The life-like first-century film set in Midlothian, Texas, home to The Chosen, includes a Bible-themed “ingredient” you won’t ever spot on camera.
In fact, it’s hidden so well that many of the cast and crew likely don’t know it’s there, either.
The ingredient: Bible verses.
B.J. Forman, the art department coordinator for The Chosen, told Christian Headlines that construction workers were given a black magic marker and allowed to write their favorite Bible verses on the unfinished walls and rooms on the set before they were painted/finished. The result: countless Bible verses are hidden on the set.
In fact, it’s possible some of your favorite verses are hidden behind the paint on the walls … in some of your favorite scenes.
“Before we put the finishes” on the set, Forman said, “we sent the army of workers that we had building the city and armed them each with a giant black magic marker and said, ‘Go in there and graffiti the place – write down your favorite Scripture, your favorite inspirational words, your favorite verse. … So they took that idea and ran with it to every other unfinished room within the city.”
Some of the verses were written in English, others in Spanish.
A few of the workers didn’t know they were working on the set of The Chosen until they were told, Forman added.
“They were hired to do a job like they would build a Kroger,” he said. “Our stonemasons would come in and they just knew they were putting up a wall but they didn’t know what for. … It turns out many of them were fans of the show that we weren’t even aware of. They were just here for a job and it turns out that were here for a purpose.”
Filming on Season 4 of The Chosen concluded this week. It is scheduled to be released next year.
Photo courtesy: ©Michael Foust
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.