If you aren’t familiar with Chipo Chung, you soon will be. The actress, who’s made a name for herself across the pond on shows like Doctor Who and Fortitude, is currently starring in NBC’s newest hit series A.D. The Bible Continues. Chung plays Mary Magdalene, one of Jesus’ most faithful disciples and while much of her true story has been shrouded in mystery and speculation – you’d be forgiven for thinking she was a prostitute or even the lover of the man she dedicated her life to – Chung explained that the chance to unveil the truth about one of the few women in Christ’s life was something she couldn’t pass up.
“Getting the part was wonderful for me because I’m quite analytical, and she is absolutely a mystery,” Chung told Guideposts.org. “So many people have different theories on who she was, so I really enjoyed delving into that and embodying as close as I can, what actually was the truth.”
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The truth didn’t only surprise viewers, it surprised Chung as well.
“First of all, I thought she was a prostitute,” Chung explained. “Then I did a bit of study and realized that she so was not. How could I have possibly believed that, how could we all have believed that when it’s not in the Bible?”
Magdalene was actually the woman afflicted with seven demons that Jesus cast out of her. She was present at Jesus’ most important moments, His crucifixtion and His resurrection. She is believed to be the first person who saw Jesus resurreceted and her name is mentioned in the four Gospels more times than many of His disciples. Her prominence and faithfulness to Christ, however, are often overlooked.
“I think that it’s sort of the crux of what’s difficult about her is that religion, Judaism, was very patriarchal, as many religions are. The Rabbi is a man or even in today’s church, priests, generally speaking, are men. There were many men who were disciples. But Mary Magdalene and a number of others supported the disciples from their own means. These little clues of who these women really were get sidelined, and it’s so lovely to have the space to be able to explore and imagine that. Mark Burnett and Roma Downey have stuck absolutely true to the chapters of the Bible and they get a lot of advice on getting those scriptures right, but around those chapters there is the space to imagine who the human beings were and what led them to these points in the scriptures.”
Raised Catholic, Chung spent the early years of her life in refugee camps. “I grew up in Africa and there was a war going on in my country when I was born,” Chung said. “My mom was a teacher and she was helping to teach kids in refugee camps, thousands of kids actually. She’s really an inspiration in my life and she’s really committed to social change in education.”
That commitment is what helped her identify to her character on the show. “That’s partly what excites me about A.D. It’s the story of a very small group of people who manage to change the world and we’re still being affected by what this group of people did and having such a commitment to others, that’s what I really learned from my mom. There are women all over the world, in places of war and in places of struggle who are doing not the fighting work but the work that melds communities together, but we don’t hear their stories and that’s why I’m really pleased to be playing Mary.”
Though Magdalene is only mentioned a dozen times in the Bible, Chung is thrilled to convey the strength it must’ve taken for a woman to follow Jesus during those times. “[The disciples] all are terrified of being persecuted and being killed themselves,” Chung said, “but the women are steadfast. Mary is steadfast. She’s there for all of His pain, for all of His death and even after He’s died, she’s still faithful.”
The fact that it was Mary Magdalene to whom Jesus first revealed himself after His resurrection also spoke volumes to the actress. “There are very few references to Mary Magdalene and that is the most important one and it’s repeated throughout Scripture.” Chung said. “I find it a privilege and an honor to revise that story to something truer to the Bible because I think that was revolutionary. I think it’s still revolutionary today for some people, to think that women are as spiritually capable as men.”
With four episodes already aired, A.D. has been making headlines, not only for its beautiful storytelling but also thanks to the diversity of its cast, which includes actors from 10 different nations. Chung told Guideposts.org that having actors of different backgrounds, races and cultures on the show only adds to its authenticity.
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“Christianity is all over the world and Christianity is huge in Africa and then of course Jerusalem is much closer to Africa than it is to England. The people of that time were this mix up of color and cultures so I think it makes it more realistic in many ways but it also represents the beauty of the church today.”
Chung hopes A.D. adds to the conversation already taking place about diversity on TV.
“It’s kind of sad that we all have to bang on about it all the time, but unfortunately most of the people in charge come from perhaps a less diverse background.” Chung said. “We cast what we know, we imagine what we know, so we will just imagine our background and the limitations of our backgrounds and it’s important to have, not only people of color in management but people like Mark and Roma who are willing to learn, to be open and willing to listen to what their audience is saying.”
