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Tom Payne: From ‘Walking Dead’ Jesus to Biblical Jacob

Tom Payne: From ‘Walking Dead’ Jesus to Biblical Jacob

Last updated on: April 2, 2026 at 7:32 pm by DeWayne Hamby

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Tom Payne: From ‘Walking Dead’ Jesus to Biblical Jacob 2026-04-02T19:32:23-04:00 DeWayne Hamby

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Actor Tom Payne, who previously portrayed the character Jesus in AMC’s “The Walking Dead” dubbed that because of his appearance, steps into a more direct biblical role as the patriarch Jacob in “The Faithful: The Women of the Bible,” offering a nuanced take on one of scripture’s most complex figures.

In the series’ fifth and sixth installments, which wrap up with Sunday evening’s finale, Payne’s Jacob enters as the younger son of Rebecca and Isaac, a thoughtful counterpoint to his rugged older brother Esau, played by Ben Robson.

“It was really great when you look at what you how you think Esau and Jacob should be, because if you look at us two standing next to each other, it’s very obvious who is who,” Payne said. “And it really helps with the characters and the playing of the characters and the relationship between them.”

That sibling dynamic sets the stage for Jacob’s transformation. After Rebecca reveals God’s promise that her younger son will lead, Jacob begins to claim his destiny. The shift deepens off-screen between episodes with Jacob’s Ladder, an encounter with the divine that emboldens him.

“He has these huge jumps and these huge time jumps and this huge development of him,” Payne noted. “I’m playing him as this son and younger brother in episode four, but then when I come into Episode Five, he’s had this huge experience, and it has emboldened him in a different way.”

Payne deliberately softens traditional views of Jacob as a deceiver. “The word deceiver is quite strong, and we’ve been saying the word trickster, which is a little lighter,” he explained. “It’s a big lie, I guess, but it’s really in his mind just a little white lie that helps ingratiate himself with these new people. I don’t think that he’s knowingly trying to make the best of the situation, and also he’s driven by the experiences he’s now had with God, and he is doing what he believes to be right.”

This reframing casts Jacob’s choices as survival rooted in faith rather than malice. When he confronts his uncle Laban, the “trickster” energy turns playful yet principled. “We just did this great scene this morning, being really like, ‘OK, let’s work this out together,’” Payne recalled, praising director Daniel Cannon’s guidance in making the character feel authentic across seven-year leaps.

The production’s immersive sets and Italian landscapes reinforced the biblical world. Shooting in Tivoli and Gran Sasso National Park, surrounded by sheep, cows and ancient beasts, Payne found the tactile costumes and animals placed him firmly in the era.

“Even just the landscapes that we’ve been shooting on, it’s all there in front of you, which is very helpful,” he said.

Yet the role’s deepest resonance for Payne came from its themes of family and divine conviction — moments he described as uplifting and inspirational. Jacob’s household, with multiple wives and handmaids bearing children, radiates communal warmth.

“He has all these children and all these mothers and all this warmth and love around his kids, which is just amazing, wonderful,” Payne said. “To have that support, the relationship that he has in his life, if that’s an accepted way of living, it’s amazing.”

Payne drew personal parallels while filming 10 weeks away from his own young children in California.

“My wife and I both live in a very gut-driven space and Jacob is driven by the word of God, and he is in a similar way, like, ‘Oh, this is what I should be doing now’ backed up by God in that sense,” Payne reflected. “As much as he might get himself into awkward situations, he’s always compelled by ‘this is what is foretold, and this is what is right.’ And you know, it works out in the end, and everyone loves each other and the kids, kids are loved, and then you send them out into the world as good human beings, and you create religions.”

The challenge of portraying such growth tested Payne.

“This character really does stuff that I would never do,” he admitted. “I’ve had to get over my own sensibilities a lot, but it’s been a really great challenge for me.”

He shot the reunion with Esau — closing the family circle — before filming the intervening years, adding emotional layers. “That loop does get closed… I can’t wait to see it all cut together.”

Payne called the project a feast for the eyes and spirit, with vast deserts, mountains and an ancient marketplace still ahead. For an actor who thrives on uncertainty, Jacob’s story offered something rare.

“It hasn’t happened to me that often that a part or a project has come to me that I didn’t know exactly how to do it,” he said. “And that’s been really, really nice, actually.”

In the series, Payne’s Jacob emerges not as a man shaped by divine promise, family bonds and quiet conviction — a portrayal that illuminates scripture’s timeless call to trust, love and grow.

“The Faithful: The Women of the Bible” which premiered March 22 on FOX Television and starring Minnie Driver, Natacha, Jeffrey Donovan, Millie Brady, and Blu Hunt, airs its finale on Easter Sunday, April 5 at 8 pm EST and replaying on Hulu.

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