is 'Indiana Jones,'" he said.

Vogt said he previously applied for a role in the film "The Shift" for Angel Productions, the company that produces "The Chosen." Following a series of emails, Vogt was invited to join "The Chosen" cast as a non-speaking extra.

In the episode, he will portray a bystander. The production is set in Goshen, Utah, a desert town where a replica of Jerusalem has been built.

The episode will be broadcast next spring.

"It turned from an interest in movies, to a hobby, to an actual role," said Vogt, who's been growing out his beard for the role.

New director at Stark County GOP

Vogt became executive director of the Stark GOP in January, succeeding Tom Lapas, who recommended him for the job. Prior to that, he worked as an event planner at Glenmoor Country Club.

There aren't many 22-year-old county party leaders.

"I manage the office when the chairman isn't here, and I help with the campaigns of local candidates," he said. "I helped (Massillon mayor) Jamie Slutz with his campaign. This being a presidential year, we'll also be helping with that campaign."

Stark County Commissioner and county GOP Chair Janet Creighton hired Vogt for the job.

"He's a young person of faith and very devoted to the causes that he believes in," she said. "He holds his family in high esteem. He's not a political professional — he's a novice — but that's how you train the next generation."

Creighton said she learned about the Netflix role when Vogt asked for some time off.

"He came and asked me for a couple of days off and told me where he was going and what he was doing; he already had his costume," she said, laughing.

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Vogt said President Abraham Lincoln, a founding father of the GOP, is his No. 1 political hero and role model.

"You also can't say anything bad about George Washington," he said. "I do admire President Trump and what he did. I also like (U.S. Senate candidate) Bernie Moreno."

More about Chris Vogt

Vogt has all the makings of a polymath. In addition to acting and working for the GOP, he and business partner, Nick Saris, a student at Ohio State University, are on the verge of launching their second app.

DuoDate is an online "double dating" app that connects an individual — and a friend — with another pair of friends.

"Men, and especially women, need to feel safe," he said.

It's the second venture for the two, who also created LinkApp in an effort to "re-socialize" social media, Vogt said.

"There's a lot of scrolling but not a lot of conversation," he said. "We invited people through link-ups, to meet in person. It had 21,000 users in 32 countries, but I felt like the problem we were trying to solve needed more than one project."

The result of that venture is DuoDate.

The two are looking for investors.

"Some of my friends think I'm crazy, doing all these things," Vogt said with smile. "They'll ask me, 'Why are you trying to do all this stuff?' One of the things that motivates me is, everybody's going to die. Rather than sit down and focus on one thing right now, I'm taking it as it comes."

Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com.

On Twitter: @cgoshayREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark GOP's Chris Vogt snags a part in Netflix's "The Chosen"