The Chosen S0 E255 - In My Words: Meet the Mom Who Plays Jesus’ Mom

The Chosen

The Chosen S0 E255 - In My Words: Meet the Mom Who Plays Jesus’ Mom
Jun 29, 2025 60 min Action & Adventure Movies
8.7

Within the same year, she became a mom in real life and on TV. Vanessa Benavente describes how her own experience of motherhood has shaped her portrayal of Jesus’ mother, Mary—and given her a window into the profound loss and love the real Mary would have experienced.

Creator Dallas Jenkins
Actor Jonathan Roumie, Shahar Isaac, Elizabeth Tabish
Country United States of America
Production Loaves & Fishes Productions
The Chosen eps. The Shepherd: A Story of the First Christmas
The Chosen eps. The Story of The Chosen
The Chosen eps. The Making of The Chosen
The Chosen eps. The Chosen in Jerusalem
The Chosen eps. Other Fun Bits
The Chosen eps. Christmas with The Chosen
The Chosen eps. Christmas with The Chosen: The Messengers
The Chosen eps. Christmas with The Chosen: Holy Night
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S1 E1
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S1 E2
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S1 E3
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S1 E4
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S1 E5
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S1 E6
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S1 E7
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S1 E8
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S2 E1
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S2 E2
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S2 E3
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtables: S2 E4
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S2 E5
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S2 E6
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S2 E7
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S2 E8
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S3 E1
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S3 E2
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S3 E3
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S3 E4
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S3 E5
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S3 E6
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S3 E7
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S3 E8
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S4 E1
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S4 E2
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S4 E3
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S4 E4
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S4 E5
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S4 E6
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S4 E7
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S4 E8
The Chosen eps. The Making of Season 1
The Chosen eps. The Making of Season 2
The Chosen eps. Loaves & Fishes: The Making of Season 3
The Chosen eps. The Heart of Season 4: Making of The Chosen
The Chosen eps. Into the Heart of The Chosen Season 5
The Chosen eps. The Unexpected Finale of Season 3
The Chosen eps. Savoring the Passover Seder—and Understanding the Last Supper
The Chosen eps. Privilege of a Lifetime
The Chosen eps. Unfiltered: Gen-Z Reacts to The Chosen
The Chosen eps. Jonathan Roumie on Playing Jesus
The Chosen eps. Fly through The Chosen film set
The Chosen eps. Behind the Groundbreaking Music of The Chosen
The Chosen eps. Everyone - Presented by Come and See
The Chosen eps. Mumbai and Manila Welcome The Chosen
The Chosen eps. Can The Chosen Cast Stomach 1st Century Food?
The Chosen eps. This or That: Lightning Round with Noah
The Chosen eps. Should’ve Smelled This Prank Coming From A Mile Away
The Chosen eps. Juliet’s Window Is A Little Too Yonder…
The Chosen eps. Nothing Wooden About This Acting
The Chosen eps. The Chosen in Ecuador
The Chosen eps. The Chosen in Madagascar
The Chosen eps. Mary's Story: Called By Name
The Chosen eps. Daniel's Story: Not What I Once Was
The Chosen eps. Anand's Story: The Lost Sheep
The Chosen eps. Light Overcomes Darkness: Lana’s Faith Journey
The Chosen eps. One of the Chosen: Arkansas Valley Prison
The Chosen eps. Nickkole's Story: Faith Like a Child
The Chosen eps. Thank You Letters from 5th Grade
The Chosen eps. This Call Is Being Recorded: Noah James
The Chosen eps. This Call Is Being Recorded: Jordan Walker Ross
The Chosen eps. This Call Is Being Recorded: Mitch Hudson
The Chosen eps. This Call Is Being Recorded: Adam Drake
The Chosen eps. This Call Is Being Recorded: Liz Tabish
The Chosen eps. This Call Is Being Recorded: Yasmine Al-Bustami
The Chosen eps. This Call Is Being Recorded: Dani Taylor
The Chosen eps. This Call Is Being Recorded: Luke Dimyan
The Chosen eps. This Call Is Being Recorded: Chad Gundersen, Producer
The Chosen eps. This Call Is Being Recorded: George H. Xanthis
The Chosen eps. This Call Is Being Recorded: Jeremy “JP” Gauna, Locations Team
The Chosen eps. This Call Is Being Recorded: Abe Bueno-Jallad
The Chosen eps. This Call Is Being Recorded: Akis Konstantakopoulos, Director of Photography
The Chosen eps. This Call Is Being Recorded: Amber Shana Williams
The Chosen eps. This Call Is Being Recorded: Amanda Jenkins
The Chosen eps. This Call Is Being Recorded: Amy Bailey (Joanna)
The Chosen eps. This Call Is Being Recorded: Paras Patel
The Chosen eps. Season 3, Episode 1 Aftershow
The Chosen eps. Season 3, Episode 2 Aftershow
The Chosen eps. Season 3, Episode 3 Aftershow
The Chosen eps. Season 3, Episode 4 Aftershow
The Chosen eps. Season 3, Episode 5 Aftershow
The Chosen eps. Season 3, Episode 6 Aftershow
The Chosen eps. Season 3, Episode 7 Aftershow
The Chosen eps. Season 3, Episode 8 Aftershow
The Chosen eps. Season 4 Hollywood Premiere Recap
The Chosen eps. To Wed or Not to Wed
The Chosen eps. Season 4 in 4 Letters
The Chosen eps. (Don't) Dread Season 4
The Chosen eps. Season 4, Episode 1 Aftershow
The Chosen eps. Season 4, Episode 2 Aftershow
The Chosen eps. Season 4, Episode 3 Aftershow
The Chosen eps. Season 4, Episode 4 Aftershow
The Chosen eps. Season 4, Episode 5 Aftershow
The Chosen eps. Season 4, Episode 6 Aftershow
The Chosen eps. Season 4, Episode 7 Aftershow
The Chosen eps. Season 4, Episode 8 Aftershow
The Chosen eps. Season 5, Episode 1 Aftershow
The Chosen eps. Season 5, Episode 2 Aftershow
The Chosen eps. Season 5, Episode 3 Aftershow
The Chosen eps. Season 5, Episode 4 Aftershow
The Chosen eps. Season 5, Episode 5 Aftershow
The Chosen eps. Season 5, Episode 6 Aftershow
The Chosen eps. Season 5, Episode 7 Aftershow
The Chosen eps. Season 5, Episode 8 Aftershow
The Chosen eps. Alice's Story: "Pages Coming Alive"
The Chosen eps. Shandi’s Story: “Very Relatable to Life”
The Chosen eps. Robert’s Story: “I paused it and had a moment with God.”
The Chosen eps. Rachel’s Story: Heart For Children
The Chosen eps. Ethan’s Story: The Chosen Is Catching Fishermen
The Chosen eps. Garrett’s Story: He Makes People What They Aren’t
The Chosen eps. Holy Week Stories: Making the Bible Real (Because It Is)
The Chosen eps. Multiple Stories from 5&2 Day
The Chosen eps. Audrey and Gail's Story: Seeing Themselves in The Chosen
The Chosen eps. Kevin’s Story: “Treated to something very special”
The Chosen eps. Discovering the New Testament through The Chosen
The Chosen eps. Kids’ Story—and Dance
The Chosen eps. Tristian’s Story: “That’s when my soul woke up.”
The Chosen eps. Familiar Faces in the Crowd
The Chosen eps. Jonathan’s New “Sandals”
The Chosen eps. Hey there, Dallas!
The Chosen eps. Judas Sticks It To Andrew
The Chosen eps. Shahar Sees The Chosen Through a Different Lens
The Chosen eps. Simon Z Arrives
The Chosen eps. Pottery WAS Harmed in the Making of Season 5
The Chosen eps. Joanna Gets Her Steps In...
The Chosen eps. Matthew 5.0
The Chosen eps. Goodnight Hugs
The Chosen eps. The Chosen Now Shot on iPhone?
The Chosen eps. We watch Joey, but Joey watches us.
The Chosen eps. Who’s hiding around the corner?
The Chosen eps. Burning the Midnight Oil
The Chosen eps. Can't Show You the Scene—Just Liz's Reaction to It
The Chosen eps. What's The Big Rush?
The Chosen eps. Game Time!
The Chosen eps. Tough Crowd
The Chosen eps. We’ve Got a Disciple Down! Repeat: We’ve Got a Disciple Down!
The Chosen eps. This Story Is Bananas
The Chosen eps. Is This a “Wow!” or a Wipeout?
The Chosen eps. Danger Comes Into View
The Chosen eps. Snake—and Snake Charmer—on Set!
The Chosen eps. King of Pop & King of Kings Musical Fusion?
The Chosen eps. Pharisee Karaoke?
The Chosen eps. Barnaby Gets Mouthy…Once He Learns His Line
The Chosen eps. Takes An Architect to Arch a Brow Like That...
The Chosen eps. "What's so interesting about Thomas..." (Dallas and Joey work a scene)
The Chosen eps. "You shall have no other gods..."
The Chosen eps. Season 5 Ballet?
The Chosen eps. Dallas and Luke Have a Very Serious Talk...
The Chosen eps. From Scene to Song
The Chosen eps. Pharisees are good at giving directions—not taking them.
The Chosen eps. Alaa (Zee) Relives a Painful Moment
The Chosen eps. What's Around the Corner?
The Chosen eps. Hugs All Around from Catherine (Mary B)
The Chosen eps. Dallas and Shahar Are On The Same Page
The Chosen eps. Zee Hides, Then Seeks
The Chosen eps. Nathanael Washes Feet?
The Chosen eps. Mitch Makes Us Laugh For 60 Seconds
The Chosen eps. We Don't Let Language Barriers Stop Us
The Chosen eps. Dinner with Dolly
The Chosen eps. Surprised by Shrimp
The Chosen eps. Same Scene. Different Location.
The Chosen eps. Jordan Doesn't Need Lines to Express Himself
The Chosen eps. Week 3 Check-In with Noah and Reza
The Chosen eps. Week 4 Check-In with Giavani (and his impression of George)
The Chosen eps. Week 6 Check-In with the Jameses
The Chosen eps. Week 7 Check-In with Catherine
The Chosen eps. Week 8 Check-In with Brad
The Chosen eps. Week 9 Check-In with Abe
The Chosen eps. Week 10 Check-In with Giavani
The Chosen eps. Week 11 Cast Check-In?
The Chosen eps. Week 12 Check-In with Wassim
The Chosen eps. Week 14 Check-In with Noah
The Chosen eps. Week 1 Prayer Requests: 600 Extras on Set + Family at Home
The Chosen eps. Week 2 Prayer Requests: Weather + Well-being
The Chosen eps. Week 3 Prayer Requests: Weather + Location Change
The Chosen eps. Week 7 Prayer Requests: Scenes, Streams, and Showers
The Chosen eps. Week 8 Prayer Requests: Weather, Wasps, and Working Overnight
The Chosen eps. Week 9 Prayer Requests
The Chosen eps. Week 10 Prayer Requests: Long Week and Intense Scenes
The Chosen eps. Week 11 Prayer Requests: Short Week but Long Scenes
The Chosen eps. Week 13 (Photobombed) Prayer Requests: Finishing Well And On Time
The Chosen eps. RECAP 1: Your First Look at Season 5 Filming
The Chosen eps. RECAP 1 BONUS: Explore the Utah Set with Us
The Chosen eps. RECAP 2: Hundreds of Fans Help Make History
The Chosen eps. RECAP 2 BONUS: See How Mitch Hudson Directs an Army of Extras
The Chosen eps. RECAP 3: Greeks, Geeks, and a Freak Storm
The Chosen eps. RECAP 3 BONUS: Assistant Director, Adam Drake, Keeps Us Marching to the Beat
The Chosen eps. RECAP 4: Our Longest Scene You’ve Ever Seen
The Chosen eps. RECAP 4 BONUS: Tour the Temple with Production Designer, James Cunningham
The Chosen eps. RECAP 5: Peter's First Sermon Is A Dud, But The Episode Is Explosive
The Chosen eps. RECAP 5 BONUS: Meet Dani, Guardian Of Our Galaxy?
The Chosen eps. RECAP 6: Last Week Took Us By Storm
The Chosen eps. RECAP 6 BONUS: Cast vs. Crew Football Game
The Chosen eps. RECAP 7: Home, sweet…wait, where are we?
The Chosen eps. RECAP 7 BONUS: Guess What We’re Filming Where in Texas
The Chosen eps. RECAP 8: Fighting Pharisees & Juggling Disciples
The Chosen eps. RECAP 8 BONUS: Meet Our Soundest Crew Member
The Chosen eps. RECAP 9: 12 Angry Men and 3 Wise Women
The Chosen eps. RECAP 9 BONUS: 2-For-1 Tour—Synagogue Outside & Sanhedrin Inside
The Chosen eps. RECAP 10: The Romans Get Rough
The Chosen eps. RECAP 10 BONUS: Leila Is Sew Talented (she designs all our costumes)
The Chosen eps. RECAP 11: The 2 Most Powerful Men in Jerusalem Clash
The Chosen eps. RECAP 11 BONUS: It’s A Dirty Job, But JP’s Gonna Do It
The Chosen eps. RECAP 12 BONUS: Mandy Makes Up The Chosen
The Chosen eps. RECAP 12: We Filmed The Last Supper Last
The Chosen eps. Season 5 Set Tour: Caiaphas' House
The Chosen eps. From Failure to The Chosen
The Chosen eps. Can you Trust The Chosen?
The Chosen eps. 5 Controversial Chosen Moments (Dallas Reacts)
The Chosen eps. These 3 Miracles Changed Our Lives
The Chosen eps. "Bible Preach"
The Chosen eps. Your Season 4 wait is over (+ important news)
The Chosen eps. I’ve got bad news about Season 4’s release
The Chosen eps. Who’s hiding around the corner?
The Chosen eps. Making History: Why The Chosen Feels So Real
The Chosen eps. Making History: Building The Chosen's World
The Chosen eps. Authenticity is in the details.
The Chosen eps. Making History: Our profound discovery about Gethsemane
The Chosen eps. Dallas Jenkins’ Favorite Chosen Scenes (Top 10 Countdown)
The Chosen eps. More to the Story: Did the Romans and Jews Work Together?
The Chosen eps. More to the Story: Why Was Jesus So Angry at the Temple?
The Chosen eps. More to the Story: Which Laws Did Jesus Break?
The Chosen eps. More to the Story: How Did Jesus Treat Outsiders?
The Chosen eps. More to the Story: How Did Rome Maintain Power?
The Chosen eps. More to the Story: What Was Jesus' Wine Like?
The Chosen eps. More to the Story: Why is the Passover Story Important?
The Chosen eps. More to the Story: Why Did Judas Betray Jesus?
The Chosen eps. The Chosen Showdowns: Balloon Battle
The Chosen eps. The Chosen Showdowns: Ping Pong Battle
The Chosen eps. The Chosen Showdowns: Hungry Sanhedrin
The Chosen eps. The Chosen Showdowns: Axe to Grind
The Chosen eps. The Spy Who Fed Me: The Chosen's Andrew is a Cereal Killer
The Chosen eps. The Spy Who Fed Me: A Slice of Life (& Pizza) with Judas Iscariot
The Chosen eps. The Spy Who Fed Me: The Chosen's Mary Magdalene Spills the Tea
The Chosen eps. The Spy Who Fed Me: Feast or Fast for The Chosen’s Jesus?
The Chosen eps. The Spy Who Fed Me: The Chosen's High Priest Was on Star Trek?
The Chosen eps. The Spy Who Fed Me: Does The Chosen’s Ramah have a Chick-fil-A Problem?
The Chosen eps. In My Words: Simon Z's Transformation from Warrior to Disciple
The Chosen eps. In My Words: Mary Magdalene's Journey From Darkness to Light
The Chosen eps. In My Words: What Did Judas Get Wrong?
The Chosen eps. In My Words: Why Is Tamar's Faith Beautiful?
The Chosen eps. In My Words: What Was Shmuel's Big Mistake?
The Chosen eps. In My Words: What Joanna Sacrificed for Jesus
The Chosen eps. In My Words: How Jesus Challenged Pontius Pilate
The Chosen eps. In My Words: Playing Peter Before He Was A Saint
The Chosen eps. In My Words: Meet the Mom Who Plays Jesus’ Mom
The Chosen eps. In My Words: Why Does Little James Have a Disability?
The Chosen eps. The surprising story behind The Chosen
The Chosen eps. Can Bible Characters Make For Good TV?
The Chosen eps. How we're writing a Jesus Show that isn't boring
The Chosen eps. Your eyes and ears to The Chosen
The Chosen eps. The Chosen Director Talks Jesus With Media and Influencers
The Chosen eps. Andrew: The heart of the character
The Chosen eps. Meet the couple behind your Chosen gear
The Chosen eps. Jesus in every language?
The Chosen eps. “The most rewarding experience of my career.” - seeing The Chosen for the first time
The Chosen eps. What Exactly is a Script Supervisor? - The Chosen on set
The Chosen eps. Grips, Gaffers, and Martinis: The Chosen's guide to film terms
The Chosen eps. Miracle of the Dirt
The Chosen eps. "What's a film grip?" On set with The Chosen's
The Chosen eps. VFX before and after - The Chosen
The Chosen eps. Not all Pharisees are bad guys
The Chosen eps. The Chosen did all THIS on one small set?
The Chosen eps. The Chosen creates the Sea of Galilee in Texas
The Chosen eps. How The Chosen Season 2 will look
The Chosen eps. The Chosen No One Sees: Set building and scriptwriting
The Chosen eps. The Chosen no one sees
The Chosen eps. Dallas gives you secret Chosen tour
The Chosen eps. Writers Decide How The Chosen Will End
The Chosen eps. Not your grandma's Jesus show
The Chosen eps. Directing The Chosen: A day on set with Dallas Jenkins
The Chosen eps. You Won't Believe How Much We Filmed Here...
The Chosen eps. Finishing The Chosen
The Chosen eps. A look inside The Chosen editing room
The Chosen eps. Airplanes Ruined Jesus's Line? Here's how we fixed it.
The Chosen eps. Strange Voices in The Chosen
The Chosen eps. The Story Behind the Music of The Chosen
The Chosen eps. Dallas Shared These Important Words on The Chosen Set
The Chosen eps. Fire on the Set
The Chosen eps. The Chosen’s murder scene; Was Jesus follower a murderer?
The Chosen eps. We're Building an Ancient City in Texas!
The Chosen eps. The Inside Look at the Chosen Costumes
The Chosen eps. How we shot the Miracle of the Fish
The Chosen eps. How we shot Jesus healing the leper
The Chosen eps. Watch us film Season 4
The Chosen eps. We take you on the first Season 4 set tour!
The Chosen eps. Our Chosen Insiders give you a first look at the scenes being set up for Season 4. See how much thought and attention to detail goes into building a believable first-century world where our story unfolds.
The Chosen eps. The Chosen—MINUS the MUSIC 🎶
The Chosen eps. The Jesus backpack's amazing story
The Chosen eps. Bringing John 3:16 to screen
The Chosen eps. The healing at Zebedee's: On the set
The Chosen eps. Water to Wine: The Chosen's Wedding at Cana
The Chosen eps. The Chosen Scene: Pool of Bethesda (Deep Dive)
The Chosen eps. Why did Jesus pair up the disciples?
The Chosen eps. Fighting words: Jesus’ teaching stirs up trouble
The Chosen eps. Their common enemy is Jesus
The Chosen eps. What Motivated Judas To Betray Jesus?
The Chosen eps. Casting the Chosen
The Chosen eps. The Plot Behind John the Baptist's Death
The Chosen eps. The Miracle of the Miracle of the Fish
The Chosen eps. Why our Walking on Water scene looked so real...
The Chosen eps. Could Matthew Have Been Simon Peter's Tax Collector?
The Chosen eps. The Chosen visits wedding miracle site
The Chosen eps. At the Sea of Galilee: “The Chosen will catch a lot of fish.”
The Chosen eps. Why is the woman at the well so important? (The Chosen in Israel)
The Chosen eps. Easter with The Chosen: Death to Resurrection
The Chosen eps. Garden of Gethsemane: the surprising significance of the olive trees
The Chosen eps. We're featuring this disciple in The Chosen - The Chosen in Israel
The Chosen eps. The Importance of the Jewishness of Jesus
The Chosen eps. The Chosen team visited Israel with Rabbi Jason Sobel - The Chosen in Israel
The Chosen eps. Our profound discovery about Gethsemane
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S5 E1
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S5 E2
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S5 E3
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S5 E4
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S5 E5
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S5 E6
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S5 E7
The Chosen eps. Bible Roundtable: S5 E8
The Chosen eps. The Spy Who Fed Me: His Journey from Angsty Songs to Anxious Pharisee
The Chosen eps. The Spy Who Fed Me: From Child Actor to Youthful Pontius Pilate
The Chosen eps. The Complete Last Supper