The actor opens up about the emotional challenge of playing one of the Bible’s most controversial figures.

Judas Iscariot has carried the label of “betrayer” for nearly 2,000 years. But in The Chosen, actor Luke Dimyan is determined to show there is far more to the disciple than the infamous decision that ultimately defines his story.

In Season 5, Dimyan brings a deeply emotional and conflicted performance to the role, exploring Judas as someone who loves Jesus and his fellow disciples while slowly losing trust in the path Jesus has chosen.

In an exclusive conversation with Woman’s World, Dimyan discussed the challenge of playing Judas, the emotional experience of filming the Last Supper and why he hopes audiences will see his character as a human being rather than simply a villain.

Luke Dimyan Didn’t Want Audiences to See Judas as “the Bad Guy”

For Dimyan, the biggest challenge of playing Judas was not necessarily building the character’s emotional journey. The script already provided what he considered a natural progression from trust to frustration and eventually betrayal.

The real difficulty was knowing that viewers would be watching his every move.

“Everyone’s watching to find faults in Judas, to look for signs of betrayal,” Dimyan explained.

Rather than making the warning signs obvious, the actor wanted to create a character audiences could genuinely struggle to understand.

He wanted viewers to see that Judas could sincerely love Jesus and the people around him while still making a devastating choice.

Dimyan believes that complexity is essential to Judas’ story.

He did not want the character reduced to the simple description of “the one who betrays.” Instead, he wanted audiences to remain conflicted about Judas throughout his journey.

Playing Judas Was the Role Dimyan Wanted

Despite the controversy surrounding Judas, Dimyan said he actually felt relieved when he was cast in the role.

He had also auditioned for Philip, but after reading for Judas, he knew which part he wanted.

“I hope it’s this or nothing,” he recalled thinking.

For Dimyan, playing such an infamous and weighty biblical figure represented an opportunity to challenge himself as an actor.

His background also shaped his perspective. Having grown up Coptic Orthodox, Dimyan was familiar with faith-based entertainment, although he admitted that much of it had not always appealed to him.

Judas, however, gave him a different kind of freedom.

Rather than feeling that he needed to preach or promote a particular message, Dimyan could concentrate on the acting itself. His goal was to create someone who felt real, conflicted and deeply human.

His Castmates Helped Him Carry the Emotional Weight

Playing Judas can be emotionally demanding, but Dimyan has found his own way of dealing with the pressure.

He describes himself as a jokester and often brings humor to the set, even when the moment might not always seem appropriate. For him, joking can be a way to release some of the tension surrounding particularly heavy scenes.

But when the emotional weight becomes too much, he relies on his castmates.

Noah James, who plays Andrew; Elizabeth Tabish, who plays Mary Magdalene; Amber Shana Williams, who plays Tamar; Giavani Cairo, who plays Thaddeus; and Joey Vahedi, who plays Thomas, have become much more than fellow actors.

Dimyan considers them close friends who have supported him both personally and professionally.

He also praised the wider cast for creating a supportive environment that he believes is unusual on a television set.

Filming the Last Supper Became an Emotional Goodbye

One of the most difficult days for Dimyan came while filming the Last Supper, particularly the moment when Judas leaves the table.

The scene was already significant because of what it represents in the story. But for Dimyan, the moment carried another layer of emotion: it marked his final day filming with the full group of disciples.

For three years, the actors had spent countless days together, often working side by side even when their characters had no dialogue or direct interaction.

They had shared long days in the heat, surrounded by sand and working together in the background of scenes.

When Jordan Walker Ross, who plays Little James, realized it was Dimyan’s final day with the full group, the mood on set changed.

Giavani Cairo stopped what he was doing. Noah James would not even look at Dimyan, instead squeezing his shoulder tightly. Abe Bueno-Jallad, George H. Xanthis, Joey Vahedi and Austin Reed Alleman also hugged him and shared heartfelt words.

The reaction caught Dimyan off guard.

It reminded him that the relationships created during the production were not simply professional. After years together, the cast had formed a genuine bond.

For Dimyan, leaving that brotherhood added another emotional dimension to Judas’ departure.

Judas’ Betrayal Is About More Than Hatred

Dimyan believes the story becomes even more heartbreaking because Judas is not motivated simply by hatred or cruelty.

Instead, his decisions grow out of fear, anxiety and a determination that has become misguided.

Judas believes he is doing what is necessary for Jesus, for the people of Israel and for the larger mission.

Eventually, his desperation pushes him toward the belief that he needs to take matters into his own hands.

That is where Dimyan believes Judas’ villainy comes from.

It is not an exaggerated form of evil. It is the result of someone becoming convinced that his own actions are necessary and urgent.

And that, Dimyan argues, makes Judas much more relatable than a straightforward villain.

The Chosen Explores Faith Through Judas’ Doubt

One of the aspects of Judas’ story that Dimyan finds particularly compelling is the way The Chosen approaches faith and uncertainty.

He does not see Judas as someone who simply stops believing.

Instead, Judas begins to lose his sense of security in that faith.

He still believes, but he gradually loses confidence in Jesus’ direction.

Dimyan compares the process to the small disappointments that can quietly change a relationship. A seemingly minor moment may not destroy someone’s trust, but it can cause them to reconsider what they expected from the person they relied on.

For Judas, those doubts accumulate.

His story also reflects the way people often judge biblical figures with the benefit of hindsight. Looking back, their mistakes can seem obvious. But Dimyan believes those decisions become more understandable when viewed from the perspective of the people actually living through them.

Judas has experienced real loss. He was orphaned and forced into survival mode while searching for meaning in a chaotic world.

His eventual downfall, in Dimyan’s view, is therefore not simply about betrayal.

It is about someone desperately trying to hold on to what he believes in — and ultimately damaging the very thing he loves.

Luke Dimyan Wants Audiences to Question Judas’ Choices

Ultimately, Dimyan hopes viewers will resist the temptation to see Judas only as the man who betrayed Jesus.

Instead, he wants audiences to feel conflicted.

He hopes they will ask themselves what they might have done in Judas’ position and consider the fears, hopes and flaws that shaped his decisions.

For Dimyan, Judas is a human being who loves, struggles, doubts and ultimately makes a devastating mistake.

That perspective also reflects one of the larger ideas he sees in The Chosen: faith is rarely simple.

Doubt can be part of the journey, and even the darkest decisions can contain something worth understanding.

Where to Watch ‘The Chosen’ Season 5

The first two episodes of The Chosen Season 5 arrived on Prime Video on June 15, with the remaining episodes released in three parts throughout June.

The U.S. release schedule is:

• Part 1 — Episodes 1–2: June 15
• Part 2 — Episodes 3–5: June 22
• Part 3 — Episodes 6–8: June 29

For international viewers, Season 5 follows a July schedule:

• Part 1 — Episodes 1–2: July 13
• Part 2 — Episodes 3–5: July 20
• Part 3 — Episodes 6–8: July 27

As Judas’ story moves toward its tragic conclusion, Dimyan’s performance offers audiences a chance to look at one of the Bible’s most infamous figures from a more complicated perspective — not simply as a betrayer, but as a deeply flawed human being whose choices carry devastating consequences.

Source: Compiled from various sources