The Chosen Season 4 has finally made its streaming debut, and with it, many fans are being reintroduced to the talented performance of David Amito as John the Baptist—so, here are some things to know about the actor.
[ Where to Watch The Chosen Season 4 for Free - Streaming App Details ]
4 Facts To Get to Know The Chosen's David Amito
David Amito Trained At Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute
Davit Amigo's resume reveals that the fix-foot-seven actor acted for two years full-time at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in West Hollywood.
He also spent a year at Methodica Acting Studio and Carter Thor Studio.
The training credits on his resume can be seen below:
- ACTING: Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute - New York - 2 Years Full Time (Paul Calderon, George Loros, Geoffrey Horne, Robert Castle)
- ACTING: Methodica Acting Studio - Vancouver - 1 year Full Time (Asen Gadjalov)
- SCENE STUDY: Carter Thor Studio - Toronto - 1 year Part Time Jock MacDonald)
- IMPROV: "The Outsiders" Troupe - 2 Years
- IMPROV: Second City - Toronto - IMPROVISATION C
Some other projects Amito has been a part of include Stress Position, Nikita, and Wizards.
David Earned an Award Nomination for Directing a Horror Movie
Despite starring in The Chosen, many fans might be surprised to know that David Amito also co-directed and co-wrote the horror movie Anteum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made.
In doing so, he also earned nominations for "Best Horror Feature" and "Best Director Feature" at the Nightmares Film Festival.
The logline for the movie is concise yet extremely effective, "To rescue the soul of their deceased dog, a young boy and girl enter a forest and dig a hole to hell."
While talking to Fangoria about the project, he revealed that he’s "digested a lot of horror movies" over the years:
"Between the two of us, [Michael Laicini] and I have digested a lot of horror movies… By now, the rush of being truly and deeply scared by a film is just not easily accomplished anymore. My fear receptors are fried when it comes to scary movies. I've seen too much. This is not to say that we aren't capable of appreciating an incredible piece of horror art — 'Midsommar' and 'Luz' come to mind this year — or being deeply disturbed by an act within a story, but it’s not the same as when I was 12 years old. Back then, there was a very real danger that the monsters I saw onscreen could somehow step out of my parents' TV, haunt and murder me."
David Puts a Lot of Trust in The Chosen Creator Dallas Jenkins
While speaking to HeyUGuys, David Amito shared how he put a lot of faith and trust into The Chosen creator Dallas Jenkins.
Amito shared how a lot of his time in the role has been him "surrendering to the experience of it:"
"[Playing] John the Baptist has been a lot of surrendering to the experience of it and not trying to get too wrapped up in what people might expect. But more trusting the vision that Dallas [Jenkins] and the writing that Ryan, Tyler, and Dallas have done with the character. And so there’s a lot of like surrendering to that experience."
He described the character’s journey as "a person going towards their death:"
"And on set, because it's essentially a person going towards their death but a person who was so convicted in their mission in life, there’s a bittersweetness to it. There’s a completion of one's life duty. And then, at the same time, a mourning of the life they loved. So, it was an interesting kind of revelation to feel this cocktail of things."
"John is not Jesus," the actor made sure to clarify, and he is just "a man:"
"And as I keep saying, John is not Jesus. He’s not a God. You know, he's a man. And I wanted to make sure that was going to remain the case, that he would feel like that. And so a lot of the scene kind of just revealed itself to me. Like any good creative process which, Dallas is at the helm of and really good at creating an environment where all create. So yeah, a lot of it was just trust."
David Was Deeply Moved By a Chosen Fan
In a conversation with Crossmap Blogs, David Amito revealed how deeply a specific fan of The Chosen moved him.
Setting the stage, Amito explained how he has "had a lot of people reaching out with art that they’ve made for John the Baptist:"
"I've had a lot of people reaching out with art that they've made for John the Baptist. I've been posting it on my social media. A lot of really gifted artists are doing that. And I love the idea that my own art can, or art in general, can contribute to more art being created. So, it's such a creative atmosphere."
The actor went on to tell the story of "a lady named June" who writes to him about his dog often:
"But there's also a lady named June, a wonderful woman from Canada that I've never met that just writes to me so frequently about … I had a dog, a blind albino chewie that had this catastrophic event where she just started bleeding, and we rushed her to the hospital. And I posted about it because I think we were also trying to raise some money because she has some expensive medical bills that we just weren't expecting."
Amito described the whole situation as being "really beautiful:"
"And now, pretty much every month, June will reach out with, 'How's the lady doing? Is she doing okay?' And she's just checking up on me and my dog and telling us about John the Baptist. It's wild to see the kind of friendships the show can make. Of course, you also get fans, but surprisingly, a lot of friendships have come about through it that are more than your typical kind of fandom. It's been really beautiful."
The Chosen can be streamed from The Chosen app.
Read more about The Chosen:
The Chosen Season 4 Streaming Release Date Schedule of Episodes (Confirmed)
Goodbye The Chosen? Showrunner Confirms Which Season Will Be It’s Last
The Chosen Creator Terminates Contract With Studios Ahead of Season 4 Streaming Release