The actor who portrays the disciple Thaddeus in The Chosen says the series not only reignited his own Christian faith but also led him to meet his future wife.
Giavani Cairo was living in Los Angeles in 2018 and feeling adrift as an actor — unhappy with his career and frustrated by the lack of roles he considered “fulfilling.” At that low point, a friend invited him to join her in community volunteer work, including at a homeless shelter, while he searched for direction. Cairo responded by setting two personal goals for the year: booking his first role in a series and growing closer to God.
At the time, he sensed something was missing in his life.
“I grew up Christian, but it just seemed like that’s something you did as a kid, and I never really related to it,” Cairo told Crosswalk Headlines.
A few months later, he learned about auditions for a new series, The Chosen, that was in its infancy and trying to get off the ground.
“That was just the beginning of my faith renewal, and it’s made me want to be a better person,” he said. “It’s funny how God works, because I don’t think you can plan that.”
Cairo’s casting as Thaddeus came at a time he was considering pausing his career and moving back to his home state of Michigan to be close to his family.
“That was a complete surrender moment for me. Because I was willing to put my career on hold for whatever the case may be,” he said. “And, you know, He had another plan. … It’s just taught me a lot about trusting even when you don’t see signs initially.”
Although Cairo was thrilled with his new role, he was also curious about the disciple he was portraying. Little is known about Thaddeus, who is mentioned only a handful of times in the New Testament and is sometimes referred to as Judas (not Iscariot).
Director Dallas Jenkins was impressed by Cairo’s audition.
“I thought he was making up a disciple,” Cairo said, laughing.
In the series, Thaddeus is portrayed as a gentle man who seeks peace and reaches out to those on the margins.
Cairo is one of the few cast members who has been with the series since its first season, when The Chosen was entirely crowdfunded, still searching for an audience, and its future was far from certain.
“We only had the budget for those first four episodes, and Jordan [Walker Ross], who plays little James, and I were only on for a few days for those first four episodes,” he said. “And I just remember it being like: ‘Oh, this is so fun. I hope we get to do more of this at some point.’”
He is grateful for the role,