Giavani Cairo – The Chosen

By starrymag | April 9, 2024

By: Paige Zinaman

 

 

Q) Congratulations on Season 4 of “The Chosen!” What a wild experience for sure!  Tell us a little about Thaddeus, what made you want to portray this character? 

 

A) Really appreciate that! It’s crazy to think how far we’ve come since Season 1 back in 2018. I’m truly honored to give a voice to Thaddeus, who’s also known as St. Jude. He’s very much a peacemaker and wears his heart on his sleeve – making sure people are truly seen and that they belong. The writing and storytelling is what truly pulled me in. The way it all happened is straight up faith and surrender. About five months before booking “The Chosen” I was at a point in my life where I wasn’t happy with my career, or the way life was going in general. Living in LA…little work…missing family…not a good combination. After debating taking a break from it all, a friend encouraged me to get involved in a program all about giving back. After some pushback (because I was so career focused) I thought “Why not?” In addition to giving back to the less fortunate we learned leadership skills and made goals for the year. My main two were to book my first series and get closer to God. I was raised Christian, but never felt a strong connection to my faith. In addition to my acting training, I started praying everyday while reading The Bible (even though I didn’t understand most of it). Two weeks before the program ended, “The Chosen” audition came. After auditioning for Simon and Andrew, I had a Skype with Dallas (our creator/director) and he offered me the role. If that’s not faith, I don’t know what is.

 

Q) Talk to us a little about this season and what it was like to film.

 

A) Oh man, Season 4 was definitely our most intense one yet. Definitely an emotional one. I know our fans are thinking “surprise, surprise.” So many fun storylines and new characters were introduced too. Physically it was probably our most demanding too with a lot of walking outside in the dry heat. It’s truly a blessing each season working with these amazing people. We say it all the time, but we are truly family both in front and behind the camera. It’s like going to summer camp with your buddies! I love them.

 

Q) Since portraying Thaddeus, have you discovered a change in your acting or has playing him influenced you in other roles? 

 

A) It definitely has, and we have our writers Ryan Swanson, Tyler Thompson and Dallas Jenkins to thank for that. Their writing is so specific and they’re so good at carving out unique personalities for each character. The gift of being able to build a character and tell Thaddeus’s story through multiple seasons has given me a new love for the craft. Seeing my casemates’ growth through each season is a master class in itself as well.

 

Q) With the show being about The Bible and the story of Jesus, have you found navigating the role or stories challenging in any way? 

 

A) There’s definitely a sense of responsibility to it. It’s truly an honor portraying these real people who walked the earth like us, as well as telling the greatest story ever told. This means so much to so many people and that’s not lost on us. We really extremely hard to make sure we’re doing them justice.

 

Q) Some of the bigger themes being explored this season were ones like Belief vs Cynicism and What does God really want, which are all thought provoking ideals. What would you say has been your favorite to explore and shine a light upon? 

 

A) One theme that’s been really interesting to explore is why bad things happen to good people. When you’re doing everything right in life and really trying your best…and then a massive trial knocks you to the ground breathless. You see it so much on our show. You see it in Season 3 when Eden (Lara Silva) and Simon (Shahar Isaac) go through the loss of their baby. “The Chosen” isn’t afraid to tackle the hard questions and explore situations people go through even today.

 

Q) We know how the creator of show Dallas [Jenkins] has laid out the series, he’s spoken about it before, what are you most looking forward to? 

 

A) It’s so bittersweet to think about. We’ve explored so many incredible moments thus far – the water into wine miracle, feeding of the five thousand…walking on water. We also know where this story is leading, and as heartbreaking as it is from a storyline perspective, it’s emotional thinking that one day there will be a final “wrap” for us playing these characters together. There’s no doubt, we’ll be crying our eyes out every day leading up to it. Okay, enough with the sad thoughts! Off the top of my head, I think Holy Week will be a great time filming. I’m sure there will be so much to tackle there.

 

Q) You’ve had amazing locations throughout the series. Where has been your favorite location to shoot? 

A) That’s so hard to answer because we’ve truly been blessed with the most incredible locations! Our home base in Midlothian, TX is a full city of first century Capernaum. Our art department and set designers are the best in the business because when you walk on set, you are literally walking back in time. We also have the privilege to work on this incredible set in Goshen, Utah. We do a lot of our Jerusalem shots there and the attention to detail is nothing short of amazing. Our walking on water set was also a dream come true. We were in a tank located in Louisiana. The waves, the rain and the lights flashing representing the lightning…it’s a moment I’ll remember and cherish for the rest of my life.

 

Q) You have some amazing co-stars, like Jonathan Roumie who plays Jesus, Elizabeth Tabish who plays double as Lilith and Mary Magdalene, and Yasmine Al-Bustami who plays Ramah. Who have been some of your costars that you’ve truly enjoyed sharing scenes with?

 

A) Honestly, every single one of them. I’m constantly inspired being around these many talented artists, who are also such genuine people. All of them work so hard to bring their respective roles to life. It’s so fun to see too, since we all have our own unique personalities, each season with someone different brings new layers and colors to the scene. Me and Jordan Walker Ross, who plays Little James so beautifully, met on our first day back in 2018. We often talk about how everyone has grown so much over the seasons.

 

Q) There have been so many memorable moments for us the audience members, mine was a scene with Ramah talking about Lavender from Season 1. What has been a memorable moment or scene that you’re most proud of?  

 

A) One of my all-time favorite moments, and I think many would agree, is early on in Season 2. Nathanael, played wonderfully by Austin Reed Alleman, is at his lowest point after a crushing blow in his life. He’s worked so long for his moment just to see it come crashing down. He has nothing left but to scream to God, “Do you see me?” It’s so relatable to so many. I’ve been there countless times in life wondering “why is this happening to me?”

I love watching moments in a show/movie that I can personally relate to, and this moment does it for me every time.

 

Q) Easter was recent and “The Chosen” is about The Bible. What does it mean for you that families were likely gathered around watching the show together?

 

A) It truly means the world. As artists, we pray and hope to be a part of something way bigger than ourselves. Something that has a big positive impact. Seeing how “The Chosen” is bringing families and others together…it’s beautiful. Love, connection, acceptance. It’s what this world needs. If we can take that kindness and keep passing it along to each other, that’s the key.

 

Q) Thinking back to Season 1, did you ever anticipate the series being the hit that it is? 

 

A) I don’t think any of us were expecting this. In the beginning it was just this little engine that could. To see how many people across the world relate to these characters and the storylines…it’s humbling to say the least. The United States, Brazil, Italy, Spain, London, The Philippines – it’s bringing people together from all over.

 

Q) What is the message you hope audiences take away from watching “The Chosen?”

 

A) That love truly is the answer and that we’re not so different from each other. We may disagree about certain topics, but that doesn’t mean we need to hate each other. God made us all different for a reason and we can use those differences to understand each other.

 

Q) What can fans expect from you next? What are some of the other projects you have coming up? 

 

A) There are a couple potential projects I’ll be working on later this year, but all my focus is on Season 5 of “The Chosen” starting up soon!

We’ve got such a great season planned for y’all!

 

Q) What would you like to say to fans and supporters of you and your work? 

 

A) From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for all of the love and support. To my family, especially my mom and friends…there’s no way I would be in this position if it weren’t for you. God truly blessed me with you.

To all our fans of “The Chosen”…we have the best fans in the world. You all are why we do this, and it doesn’t happen without you. So thankful to be on this ride together, and we’ve got more to come!