Jonathan Roumie stepped out of Jesus’ sandals and into closed-toed shoes for SOLO MIO, but THE CHOSEN star says one thing will not change with the costume: his moral center.

“I was just happy to wear shoes,” Roumie joked in a Feb. 4 interview with “Up & Adam Show” host Adam Lupis and SOLO MIO co-director Daniel Kinnane.

The gag lands because millions of viewers know Roumie in robes and sandals as Jesus. He first took on the role in 2019, and EWTN News noted the striking switch as the actor traded his familiar biblical look for a modern wardrobe in the romantic comedy.

Modern clothes do not mark Roumie’s first step outside Nazareth. He played evangelist Lonnie Frisbee in 2023’s JESUS REVOLUTION, but that role still paired him with long hair, a beard and the spiritual weight of a real-life religious figure.

Lupis told Roumie that seeing him without a beard felt “wild” and recalled one viewer’s surprise at watching the man associated with Jesus order drinks at a bar in the trailer. Roumie laughed, then said the 21st-century setting — complete with cars and, yes, closed-toed shoes — offered a refreshing break from the gravity he regularly carries into his best-known part.

Roumie did not describe that change as a retreat from his values. Instead, he said he hopes to pursue different characters and stories long after THE CHOSEN while keeping his moral center, identity and convictions intact throughout the storytelling process.

That distinction gives the lighthearted clip a little more weight. An actor can stretch without shedding the principles that guide him, and Roumie appears determined to measure new opportunities by more than how different they look from Jesus of Nazareth.

SOLO MIO follows Matt Taylor, played by Kevin James, after a wedding disaster leaves him heartbroken and stranded in Rome. A determined local and a group of meddling travelers turn his ruined honeymoon into an unexpected journey, while Roumie plays Neil as part of the ensemble surrounding Matt.

Charles Kinnane and Daniel Kinnane directed the 97-minute, PG-rated movie, which also stars Alyson Hannigan, Kim Coates, Nicole Grimaudo, Julie Ann Emery and Julee Cerda. Angel says the PG rating covers suggestive material, brief language, violence and smoking — useful context for families expecting a breezy romantic comedy.

The movie opened nationwide Feb. 6 after the official SOLO MIO account announced the release and principal cast. It debuted in 3,036 North American theaters and earned $7 million for second place over its opening weekend, according to The Numbers.

The Roman shoot apparently felt every bit as buoyant as the finished comedy. Daniel Kinnane said the cast and crew kept pinching themselves over the location, and Roumie described the group as a genuine family that shared meals, scenery and plenty of laughter after each day’s work.

The Italian backdrop also linked two sides of Roumie’s career. He said SOLO MIO shot there a year before he returned to Italy for THE CHOSEN Season 6, when he met Pope Leo XIV; Roumie had previously met Pope Francis and joked that the team once tried to recruit Francis for a cameo.

SOLO MIO began streaming on Angel March 10. Roumie may enjoy the cars, contemporary clothes and proper shoes, but his larger ambition sounds steady: broaden the résumé, tell worthwhile stories and bring the same grounded man to every role.