- 6 weeks ago
Egyptian American actor Luke Dimyan plays one of history's most vilified figures starring as Judas Iscariot in the global phenomenon The Chosen . All eight episodes of Season 5 exploded into theaters as a special three-part event -- The Chosen: The Last Supper -- grossing over $140 million worldwide, and now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. The 28-year-old actor's nuanced performance as the most misunderstood disciple has captivated audiences everywhere-- transcending expectations in a role both iconic and complex. Created by Dallas Jenkins, The Chosen is the first multi-season series about the life of Jesus of Nazareth -- watched by over 280 million people around the globe... with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. You've also seen him on FX's Better Things opposite Pamela Adlon, and the Viaplay original streaming series Home Invasion , where he worked alongside actors Morena Baccarin and John Noble. A graduate of AMDA College and Conservatory for the Performing Arts in Hollywood, Dimyan honed his craft in acting, screenwriting, and improv -- performing today across stages in Los Angeles. We sat down with him at the LifeMinute studios to talk about his climactic turn as Judas in Season 5 of The Chosen . This is a LifeMinute with Luke Dimyan.
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00:00Hi, this is Luke Dimion, and you are watching Life Minute TV.
00:04He plays one of history's most vilified figures.
00:08I'm ready to do hard things.
00:10Well, in that case, Judas, follow me.
00:14Egyptian-American actor Luke Dimion stars as Judas in the global phenomenon, The Chosen.
00:21All eight episodes of season five exploded into theaters as a special three-part event,
00:26grossing more than $140 million worldwide, and now streaming on Amazon Prime.
00:33The 28-year-old actor's nuanced performance as the most misunderstood disciple has captivated audiences everywhere,
00:41transcending expectations in a role both iconic and complex.
00:46Dimion visited our studios recently to tell us all about it and more.
00:51This is a Life Minute with Luke Dimion.
00:53The show in itself has just been such a fun place to learn and to grow as a performer,
00:59like just with so many other fantastic actors around me.
01:02And as the show grew itself, we started a very small production.
01:07We weren't on any network or streaming service, and now we're on Prime Video.
01:11And seeing the trajectory the show has taken and being with these amazing performers,
01:16these fantastic actors who deserve all the accolades that they're getting,
01:19it's such a wonderful experience.
01:22And it's more like the preparation has been happening to me as we continue
01:25than anything that I could have been prepared for.
01:28I did what any actor did, auditioned, to the best of my ability, and I guess that was enough.
01:32Because after an initial audition for season one where they were like, nah,
01:36and another audition for season two where they were also like, nah, but hmm.
01:42They eventually reached out to my representation and they asked specifically
01:46if I could audition for the part of The Apprentice.
01:49But also in that same email, it was like,
01:51The Apprentice is Judas.
01:52Could you actually audition for Judas?
01:55In that mind, I was like, yeah, I could do that.
01:57And I guess I gave off the Judas quality that they were looking for.
02:01And so they cast me.
02:04I do believe that Jesus is most likely the Messiah.
02:07Then why are you doing this?
02:10I suppose I have not seen enough.
02:13I always kind of joke around.
02:15I was like, I don't know if I would have done the show if I wasn't getting to play Judas.
02:18I feel like that's like the epitome role.
02:20Like it's an actor's dream of just a full meal of complexities.
02:24And he's such an interesting character to, one, attach himself so feverently to Jesus' mission and ministry.
02:32And then somewhere along the line, he betrays him,
02:36whether it's a lack of faith or maybe a misunderstanding of faith.
02:40Like it's such a complicated situation that as a performer, I was like, oh, no, I think I won.
02:46I got the character to play or to have fun with.
02:49So I'm content.
02:51Rabbi.
02:52Rabbi.
02:54Do what you came to do.
02:57I've had a lot of people compare Judas' story to themselves.
03:01Like, yes, we've all betrayed the Lord and for less.
03:05And I'm like, I don't think that's the point.
03:07I feel like Judas' story isn't a lesson or reflection on the worst of ourselves.
03:14I think it's just who we are.
03:16His main lesson isn't the betrayal of Jesus.
03:19Heck, Peter betrays him the very same night.
03:21Betrayal is a very natural thing.
03:23I think it's the abject of how we view ourselves after we've committed, in our heads, our worst deeds.
03:28Like, what do we do after that?
03:30And learning to not only look past it, but to forgive ourselves, to allow ourselves to grow past our mistakes,
03:37which I don't think Judas was going to allow himself to do, which he inevitably doesn't when he sadly takes his own life.
03:44But I feel like that's the crux of his story.
03:47And we're no better, we're no worse than Judas.
03:49And there's no Judas in each one of us.
03:52I feel like there's a part of all of us with Judas.
03:55He's just as human as any of us, and he's his own greatest judger.
04:00And it's harder to look at oneself and maybe ask for forgiveness than it is to forgive someone.
04:08So I think the kinder eyes we show Judas might be the way we could kindly look on not only ourselves,
04:14but the people around us, so we can choose to grow together instead of, I don't know, collapse upon ourselves.
04:19Matthew and Judas, in this little pocket here.
04:23The creator, Dallas Jenkins, created a show based on a source material that has been done several times over.
04:30Like, maybe overdone.
04:31We've got a musical, a TV show, a miniseries, stuff, and then a list from those aspects.
04:36I feel like if you had, like, a nickel for every film that was made about Jesus,
04:41you could probably fund the entire, like, Greek economy.
04:45It's unanimous, but he was able to create a project and a product that stood out and withstood the test of its expectations.
04:54And I think that's why everyone is flocking to it and why it has become so popular,
04:58because it's such a unique, new, and lively take on a story that everyone believes they know
05:04and thinks that they can, like, just take for granted.
05:08But the way he goes about it and he finds specific ideas and stories that you might not have been privy to
05:15or the artistic liberties he takes in expanding on characters that are otherwise overlooked in the Bible,
05:20like Matthew, giving him an entire arc and giving him a position on the spectrum
05:25so we could connect to people who are on the spectrum here and see someone that they can relate to.
05:30That's, in my eyes, that's a genius, and I think that's really what makes the show stand out.
05:37I think our normal fans would assume this, but for any new viewers or people who are watching more casually,
05:43I think they'd be surprised by how well we all get along with each other.
05:48I'm still, it honestly still surprises me to this day,
05:51because I don't think I've ever been part of a project, whether it's theater, TV, or film,
05:56where I genuinely feel so close and connected to my fellow castmates, and it's withstood.
06:01It's, at least for me, ongoing five years now that these people have become my true blue friends,
06:08and I still talk to them, like, maybe once a week.
06:12It's great.
06:12Over here.
06:13Best friends.
06:15Not that kind of film.
06:16Right now it's extremely hot in New York, and I stepped foot on it.
06:19I was like, oh, no, this is normal.
06:22It's another day on set.
06:23The heat is intense.
06:26The walking is a lot, but it's rewarding every shot and scene we take.
06:35I think we just ignore the heat.
06:37To a certain point, you're at the place of just bearing it or passing out,
06:43and so a nice soft spot in the middle there, I think that's where we all just naturally land.
06:48Sometimes we fall to the ladder, and we're like, oh, no, we lost Jordan.
06:51Quick, quick, someone fan them up, and we'll get back to it.
06:55But hydration is very important.
06:56Electrolytes, pickle juice, to my dismay, everyone loves a good shot of pickle juice.
07:01It's very rejuvenating.
07:03Other than that, you just keep calm and you carry on.
07:07You get through the heat.
07:08And the hardest scenes are usually the ones where due to schedule shifts, because a lot
07:12of our scenes are sometimes shot in exteriors, and exteriors sometimes are more privy to
07:18the weather than we're allowed for other things.
07:21So my hardest scenes are when due to weather and schedule shifts or if someone gets sick
07:27or because we have a huge cast of people that we always have to be wary of, there will be
07:31a schedule change, and a scene that I had a week previous where if you've seen the show,
07:36Judas likes to ramble.
07:38I think something that they maybe took from me after befriending and learning more about
07:42me, I'm pretty sure Dallas and the writers were like, oh, yeah, yeah, let's make him
07:46more like Luke.
07:46Let's just have him talk endlessly.
07:48I was like, great.
07:49I'm glad that's something the character can get from me.
07:52So he'll have mountains of dialogue that I have to learn.
07:55For one example, season four, one of the first scenes that Judas has is a scene of doing
08:02the laundry with Simon the Zealot.
08:03I thought I had like a day or two to fly in.
08:07As I was getting on the plane, they were like, hey, you're shooting tomorrow morning.
08:10And so I just had to pull up the scene, which was like paragraph after paragraph after paragraph
08:16of dialogue and just get off book on the plane and then show up and pretend like I always
08:22knew it.
08:22So it's scenes like those and they've happened occasionally some other times in the past
08:29two seasons.
08:30Those are the hardest, the surprise scenes, I like to call them, where it's like, oh,
08:34you thought you had a week of prep.
08:35In moments of panic like that, I realize, oh, there's no time to think.
08:40It's swim or sink.
08:41So I just swim.
08:43And by the time I get to shore, I don't think about the distance or how tired I am.
08:47I'm just like, I did it.
08:49We're good.
08:49Some of my favorite memories, playing Smash Bros behind the scenes of The Last Supper.
08:55Well, we're all at the table.
08:57And so depending on the shot and how long it takes, certain members of us, I brought
09:00my Switch onto the set.
09:01And so I just set it up.
09:03And we each took turns, depending on who is called to the table, to just rock out.
09:08Noah James, who plays Andrew, is famously a competitive Smash player.
09:13Have you lost in Smash Bros. 2 any chosen cast or crew?
09:16Zero.
09:17Yeah, zero talent.
09:18He bests all of us, no question.
09:22I think the most aggravating thing is he doesn't really take pleasure from a win.
09:26He only gets frustrated if he loses.
09:30So he'll beat you.
09:32And then he'll look at you with the most empty eyes and just, again?
09:36The ending of season four was just a party scene.
09:40Like it had been a long season.
09:42And we thought at that point so many of us had such emotional arcs.
09:46And the entire season ended, a lot of us wrapped with a party at Lazarus' house.
09:51And that was nice.
09:53I look back on that, I'm like, that's almost two years ago now.
09:56And I still remember the exact feeling that I felt then now, which is just appreciation
10:02and gratitude that I got to share this with so many lovely people.
10:07In season three, I remember getting used to sitting down scenes in big rooms.
10:12And it's taking a week and it's hot and we have to get through the dialogue.
10:15I realized this was going to be my last time doing that with all of my disciple brothers.
10:23It was sweet.
10:23It was nostalgic.
10:24It was comforting.
10:25And I think getting to share that last moment with these guys that I've spent so much time
10:29with and I have gotten so close with was just really nice.
10:34It didn't matter that the room was extremely schwezzy or the humidity was kind of practically
10:42choking us at that point.
10:43And the chairs are always, always uncomfortable.
10:47No lumbar support.
10:48No cushions.
10:49It's just wood.
10:50That's the seating arrangement in the first century.
10:52But the fact that we were doing it together, I'm going to miss it.
10:55I'm a very naturally rambunctious kid at heart.
11:01At five years old, I was just glued to the television.
11:03So acting seemed like the right course to take.
11:06Like I was a performer at heart.
11:09I don't think anyone would want me, you know, conducting surgery on them or their loved ones.
11:13So this is probably the best for everyone.
11:15I just loved Jim Carrey right off the bat.
11:18The man was a human cartoon which defied all my expectations and logic.
11:22So I glued on to him immediately and I was like, that's the guy.
11:27Let's freaking go.
11:29Gene Wilder, also an extremely amazing, someone who I found later on in life and saw that his
11:35film career, although maybe not as unanimously popular as other comedic or fantastic actors,
11:43were so poignant and so amazing.
11:46I just loved his sincerity to chaos and his commitment to the natural reality of a situation,
11:54no matter how absurd, which would make it all the more funny.
11:58Like he was, he's fantastic.
12:01Robin Williams as well, who I always appreciate.
12:05And then after his passing, I realized there was just this collection, this cornucopia of
12:10who this guy was, that he was unstoppable.
12:12Like a constant engine of energy and thoughts and chaos.
12:16He taught me that it's okay to accept the weirdness that might sometimes be a bit off-putting
12:25and if you can channel it.
12:26Because I think mine was more like a, even now sometimes people are like, oh, you're so
12:31quick.
12:31I'm like, no, no, no.
12:32I'm more of a shotgun like spray and pray.
12:34But Robin exists as a constant North Star to me.
12:38It's like, no, no, no, if you can focus that energy, if you can give it a point and turn
12:43that spray into like a sniper rifle of comedy, humor and goodwill towards men, that's the
12:49way to work.
12:50And that's just a small list of just the array of amazing performers who, I mean, you'd assume maybe, maybe they're outsiders.
12:59I always felt like an outsider.
13:00Another reason why I connected to Judas.
13:02But to use that energy for good, to entertain, to make people happy and to just spread just good feelings and inspiration all around.
13:11That's, that's the kind of performer that inspires me and makes me want to be or not to be.
13:18That is the question.
13:21I think my first big acting gig, I was very lucky right out of my graduation of performing arts college in the spring of 2018.
13:29I was able to book a, a small talking part on the FX show, Better Things, created by Pamela Adlon.
13:37I don't know how I got it.
13:39I remember showing up and not being on book for the size.
13:43I just happened to be the first one to audition.
13:45I was like, what are the odds?
13:46And then I got it.
13:48And Pamela, she was super kind and it was crazy because I look back at it now and I'm like, oh, I'm acting opposite now Academy Award winner, Mikey Madison, which is insane.
14:00It's cool to look back on now, but I think that's just the industry.
14:02You never know whose path is going to take you where or where things will coincide.
14:07It's just constantly growing.
14:10Yeah, that was, that was my first thing.
14:11It got my managers to sign with me and it was cool.
14:15I remember I was super nervous too.
14:16Like I had memorized my lines and then the camera was on me and I just blanked and Pamela looked at me and was like, first time.
14:23I was like, yes, is it obvious?
14:26Just full rusted.
14:27I couldn't move.
14:28But luckily I wore that rust off and I got back into it and I'm in a scene in a TV show now.
14:37Well, now I'm in a lot of scenes and a lot more of a TV show.
14:41So I guess I naturally grew.
14:44I worked up that ladder.
14:46No, but love is stupid.
14:48But you know what's stupider than love?
14:50The people who think they deserve love.
14:55This guy knows.
14:56Improv is, it's like a Zen garden I always come back to.
15:01I started doing it in high school and I'm so thankful for it because I was not funny.
15:06I was not funny as a kid.
15:08I think I was just loud, which could be confused for funny if you didn't know any better, which I didn't.
15:13So I was just going around as a kid being very loud.
15:17But eventually in high school, an upperclassman was like, hey, you seem like you've got a lot.
15:23Do you want to just come here?
15:25And he took me by my lapels and just threw me into our comedy sports high school league.
15:30And from there I learned timing, scene preparation, character, and just working naturally with other funny people made me funnier.
15:37And there's always times where it's like, oh no, it's been too long.
15:41Maybe I'm not good anymore.
15:43What am I?
15:44And then I'll go back, do a small scene at a theater that's like open and I'll be like, oh never mind.
15:51I needed this.
15:52This is good.
15:52It's good for the soul or the comedic soul.
15:54It's a nice rebasing.
15:56So anytime, any chance I get, I always try to lean back on my comedic roots because it's just freeing and it's fun.
16:04I guess for improvising, confidence is key.
16:07I feel like from improv, that's where I really learned it.
16:09And then it kind of translates to everything else like acting, life in general.
16:14Because once you allow yourself to just kind of be stupid on stage and know that there is a chance for failure.
16:20And once you fail enough on that stage, you learn to be confident in yourself.
16:25That doesn't mean you need to get the biggest joke.
16:27You don't need to get like the biggest laugh.
16:28But once you're confident in yourself and you know what your abilities are, that's kind of all you need.
16:35Just unmitigated confidence.
16:38And then let the rest take care of itself.
16:41Right now I don't know what's coming next.
16:43That's kind of the crux of this job.
16:44You do one project and you wait to see what comes next.
16:47And as terrifying as that is, it's also kind of freeing because anything could be next.
16:54And to that, I can't wait to see what it is.
16:57I'm a huge comic book fan.
16:58I'm a huge Star Wars fan.
17:00I know nowadays they've become these huge franchises.
17:03But growing up with them, even back then, I would have been happy just in any...
17:08No, that's not true.
17:10Not in any role.
17:11If I was playing a stormtrooper in Star Wars, I'd probably like cry.
17:14And I don't mean to say this as like jumping on the bandwagon.
17:16But genuinely, those stories mean so much to me.
17:19And I love those kinds of modern mythos, bigger than life stories.
17:24So something like that.
17:25I'm also a huge fan of action.
17:27I don't know if Tom Cruise needs like a timeout from the Mission Impossible series.
17:31But I don't know.
17:33I could tag in.
17:33I think I'd meet the height requirement.
17:35I've got a lot.
17:36A lot of dreams.
17:37A lot of aspirations.
17:38So hopefully just one of them.
17:40I just want one.
17:41Just one more from this.
17:42I think that'll be fine.
17:44But other than that, I'm doing all right.
17:48When I'm not working.
17:49I think I work more.
17:51I found a new appreciation and love for writing.
17:55I always did writing as a hobby.
17:56And now it's becoming more prevalent as a way to create.
18:00And people are actually interested in some of my writing.
18:03So I'm enjoying that aspect of it.
18:06I'm always trying to come up with fun new ideas or see what small little improv or stage
18:12theaters I can go and participate with.
18:14I really do just love my craft.
18:17Funny enough, when I'm not working on TV, I really like consuming.
18:20I'll just watch whatever's coming on.
18:23I'm a huge fan of shrinking the studio on Apple TV.
18:26And when I'm not doing that, playing video games, reading, spending time with my family.
18:31Just relaxing, mostly.
18:33I think the thing that inspires me creatively is to inspire or to escape.
18:39I think the art that always really excited me was stories or characters that made me think and that made me want to do or be more.
18:50Characters like Spider-Man, Superman, these idols, these epitomes of what it means to be good,
18:56to fight against your tribulations and to overcome them, not just for the sake of yourself, but for the sake of others.
19:02But also stories that made me yearn for something more and to escape like dreary hardships that sometimes are a bit overwhelming
19:12in the common sense that you're looking at right now and you think, is this my complete life?
19:18Is this all I'm meant for?
19:20And then you watch Dead Poets Aside and you're like, no.
19:24Life is beautiful and it's expansive and it's that way because we can make it that way.
19:30And we can have fun.
19:31We can contribute a verse.
19:33Any one of us can.
19:34And that's the kind of art that, I mean, I'd like to make and it's the kind of art that I like to consume.
19:42The reasoning to live and to be human, that excitement, that's the one worth making.
19:50Don't be afraid to doubt yourself.
19:52I know how that sounds, face value.
19:54But growing up, I think I had such a strict view of what success was or what truth was or how things are.
20:04I learned that if I wanted to grow, if I wanted to learn something new, I had to doubt what I had already known.
20:12I had to question what I felt comfortable in for the possibility of a newer or better truth that I hadn't thought of before.
20:20And so knowing who I am, knowing the values that I share, I had to be brave and doubt myself, doubt what I am right now so I could maybe find something better in the future or maybe two steps down the line that was right there that I hadn't considered before.
20:38So don't be afraid. Take courage in yourself and doubt because you never know what you're going to find just right outside your doorstep.
20:47And it was there the whole time. You just needed to open the door.
20:52To hear more of this interview, visit our podcast, Life Minute TV on iTunes and all streaming podcast platforms.
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