Interview: Vanessa Benavente (Mother Mary on The Chosen)

Vanessa Benavente talks about playing the mother of Jesus in The Chosen.
Season 3: Episodes 1 & 2 are coming to theatres November 18.
For a transcript of this interview:
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For more interviews and The Chosen episode analyses:
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[@Chirokea]

Thank you for the respectful protrayal of Mother Mary, she's so important to my path to our Lord

[@shawnfreemasonog]

wow she is a beautiful actress, they make her look so much older on the show

[@ladymarie8512]

Amazing that without even realizing it, Dallas and the writers showed Mary as the Intercessor.. loved when she said to Mary Magdaline, after she 'fell' and came back to camp, and asked if she should wait, and Mother Mary says... "No, I will take you to Him". Don't all mothers intercede for their kids? 💖

[@annaprice2537]

❤Amen

[@bettierusso5410]

The portrayal of Mother Mary in this show has hit my soul and heart in a way only those of us that are mothers could know. The mind-blowing thing about Mary is that of the torment she must have had within her heart over how to be God's earthly mother and a real, flawed woman. How did she discipline the toddler with tantrums when she knew he was the son of God? How did she watch him getting closer to the cross? The heartache of no longer being "needed" by her son. It is a gut-wrenching loss in many ways when our child becomes an adult, and we are now on the outside, looking back, and we still see "OUR BABY". It does not matter that they have grown and become a confident adult. They are, and will always be our babies. As mothers, though, we actually grieve our own roles as Moms. Motherhood is a journey that never ends.

[@pamelag7553]

The Cana wedding episode is also my favorite Season 1 episode. It shows a beautiful bond between Mary mother and her son Jesus. How truly Jesus said, I am the way the truth and the life. We all come to the Father through Him. Even his own mom trusted and believed. She was present at the upper room in Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit fell upon the believers in Acts chapter 2.🙌🕊️🔥

[@Shello58]

One of my favorite scenes so far is when the disciples were around the fire and arguing/yelling as Jesus was walking to camp exhausted from healing all day and Mary running to Him, helping Him, and Jesus thanking her and kissing her.

[@teresastaalcowley8521]

Loved this interview with Vanessa Benavente. I love the dignity, the beautiful grace Vanessa portrays as the mother of Jesus. I am 66 years old. I have four children in their 30s and can relate to the role you play and the interaction I have with my children. Thank you for your role as Mary the Mother of Jesus.

[@roses770]

Absolutely! The dynamic between Jesus & Mother Mary is quite moving ❤

[@CrankyGrandma]

Jesus is God made man….we sometimes think “God” without remembering He is also human, and humans have mothers, and relationships with mothers and sons

[@SpanishwithNeena]

At first I wondered why she seemed to have difficulty expressing her thoughts...then she said she's from Peru, and I realized that English is probably her second language. She actually speaks quite articulately for someone whose first language is not English. (I'm a retired ESL teacher) Lovely interview.

[@Sunny25611]

My daughter in law is also from Peru and her dialect sounds similar.

[@CrankyGrandma]

I love that in the chosen both mother and Son have a similar sense of humor. That makes sense!

[@MargoB]

What a lovely interview 😊. Thank you, Vanessa, for your reflections on your role. Intriguing.

[@corinneromabiles2410]

Thank you for this interview. Wonderful actress with intelligent answers!

[@Tuber828]

So beautiful how Mary was portrayed. Great writing, making it real for us regular humans

[@mariemcclure151]

I loved this video. He was right when he said that when you look into his eyes was so good. It blessed my heart.

[@JuancaSamayoa]

I’m SO HAPPY that people from other Christian denominations than Catholics and Orthodox can relate to Mary through her character in The Chosen. Most of the time the other Christian denominations ignore on her super important role in Jesus’ life, I don’t know if maybe by fear of exploring this Jesus’ life side or whatever the reason is but most of the time they completely ignore the human part of Mary and the relationship between Jesus and His Mother. I mean, who would not like that their friends show respect and care about their mother? I’m really sure Jesus is happy with more people exploring Mary’s life with respect other than just ignore her and forgetting that she raised Him and was the closest person to Him and His first disciple. ❤

[@martaupward5992]

a beautiful interview

[@k.paris.murphy]

Also, Mother Mary accompanied Mary Magdalene into Jesus' tent because it wouldn't have been appropriate for Mary Magdalene to be in Jesus's tent with him unchaperoned.

[@SueProv]

I disagree that Mary could only speak to Jesus and him to her. Joseph was very part of the whole story and knew the secret. Mary didn't do it alone.

[@thoughtsandspoilers]

Yes, but Joseph is dead before the series begins. We only see him in flashbacks to Jesus' birth and childhood.

[@Sunny25611]

@@thoughtsandspoilers Also there’s nothing in the Bible about him after the birth although we know Jesus had brothers. ❤

[@thoughtsandspoilers]

@@Sunny25611 Well, Luke 2 does talk about Joseph and Mary going to Jerusalem with Jesus when Jesus was 12 years old (and about how, when they realized he wasn't traveling with them, Joseph and Mary looked for Jesus among their "relatives and friends"). But after that, yes, the gospels don't say anything. As for the brothers and sisters of Jesus, different churches have different traditions about what *kinds* of siblings they were -- half-siblings, step-siblings, maybe even cousins or adoptive siblings, etc. (Again, see those "relatives and friends".) It's too complicated to get into that discussion here, but suffice it to say the existence of the "brothers" and "sisters" of Jesus doesn't automatically tell us anything specific about Joseph.

[@margaretbearsley7439]

The Chosen portrays Mary so well, so sensitively, and so beautifully. Hail Mary, full of grace.

[@mirnacudiczgela1963]

@꧁༒Set Apart༒꧂ Hail Mary full of grace is from the Gospel. Angel greeted her that way and so can we. Hail Mary, full of grace!

[@lisamohammed6499]

Dallas and the other writers of the show have done an excellent job of portraying the relationship between Jesus and Mary. I have to say, it’s very hard to meaningfully and honestly explore that relationship from a Biblical and historical point of view and not come up Catholic.

[@Sunny25611]

Indeed

[@sharipotter6137]

beautifully Catholic and catholic

[@caroleroy742]

There is nothing wrong with "the Catholic Mary". She is Jesus' Mother. I pray that various denominations begin to recognize her significance. I'm a cradle Catholic and after finally digging deeper into my faith and realizing the significance of her presence in our lives. Jesus gave her to all of us when He was on the Cross, not just to John. I do not worship her, that is only for the Holy Trinity. But Mary, and Joseph for that matter, have much more significant roles in our lives as intercessors than most Christians realize. I am growing in my relationship to her, as I respect her as Jesus' Mother. I pray that Protestants will see her with a new eyes and especially a new heart, as a gift to us from her Son...our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

[@ronaldkasolo1154]

@@caroleroy742 Jesus left us the holyspirit. He was going. He knew his mother would die. So he put John as a care taker. Having a relationship with mother Mary freaks me out

[@caroleroy742]

@@ronaldkasolo1154 I am sorry that this freaks you out. There's nothing scary about Mary. She is a perfect example of totally surrendering ourselves to the Lord our God. She gave herself and her body to the will of God the Father when accepting what the Angel Gabriel told her. At that time, having a child out of wedlock was terribly persecuted. Yet, she accepted God's will with joy as she gave Him praise (Luke 1:46-55). Mary will always bring us to her Son. Her intercession for us is significant in the way that she always follows her Son very closely. She is a perfect disciple of God and a wonderful example of how we should follow Him with the Holy Spirit's leading, as she did as well. I'm not a scholar, I absolutely don't have all the answers and never will, but what I am learning makes sense deep in my spirit. Even if I don't understand everything, I trust in Him, and in His wisdom to receive His mother as He gave her to His closest Apostle. I pray this for you, as well, that the tenderness of our Lord Jesus and His mother reach in your heart to heal any hurts you might have, in His mighty Name. God bless.

[@SanzL1]

Actually, Mary DOES speak in the Bible-in passages other than the wedding at Cana. Read Luke 1:26-38 and Luke 1:46-55. The latter verses are routinely ignored by Protestant and evangelical pastors, as they do not support their narrative.

[@taralohman6492]

Protestants and Evangelicals don’t ignore these verses, what are you talking about?????

[@t82277]

With due respect....I went to Mass for years and learnt nothing....same verses trotted out week after week ....robotic and impersonal. Glad the Lord led me to a bible believing Church and I was saved and was and continue to be taught scripture Genesis to revelation. Maybe others experiences are different but Mass is the same all over my country as far as Im aware. We know and grow in faith to love the Lord more through his word. John 8:31-32...⬇️ So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My WORD(the bible), then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. Blessings

[@SanzL1]

@@t82277 there are Masses, and there are Masses. You have to grow and learn in the Mass to appreciate. The Mass was celebrated by the early Church fathers, and there is plenty that is written about it from the third century and earlier-writings that many “Bible only” churches do not expose their adherents to. That said, I have evangelical friends and do attend their services. There is much of value there. We have much that we could teach each other.

[@SanzL1]

@@taralohman6492 I’ve NEVER heard these verses in evangelical church. They are studiously ignored. The benefits of the Catholic liturgy is that over a three-year period, Mass-goers hear and read the whole Bible-almost…not just what is on the pastor’s heart or whatever are the pastor’s favorite books and chapters to focus on.

[@JuancaSamayoa]

Yes, this is so sad. They ignore her on purpose.

[@eileencolborn8547]

When do i see series 3 on the chosen app

[@biancayazypereiraakaziky5448]

She was involved in raising him and at early age as well when she had to let him go at the age of 12 to go to into his studies in learning other languages spoken beside his home town and he came back as well from preaching in the synagogue christ YESHUA had to do learned both spiritual and human nature

[@shawnfreemasonog]

momma is pretty 😍

[@tinam5929]

This is the only character choice where I disagree with Dallas. Absolutely wrong choice as the Mother of Jesus, imo. Mother Mary was not a chatterbox. She was a contemplative woman who kept things in her heart. This woman cannot keep her mouth shut

[@camiladacosta9902]

Igree. Even thoug I respect and adore Our Lady and pray for Her daily, the Virgin Mary is the only character in the series that I dislike. Somehow I found quite uninteresting and wrong the way she is portraited in the series... ☹️

[@tinam5929]

@@camiladacosta9902 I agree with you 100%

[@exerciserelax8719]

Are you talking about the actor or the character on the show? I've only watched to the middle of season 2 but so far Mary has been a fairly quiet and gentle character. Personally, I like how she's portrayed! As for the Biblical Mary, look at the Magnificat, she said a lot when she wanted to! 😊

[@Louyou2]

Doesn't give any credit to working with Jonathan. I've seen interviews where he talks about enjoying working with her. Surprised she's so young.

[@cherylsalamone3935]

Doesn't it say Mary came with Jesus' brothers and sisters?

[@thoughtsandspoilers]

The brothers of Jesus are mentioned throughout the New Testament (in the gospels, in Acts, in the epistles), and the sisters of Jesus are mentioned in two of the gospels as well (in Mark 6:1-3 and Matthew 13:54-56). But the exact relationship of these brothers and sisters to Mary, Joseph, and Jesus is never defined. We know that the brothers attended the wedding in Cana with Jesus and Mary (John 2:12), and we know that the brothers did not believe in Jesus during his ministry (John 7:1-10), and we know that Mary went with the brothers when they tried to stop Jesus from preaching... but we don't know if she agreed with their plan or if she went with them simply because she needed to be involved when there was a family crisis brewing (Mark 3:20-35). We also know that Jesus told one of his disciples -- *not* one of his brothers -- to look after Mary when he was dying (John 19:26-27), but we also know that Jesus appeared to at least one of his brothers after his Resurrection (I Corinthians 15:7) and that the brothers of Jesus were worshiping with Mary and the followers of Jesus at some point during the ten-day window between the Ascension and Pentecost (Acts 1:14). And then, eventually, James the brother of Jesus became the leader of the church in Jerusalem (Acts 12:7, 15:13-21, 21:18-19; Galatians 1:19, 2:9-13). So, the brothers of Jesus were very involved in the early church in *some* capacity. Different churches disagree as to whether they were Mary's children, or Joseph's children by a previous marriage (if Joseph was an older man, that might explain why he seems to be dead before Jesus begins his ministry), or slightly more distant relatives of some sort. Some people think the fact that Mary went on to live with one of Jesus' *disciples*, rather than one of his *brothers*, indicates that the brothers were not her sons. Other people think Jesus didn't want Mary to live with brothers who didn't believe in him -- although, as noted, the brothers do seem to have believed in him by Pentecost, at least.

[@johnmatsinger3366]

​@@thoughtsandspoilers

[@johnmatsinger3366]

​@@thoughtsandspoilers

[@johnmatsinger3366]

​@@thoughtsandspoilers

[@stepone6159]

Time into interview 12:16 --- Scripture most assuredly says that Mary had other children - both male and female. See Mark 6:3 and Matthew 13:55-56.

[@thoughtsandspoilers]

Strictly speaking, those passages say Jesus had brothers and sisters, but they do *not* say that Mary was the mother of those brothers and sisters. Different churches have different traditions for interpreting those passages.

[@joanne9498]

True, so many different theories on her additional children. Does anyone know the most accurate one?

[@thoughtsandspoilers]

@@joanne9498 Outside of the gospels, the earliest tradition, dating to the mid-2nd century, says the brothers and sisters of Jesus were Joseph's children from an earlier marriage. (Joseph, according to this tradition, was a widower and a lot older than Mary.) Starting around the 4th century, St Jerome -- who believed that Joseph was a life-long virgin too -- advanced the theory that the brothers and sisters were actually Jesus' cousins. Jerome made these remarks while arguing against Helvidius, a man who believed that Mary was *not* a life-long virgin. And I believe Tertullian, who lived in the late 2nd and early 3rd centuries, also believed that Mary was the mother of the brothers and sisters of Jesus. So there were competing opinions even then. But at this late date it's impossible to say for sure which interpretation of the gospels is the most accurate, on this point.

[@joanne9498]

@@thoughtsandspoilers And your own personal thoughts 💭 are ??

[@thoughtsandspoilers]

@@joanne9498 Well, since you ask... But this is just my own personal thought, and I won't hold it against the series if it goes in a different direction. I grew up Evangelical, I am currently Orthodox, and I understand that there are a variety of beliefs out there even within different traditions. So feel free to disagree. But my own instinct right now is that first-century Jews like Joseph and Mary would not have believed it was appropriate for Mary to share her womb with anyone else after the Son of God had grown there and taken flesh from Mary's body (the same way all other babies take flesh from their mothers' bodies). I tend to look at it this way: Sex between a man and a woman makes them "one flesh", and it is for this reason that I cannot imagine Jesus being married, because what woman could be "one flesh" with "God made flesh"? (I do recognize that some people think Jesus *might* have been married, but that's a minority view, and I disagree.) Similarly, there is a sense in which children are "one flesh" with their mothers, and I think having "God made flesh" in her womb for nine months would have had *some* sort of effect on Mary, such that she probably wouldn't have wanted to become "one flesh" with Joseph afterwards, or to have other children taking flesh from her. That's my theological argument. Historically, I do think it's significant that Jesus asked one of his disciples to look after his mother. If she had had other sons, I assume it would have been *their* job to look after her. You may or may not find that persuasive, but I hope it makes sense, at least.

[@MrNirom1]

A story about Mary was told to me from a woman who had a near death experience. She spoke that Mary married a widower by the name of Joseph. He had children already but they were still small. The oldest son was named Joseph as well and he was known as Joseph of Aramathia. The story goes that from the time of that Jesus was old enough to travel, he did travel with Joseph. Joseph took him everywhere. He did go to India, and many other places. This of course happened after the incident where he was in the Temple teaching. I will have to look and see if I can find the recording.

[@shanacarroll3203]

The interviewer is not good interviewer.. he's not connecting..

[@dinawink6818]

Maybe there are no stories in the Bible about Mary serving Jesus’s ministries because she didn’t. The Bible was inspired by God. What is in the Bible is all that God wanted in it. Maybe, faith is all we need to serve the Lord. Not make believe scripts that make us cry.