In the lead-up to Easter, Dallas Jenkins is encouraging “joyous” celebrations.

Jenkins, the creator of the hit biblical drama, “The Chosen,” appeared on the “followHIM” podcast in an episode released Wednesday. The podcast, hosted by Hank Smith and John Bytheway, explores the weekly lesson in the “Come, Follow Me” study manual from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Every year around Easter, Jenkins said he enjoys focusing on the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

“I really do, especially as a storyteller, think about how this story still impacts us 2,000 years later, and how I never want to take it for granted,” Jenkins said. “‘The Chosen’ is in many ways, my attempt to make sure that we never take it for granted.”

The filmmaker also described how he observes Easter at home and with his congregation, and shared advice on how the religious holiday can be celebrated with greater joy, particularly among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

While building 5&2 Studios, the film studio that produces “The Chosen,” Jenkins worked alongside his co-founder Derral Eves, a Latter-day Saint. During this time, he realized he would be collaborating with several members of the church and began learning about the theological differences from his own evangelical faith.

“What I admire about (Latter-day Saint) folks is you guys are very well behaved, very tucked in,” Jenkins said. “Now, occasionally I’ll watch a BYU game and I’ll see you cheer like crazy.”

He added that during Easter services with his congregations, they often say, “I’ve seen you cheer during a Bears game. I’ve seen you celebrate multiple sporting events or graduations. What is the most celebratory and joyous and exciting victory in the history of the world that we get to participate in? It’s the resurrection of Christ.”

Though typically more “tucked in” during religious settings, Jenkins encouraged a “most joyous and celebratory” service during Easter.

“I appreciate the reverence of the different people within different faith traditions,” he continued. “But I would say it’s OK to express as much joy or more in the resurrection of your Savior as it is the student that hit a half-court shot that I just saw in the BYU game on Friday.”

“It’s OK to do it in the context of the greatest moment in the history of the world.”

Jenkins then shared that one of his favorite scenes from “The Chosen” is when Jesus tells the disciples to cast their nets on the other side, resulting in heaps of fish and a boisterous celebration.

The scene didn’t turn out as Jenkins had anticipated, but once he saw it come together, he realized the jubilee was exactly what the story needed — and those joyful portrayals have been part of why “The Chosen” has resonated with audiences.

“I’m honored evangelical mascot of the LDS church, so I’ve been granted favor to say certain things that maybe others can’t,” Jenkins said, while discussing the scene.

“There’s such a reverence, and there’s such a genuine respect for Christ (in the Latter-day Saint church), which is great. You guys probably do that better than we evangelicals do it, but sometimes it can lead to a formality, and I’ve seen it in paintings. I’ve seen it in some of the LDS videos. And portrayals of Christ are very formal,” he continued.

“This comes from a good place of honoring scripture, fidelity to scripture, just it feels like a reenactment of a scripture. One of the things that makes a scene … really work is the portrayals — the acting, the fun, the winks, the laughter, some of those moments that aren’t spelled out in scripture but undoubtedly would have happened.”

Reflecting on his BYU devotional

Jenkins also took a moment during his appearance on the podcast to reflect on his 2024 BYU devotional, where he spoke on overcoming failure and surrendering to God.

“I run into so many LDS friends or viewers of the show around the country, so many of them bring up that forum where I got a chance to speak at BYU to the students and community,” Jenkins said.

During the devotional, Jenkins recalled sharing his experience after a failed Hollywood movie, explaining that faith is about focusing on doing your part well rather than controlling the outcome, and that God can work through us in the depths of our failures, not just our accomplishments.

“There’s something especially poignant about whenever God works through failure and works through our lack and our desperation, as opposed to working through success. I think it’s especially wonderful when we see things that have become successful,” he said.

The name of his studio, 5&2, is a reminder that we are responsible for providing our best effort — five loaves and two fish — and the results are up to God.

Even as his projects, including “The Chosen,” became objectively successful, Jenkins believes the goal remains to offer God our best work and trust him with the impact.

“You’re not responsible for the feeding of the 5,000, you’re just responsible for loaves and fish,” he said. “It’s a good and healthy and important reminder.”

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Former Missouri linebacker Josiah Trotter is working out for the Dallas Cowboys ahead of the 2026 NFL draft, according to his March 27 Instagram story.

If Dallas selects the 20-year-old linebacker, who is the son of Philadelphia Eagles legend Jeremiah Trotter and the brother of current Eagles LB Jeremiah Jr., it would put two brothers on opposite sides of one of the NFL’s most heated rivalries.

Jeremiah Sr. spent the best years of his 12-season NFL career in Philadelphia, earning four Pro Bowl nods, a first-team All-Pro nod and induction into the Eagles Hall of Fame. Jeremiah Jr. was a fifth-round pick by the Eagles in the 2024 draft and won a Super Bowl ring as a rookie.

Now, a third member of the family is about to enter the league, and it’s clear the Cowboys have a close eye on him.

More on Dallas Cowboys Having LB Josiah Trotter in for a Top 30 Visit Ahead of NFL Draft

GettyThe Dallas Cowboys are bringing LB Josiah Trotter in for a Top 30 visit ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Trotter’s college career was brief but sharply ascending. He signed with West Virginia in 2022 and redshirted the 2023 season after tearing his ACL during spring practices — a significant setback that delayed his debut but did nothing to diminish his trajectory.

When he finally got on the field in 2024, Trotter immediately established himself as a tone-setter. He finished the season with 92 tackles, four tackles for loss, half a sack, an interception and two passes defended, earning Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year honors and a spot on the Football Writers Association of America freshman All-American team.

Looking for a bigger stage, Trotter transferred to Missouri, and the move to the SEC only elevated his game. Playing in the tougher conference, he finished with 84 tackles (13 for loss), 2.0 sacks and a pass defended in 2025, earning first-team All-SEC recognition. Across two seasons as a starter, Trotter compiled 176 tackles and 2.5 sacks while playing for two different programs — a testament to his ability to step in and produce regardless of scheme.

Trotter also met with Dallas at the scouting combine, so the Cowboys’ interest is clearly there.

A Closer Look at the Cowboys LB Room Heading Into 2026 NFL Draft

Dallas’ linebacker room was arguably its weakest position group in 2025. DeMarvion Overshown, their most talented option at the position, has now suffered season-ending knee injuries in back-to-back years, including a torn ACL, MCL and PCL in December 2024 that cost him the first 10 games of the 2025 season. He returned in Week 11 but went down again with another serious knee injury in Week 16.

Overshown enters 2026 in the final year of his rookie contract, and the Cowboys have not committed to an extension. Dallas released veteran Logan Wilson this offseason, and Kenneth Murray departed after a relatively underwhelming year-long stint.

Drafting Josiah would mean a Trotter lining up on both sides of the NFC East’s nastiest rivalry — one brother anchoring the middle for the Eagles, the other doing the same in Dallas.

Considering new defensive coordinator Christian Parker is installing a 3-4 base defense that puts a premium on physical, smart players over the middle, there’s little doubt Dallas will be adding to the position in the draft. The only question is which LB(s) they’ll wind up with.