DALLAS, Texas — Michael Iskander, star of “House of David,” reflected on the parallels between his own spiritual growth, including his recent conversion to Catholicism, and the biblical king’s journey before the launch of the hit series’ second season.
“David kind of already expedited a faith journey that I was on,” the 23-year-old actor, who plays David in the Amazon Prime series, told The Christian Post at the red carpet premiere of the film “Triumph of the Heart.”
“I recently became Catholic three weeks ago, and it’s been an enormous blessing in my life.”
Iskander, who was born in Egypt and moved to the United States at age 9, announced his conversion to Catholicism from Coptic Orthodox Christianity on social media last month. He asked followers to pray for him as he continues his “walk with God.”
“Just learning about David, for me, is learning what it is to be human and to make mistakes and to find God’s grace,” he said. “All of us are on that journey, so that is a journey I’m continuing, and I hope David inspires people to look to Christ.”
Iskander is gearing up for the second season, which will premiere on Wonder Project’s new streaming channel on Amazon’s Prime Video.
The series, created by “Jesus Revolution” director Jon Erwin and Jon Gunn, was filmed in Greece and Canada and follows the story of the Old Testament shepherd who used a sling and a stone to defeat the giant Goliath before assuming King Saul’s throne.
Erwin previously told CP that viewers familiar with the Bible may already know the key events — David’s rise from shepherd to king, his defeat of Goliath and his tumultuous relationship with Saul — will learn something new about the scriptures by watching the show.
“Even if you know your Bible well, we wanted to surprise the audience constantly with plot twists and character interactions,” he said. “That was one of the joys of this project, telling a story everyone knows but making it feel new and fresh.”
“There’s so much more to David’s story than just the famous Goliath battle,” he continued. “We have the chance to show what happens in between, and bring those parts of the story to life in a new way.”
According to Iskander, season two is the culmination of one of the Old Testament’s most famous lines: “Saul killed his thousands, David his tens of thousands.”
“The first season was really about this young shepherd boy, this teenager, trying to find himself and what God wants from him, what is his destiny and what is the will of God. But he was a little kid. Season two is about David coming into his own and stepping into God’s will for him and becoming that warrior.”
“The inner politics behind this young boy becoming very famous, and the king becoming very, very jealous,” he added.
Iskander, a talented musician who starred in the award-winning musical “Kimberly Akimbo” before “House of David,” also revealed there is a “House of David” album in the works. The actor, who plays both the piano and guitar, sings in several scenes of season one.
“House of David,” along with “The Chosen,” was one of the most popular shows on Prime Video earlier this year, becoming the No.1 show on the platform as new episodes were released. It amassed an audience of over 40 million.
According to Iskander, the success of the series reflects a larger cultural moment as faith-based films and biblical epics see greater visibility in media.
“It kind of started with ‘The Chosen,’ ‘The Chosen’ kind of paved the path for a lot of other creators. And it showed that there is an audience. There are people who want to see biblical stories and faith-based stories,” he reflected.
“‘House of David’ was the show to come after that. … I mean, we’re very lucky that there’s some truly phenomenal filmmakers out in the world that are creating art for God and inspiring people through that art.”
Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com
