Award winning actor, singer and songwriter Jencarlos Canela admits that being cast as Jesus in the two hour Fox musical "The Passion" is a big responsibility – one that he doesn't take lightly.
"At first when I was told, 'Hey, would you like to play Jesus?' It's a big responsibility," he said in an exclusive teaser for the show, which features Tyler Perry as the narrator.
The special will use contemporary hit songs to depict the story of Jesus and Canela admits that the music is what will set the show apart from other adaptations based on the Bible.
"The music is probably one of the most beautiful things about the show," Canela said.
Canela confided that more than a career boost, he sees the task of playing Jesus Christ as a huge honour and responsibility, especially with the type of modern approach they are using to tell the age old story, reported WWD.
He said that this opportunity also came as a surprise since his first acting work - "Pecados Ajenos" and "Más Sabe el Diablo", two Spanish language shows - had the words sins and evil in the title.
"No, I never thought that. I don't see it as my career took a path with this. I see it as a huge opportunity, an honour, to tell the biggest story ever told and to portray the biggest icon to ever walk the face of the earth. But I'm more spiritual than I'm religious. I think that is the magic of this modern-day telling of the story. I feel my generation has a bit of a disconnect with religion," he said.
In terms of working with Tyler Perry, he was all praises for the multi-talented artist saying he loves Perry's versatility. He also expressed excitement over the possibility of working together on future projects should the opportunity present itself.
"The Passion", which is Fox's Easter special, will air on March 20.
