It is never easy to step into an already established role, but Reza Diakowho took on the role of Philip in The Chosen Ones from season 4, found the process uniquely challenging – and a little surreal. In a recent interview with Collider, Diako spoke about his experience auditioning for the show and revealed that he initially did not know he was being considered for the role of Philip. “I knew it was for The Chosen Onesbut I had no idea it was going to be Philip,” Diako said. “I read a few lines and I was ultimately not told that I was playing Philip, which was really strange because I thought the character I was reading for was very similar to Philip.”

This situation led to what Diako described as a “weird, metaphysical mind game” between him and the show’s creative team. When he tried to interpret the character during his audition, he deliberately avoided imitating Philip, only to later find out that the role he was auditioning for was actually Philip. “I’m just trying to do it differently than Philip,” Diako explained, “but then it turns out they were looking for Philip. So it became this weird, metaphysical mind game that everyone was playing with each other.”

The “Harry Potter” precedent

Taking on a role previously played by another actor brings its own challenges, something Diako was well aware of. He compared the experience to recasting Dumbledore in the Harry Potter Films by Richard HarrisDeath and the subsequent change of Johnny Depp To Mads Mikkelsen as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts series. “Two of the most important people I looked back on were the change from Dumbledore to Harry Potter and then the Grindelwald change,” Diako said. “It was funny to see, ‘Oh, even the top actors have a little bit of trouble with this continuity.'”

Despite the pressure, Diako accepted the challenge with a mixture of admiration for his predecessor, Yoshi Barrigasand his own artistic instincts. “I was a fan of the show before and had seen Yoshi’s performance, and I wanted to do him justice and build on that,” he said. Diako also stressed the importance of balancing his own interpretation with the established character, explaining, “It was a combination of artistically fleshing out what I would say by bringing myself into it and looking at the similarities and differences.”

Stay tuned to Collider for more information on The Chosen Ones.

The Chosen Ones

The Chosen is a historical drama about the life of Jesus and those who knew him. Set against the backdrop of Roman oppression in first-century Palestine, the series offers an authentic insight into the revolutionary life and teachings of Jesus.

Release date

21 April 2019

Creator

Dallas Jenkins

Pour

Jordan Walker Ross, Elizabeth Tabish, Shahar Isaac, Paras Patel

Main genre

drama

Seasons

4