Reza Diako – The Chosen

By starrymag | September 1, 2024

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

 

Q) You’ve taken over the role of Philip for the show “The Chosen.” What made you want to be a part of the series?

 

A) I was a very big fan of the show from the beginning. I think it’s one of the rare shows that portrays religious figures with an open, explorative human perspective rather than a preachy inaccessibility or an overt political agenda. It’s a historical drama of the story of Jesus through the eyes of the disciples and the people present at the time. I love that it keeps asking the questions of how the people of the time may have digested such moments and events, their struggles and how we can perhaps take lessons from the range of light and dark responses that the people of the time may have had towards the teachings, whether we take the story as fact, symbolic or fictional.

Philip is also such a lovely role to play. I resonate with what he tells Matthew about “living outside the circle for a couple of years.” I think he is an advocate for embracing your authentic self and not being too preoccupied with being “normal” or fitting within a specific “box.” I think that is wise, and truly loving. He leads with his heart and has a certain quiet, humble, courage from his time with John the Baptist that touches me a lot and, hopefully, the audience, too.

 

Q) Where do we pick up with the story for Season 4?

 

A) Well, my character Philip’s old rabbi and father figure, John the Baptist (David Amito), is imprisoned by Herod (Paul Ben-Victor) and is about to get beheaded. Philip’s hanging with his new rabbi and father figure, Jesus (Jonathan Roumie), and desperately trying to hold on to faith that what both his father figures are saying is true and that he must accept John’s imminent death gracefully with lightness, laughter and faith that Philip will be reunited with him “soon.”

That’s not an easy journey for a young heart driven guy like Philip. So, I guess from his end, he loses his mojo a little this year and holds back on his jokes and fun side to deal with his internal processing of the death of his father figure.

In terms of the actual story, it gets much darker. There’s less comfort in standing back and enjoying the magic and miracles. Now it’s time to stand up and be seen. That’s also quite scary and uncertain for everyone, and uncertainty breeds chaos and clash of motivations. It’s a very rich season!

 

Q) Were you familiar with any of your costars before working with them on the show?

 

A) No. This year for Season 5 there was one pleasant surprise blast from the past, but I can’t talk about it right now!

They are all wonderful though. It is a true family and the bonds we have built are truly rare, very openly trusting and love based and everyone’s egos are shed and left somewhere far, far away in the Texas deserts it seems.

 

Q) Did the cast give you a warm welcome that included a breakdown of what to expect from the filming schedule?

 

A) Yes! I was contacted by Jordan Walker Ross (Little James) first on Instagram weeks before I even moved to the set. Then, as soon as I landed, I was embraced by many more brothers I always wanted and never had. They would drive me everywhere and advise me on all things on set and offset, from practical things to love and spirituality. I was so grateful to know that, despite coming a little late to the show, I am now blessed with getting old with this family for the next four or so years on the show and also hopefully for many years to follow!

The set itself was so easy to feel at home in. It wasn’t just the cast, but everyone from Dallas’ [Jenkins] warm hug on day one, all the way to the chats with catering, costume, make-up and hair teams, the spirited PA’s – every single person on set was so humble, loving, and available to help with a level of care I had never seen before.

 

Q) Each episode is so fascinating. What were some of your best parts or most challenging parts of portraying Philip?

 

A) The best part was all the research and letting the essence of Philip touch me so I could try and let the same light touch the audience. Finding what’s similar and different and trying to fill in those gaps was a great deal of fun!

Then, I was also stepping into a Philip that was already established in the last couple of seasons and I loved that actor’s portrayal. So, it was a unique opportunity to co-create with what he had left to draw from and combine it with what I would bring from myself to the character. Of course, the circumstances and journey Philip was going through this season were far darker with the death of his father figure and rabbi, John the Baptist.

So, at some level the challenge was how to use every available resource and the script to connect my depiction of Philip to his old ways, with his playful lightness, communal spirit and quirky mannerisms, but also to allow him to live in the key moments of Season 4 and go through his alchemical transformation journey. I feel that the pain and loss of his father figure, John the Baptist, deeply affects and shapes him, maturing him and giving him more weight for the rest of his life. So, as a fan I find it cool that it’s a new actor playing him at this key moment. It’s perhaps symbolic that Philip will never be the same and as he mourns the loss of his rabbi, the fans (including me) must join him and mourn that Philip has a humble and quiet death/rebirth journey this season.

 

Q) How do you tend to shake off a long day of being on set?

 

A) I start the day downloading Philip’s psyche into me through a multifaceted and peculiar process. At the end of the day, I don’t really shake off – I shake and jiggle with an inner joy every moment of the entire filming schedule, as it feels like such a blessing to be alive and to embody such an iconic character in such a lovely work environment. It’s honestly so hard to complain. The body gets exhausted on occasions, but I am so spiritually fueled by each moment that I can go for five more months.

Having said that, Philip has his way of napping in the wilderness, and I took that leaf from his book. So, I nap a lot in random places on set to conserve energy from time to time.

There isn’t really much time in the gruesome schedule to take long breaks, so I take pleasure in obsessing on the character and reading, listening to and watching everything relevant to the subject in preparation for the next day. And preparing the body. The cast and crew also have creative events that we go to sometimes to debrief and unwind. That’s always fun! Utah and Texas have some really cool corners. And between seasons long walks, piano, singing and writing emotional vomit/bad poetry are some of my strategies to remember Reza. And whatever type of dancing I can be dragged into.

 

Q) With Season 4 available to stream now on Prime Video and Peacock and then coming to The CW in September, what are some episodes you’d really like fans to look out for?

 

A) I think Episode 5 has some interesting teachings about the categorical warfare everyone seems to be preoccupied with these days. I love the lesson of love, humility and grace in that.

I think Episode 2/3 brings a crazy surprise.

I also like any moments the disciples just get to sit and be and live life, replenishing energy for the next big event. Those quiet slice of life moments reveal interesting truths about the characters and their relationships with each other.

 

Q) What do you think it is about “The Chosen” that continues to make it such a popular and must-see series?

 

A) For the creatives, I think it’s the sense of being part of a deeper purpose shaking hands with an abundance of unconditional love that oozes from the way the show is made and everyone involved in making it, cast and crew. Of course, all that is a pulse living under the umbrella of the most generously passionate fans and followers who seem to have been moved by the quiet, humble and essentially human messages that show up through the story. “The Chosen” family is a global phenomenon, and very fascinating to be a part of.

It’s a must-see show because in the current times. I think we are a little fragmented as a collective and we might be searching for some simple human values and guidance on how to conduct ourselves in the light and dark waves of life. We are all sort of seeking the essence of being human. “The Chosen” story, if watched with an open mind as a historical drama, has a great deal to offer in terms of this human struggle and can offer some potentially moving lessons at a mind, heart or soul level.

 

Q) If you are able to share, what other projects have you have been busy working on?

 

A) I can a little. I was working on Reading Lolita in Tehran some time ago. It’s a book adaptation, and I play the role of Bahri. This is an exciting role because I had the opportunity to work with the extremely sharp, grounded and detail-oriented Israeli director, Eran Riklis, whose work I adore, as it often hits at the seemingly impossible bridges between humans that seem inherently unreachably different on face value. I also get to star next to Golshifteh Farahani! She is one of the reasons I became an actor and has been a mentor from a distance, bravely carving the path into mainstream Hollywood for Persian heritage actors. I got to meet and work directly with her, and this was a true honor!

Besides that, I played Ethan Marshall recently in upcoming film The Astronaut. This was a very major step for me towards playing roles beyond my Persian/Middle Eastern heritage. I have spent most of my life outside of Iran, in Switzerland, Austria, the UK and US, so I feel that this is the first step in many opportunities for me where I hopefully get to be trusted to play the everyman and utilize my range of languages, accents and first hand, direct experience of UK, European and US culture to obsessively prepare and portray more varied and complex roles accurately.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who are fans and supporters of you and the work you do on our screens?

 

A) Firstly, thank you for following me and letting me humbly be a small part of your world and your life. I look forward to meeting and thanking each of you. Second, I want to tell them to remember that the world is your mirror. If you see what I do and it speaks to you, it is because that light has already been there within you and perhaps grown dormant through the obstacles of life. Remember to keep the faith, aim high and courageously move in the direction of your dreams, give it a hundred and ten percent, dare to be uncomfortable and stand out and then surrender it all to God/ the universe and watch the adventure of your life magically unfold. Dare to be the best version of you. I’ll see you along the road, there’s plenty more to come for the both of us.