“The Chosen” Cast Calls Season 5 ‘Chaos’ — Here’s Why (Exclusive)

The fifth season of The Chosen is officially here, and with it, the cast says, comes a whirlwind of drama.

The first few episodes of the season, which focus on the events of Holy Week — including the Last Supper, Judas's betrayal and Jesus's arrest — premiered on Friday, and the cast is eager to see how viewers respond.

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“I would describe this season in five letters: Chaos,” Paras Patel, who plays Matthew, tells PEOPLE about the historical drama. “There's just a lot happening. Season five kind of elevates the emotion a little bit, and you really see the disciples and followers just trying to navigate what is actually happening.”

Related: The Chosen Season 4 First Look: Jesus Warns 'What Is to Come' as His Crucifixion Looms (Exclusive)

Elizabeth Tabish, who plays Mary Magdalene, adds, “I think season four was probably the most emotional so far, but in season five, Jesus announces that he's going to die and most of his followers don’t want to believe that.

She adds, “So I think there's a lot of struggling and urgency to make sense of what's happening. Everything is moving so quickly and is out of everyone's control, so the tone of this season is one of urgency more than grief because we don't know if it's going to happen or that it has to happen yet.”

While the world knows the outcome of Holy Week, some cast members are avoiding spoilers about how the scripted story unfolds. “I really try to avoid knowing the ending,” Shahar Isaac, who plays Simon Peter, explains. “It’s very important to be able to live in the moment and not judge the character or the situation in any way. I’m just trying to know as little as possible about what ideas people have about it.”

For the actors, staying in the moment — even when it involves surprises — has proven powerful.  “There are plenty of moments where I’m like, ‘This is strange and spooky,’” Tabish says. “Especially some of the first takes of scenes where you're really hearing what Jesus is saying and imagining what it would be like to hear this for the first time and how unexpected his teachings were. I was surprised sometimes by my own reactions to what he's saying or doing.

Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus, tries to stay present with each scene but admits that season five leaves him feeling emotional. “There's a lot of sadness this season because of what’s coming—what Jesus knows he’s going to face, who he’s going to leave behind and how it’s going to affect them,” he tells PEOPLE. “And so for me as an actor, and as a person, to think of the fact that this soon will be over is pretty emotional.”

The raw, real-time reactions of the cast, they say, make the story resonate with viewers. “It's so organic,” Patel explains. “I think that's what a lot of our audience sees and connects with because it's actually us reacting real-time to certain moments like what you see in season five with the destruction. You're in this world, experiencing it yourself as an actor,  and you're just taken aback and you're either moved by it or you're just shocked.”

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Despite their portrayal of these biblical figures, the cast emphasizes that everyone can interpret the season in their own way. “Everyone will take what they want to take from this. Obviously, if it's based on something that you feel is your faith, then you're going to associate it with that,” Abe Bueno-Jallad, who plays Big James, says.

He adds, “But we're not the Bible. We're just a show about it. The beautiful thing is that people are responding no matter what, and that's the sign of some pretty decent art.”

The first two episodes of The Chosen: Last Supper are available on March 28 in select theaters nationwide.

Read the original article on People