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Courtney Hope is Mary in Easter-Themed ‘The Christ’ Podcast

Courtney Hope is Mary in Easter-Themed ‘The Christ’ Podcast

Last updated on: March 23, 2026 at 11:51 pm by DeWayne Hamby

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Courtney Hope is Mary in Easter-Themed ‘The Christ’ Podcast 2026-03-23T23:51:07-04:00 DeWayne Hamby

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Courtney Hope, who portrays Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the immersive podcast “The Christ,” describes the experience as both “honored” and transformative. The podcast, also starring Tom Pelphrey, David Oyelowo, and Paul Walter Hauser, premieres Monday, March 30 and concludes Thursday, April 2.

Courtney Hope in ‘The Christ’ podcast. Image courtesy of 130 Agency.

“I was shocked, to be honest,” Hope said. “That’s such a a powerful experience to to go on right, a journey. I’m honored, and I was so excited to accept it.”

Hope, who has a background in daytime dramas and voice work, said the production’s dramatized audio format felt like “a play.” She explained that the sessions were recorded chronologically and collaboratively, with actors rotating in and out of the studio.

“Each scene, we were going, at least for the day chronologically,” she said. “So, everyone was popping in their seats, going through their moments, their scenes, and then they would, they would pop out, and someone else would pop in.”

The ensemble approach and live interaction helped create what Hope calls a “real story” for listeners. The actress praised the cast and crew as “so wonderful and so gracious and so welcoming and open,” adding that it is rare in the industry to encounter colleagues willing to speak openly about faith.

“It was really fun,” she said. “It was really wonderful to experience.”

Hope, who traces her spiritual upbringing to a family of “followers of Christ,” said the role of Mary resonated with her personally.

“I truly believe every, every moment in my career, I believe God has absolutely orchestrated in his divine way and had his his hands all over it,” she said. This role arrived at a pivotal moment. “This project came about in a moment where I truly believe that this role was an answer that I had posed to God in a question.”

Mary’s struggle with trusting divine purpose mirrored her own wrestling with faith: “You have this knowing of God’s purpose and His direction in your life, but then also having the human side of it, wanting to completely surrender.”

Hope described the podcast’s storytelling style as cinematic and immersive, similar in appeal to audiobooks. She said the audio format invites listeners to “create the world around it.”

“I think that this podcast, because it’s so immersive and so cinematic, it allows the imagination to really expand and create whatever you see out of what is coming at you through the voices,” she said. “It just put me in a beautiful heart space that I just felt really connected and closer to God just by listening to it.”

On the technical demands of performing, Hope drew on her soap opera experience, noting the intensity and pace of production. “Some days, you know, we’re shooting 40 pages a day,” she said. She described the discipline required to enter emotional and physical states quickly. “A lot of it’s one take, one take, you go and you get one take, you go and you get one take. And a lot of times it’s heavy material… you already have to be there when you walk on set.”

Hope’s path into acting began early, shaped in part by family viewing habits. She recalled becoming attached to characters as a child while watching soaps with relatives, a connection that later felt surreal when she worked with actors she once watched on television.

“I was only 10, but now I’m working with a bunch of them,” she said. “So that was, like, a really surreal, full circle moment.”

Hope emphasized the collaborative spirit of “The Christ,” noting the variety of vocal talents in the cast, including Tom Pelphrey (“Task,” “Ozark,” “Iron Fist”) as Jesus, David Oyelowo (“Selma,” “A United Kingdom”) as Pontius Pilate, Paul Walter Hauser (“Richard Jewell,” “I, Tonya”) as John the Baptist, Patricia Heaton (“Everybody Loves Raymond,” “The Middle”) as Host, and John Rhys-Davies (“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “Indiana Jones” franchise) as Narrator.

“Everyone is so incredible in their artistry. Just all the different voices,” she said. The recording environment, she said, fostered both performance and reflection: “As much as I was immersed in it. I also was like a fly on the wall watching it. I just am so fascinated by people’s talents.”

“The Christ” premieres March 30. For more information, click here.

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