The September heat on set of “The Chosen” in Midlothian, Texas, felt almost personal in the way it pressed down. Humidity hung heavy in the dust-clouded air as I made my way through the Capernaum replica.
“I’m sorry you wore jeans,” said Austin Reed Alleman, who plays Nathanael in the biblical drama series, as we walked toward a small patch of shade for an on-set interview that offered little respite from the heat.
“So am I,” I said.
Relief welcomed me moments later in the Midlothian set’s oversized costume closet, where I spent the final stop of my afternoon tour being transformed into a “Chosen” background actor by Leila Heise, the series’ longtime costume designer, and her three fashionably dressed assistants.
Industrial-sized fans whirred as Heise moved methodically throughout the space, selecting tunics, sashes, jewelry and belts for the small group of reporters being costumed.
As filming on “The Chosen” neared its close in Midlothian, I was invited to join cast, crew and other reporters on a tour of the set. The experience included being dressed by costumers using the same process as for background actors.
Hundreds of costumes hung neatly on racks organized by size and color. A couple dozen Roman soldier costumes were draped separately, as were bins and organizers stuffed with smaller details — belts, earrings, necklaces and sandals.
Nearly every piece in the closet is handmade, the costumers told me, and they sew throughout the season, continually adding to and replenishing the wardrobe.
When it was my turn, Heise handed me a pair of brown rubber sandals and led me to the costume racks. She sifted through the dresses, pausing briefly to look me over before returning to the racks and pulling out a maroon one, telling me to put it on.
Once in my dress and sandals, I returned to Heise. I followed her as she moved quickly from rack to rack, rifling through costume pieces and handing them to me. With seven seasons of dressing “The Chosen” behind her, she was decisive.
She selected each piece instinctively, she told me, trusting a sixth sense — the same one she relies on when dressing the show’s background actors. I walked away with my arms full.
Movement in the costume closet is constant. The wardrobe department has mastered a swift, orderly pace moving actors through racks under compressed timelines. On several days, they need to get 50 to 100 background actors through costume, hair and makeup before an early call time.
A typical day on set sees around 20 to 25 background actors in addition to the leading cast. On the busiest days, there are hundreds.
“A lot of logistics goes into planning on how long each person takes in hair, how much in makeup,” said Ashley Parker, hair department lead.
After all the background actors are dressed, each one is quickly scanned for any detail that might break the illusion — bold lipstick, tattoos, lash extensions or nail polish, for example, which must be removed or covered up.
Historical accuracy is crucial. Hours of research goes into putting accurate costumes, hair and makeup on screen.
“A lot of my research went into looking at art, wall murals, sculptures, things like that, and then things that are written in scripture about what women should do,” Parker said.
My turn in the hair chair came after Heise finished my look with an orange apron, dangly bronze-colored earrings, a multistrand beaded necklace and a belt. My hair was tucked beneath a headband and tightly braided, then covered with an orange headscarf and secured with a narrow strip of leather.
Now, I looked like I could blend and blur into the show’s backdrop. But there was no filming on set that afternoon, with just days left on set before the final season would move into post-production.
Without participating in any filming, I only experienced a sliver of what background actors have previously described to me as a “life-changing experience” and “sacred.”
The majority of the show’s background actors are unpaid fans. Hundreds flock from across the world to “The Chosen” sets in Midlothian and Goshen, Utah, for the opportunity to take part in its creation, making a donation in exchange for the experience.
The bulk of background actors won’t receive even a modest bit of screen time. But for hundreds of fans, it’s all about getting a taste of “The Chosen” experience and helping put it in front of a global audience.
Across nearly a decade since the biblical drama launched, the project has expanded, reaching hundreds of millions of viewers around the world in a record-breaking 125 languages. That growth is largely is credit to the show’s loyal fanbase, who help finance the series through crowdfunding.
Seeking a taste of that experience, I returned back to the Capernaum replica in my costume. I climbed a set of winding stairs to the top of the Capernaum city gates. A cool breeze floated off the lake that’s used as the Sea of Galilee and drifted through my linen costume.
I won’t miss my jeans.
