By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Assistant Editor Tuesday, November 11, 2025

Giavani Cairo has spent the last seven years stepping into the sandals of Thaddeus, one of the lesser-known disciples in “The Chosen,” the multi-season television series about the life of Jesus.

Now, through a new partnership between “The Chosen” and Glorify, the Christian meditation and devotional app, the 34-year-old Michigan native is inviting audiences to encounter that journey in a new way. 

His seven-day audio devotional, "Believing When All Seems Lost," is part of a three-part series featuring stars from the globally acclaimed show. The project, he says, is an opportunity to share the beauty of “quiet faith” and assure listeners that God sees them, even when the world does not.

“I hope people walk away with a deepened connection to their faith,” Cairo said. “Especially when it comes to those who maybe feel like they’re not as seen as they want to be. Everyone wants to be seen and acknowledged. Trust me, I’ve felt that so many times in my life. What’s incredible is God sees us all, and quiet faith is beautiful.”

Cairo said he was drawn to Thaddeus, who is referred to by a few different names throughout the New Testament, including “Jude,” because of the disciple’s heart and humility.

“What really pulled me to him from the start was the heart he wore on his sleeve,” he said. “He leads with love and makes it part of his mission to make others know that they belong. I’ve always tried to mirror this in my own life, but he’s taught me to be even better with this.”

While “The Chosen” has united a cast and crew who have become like family, Cairo said that recording "Believing When All Seems Lost" without them felt different. 

“It’s certainly different from the aspect of not having my ‘Chosen’ family there physically with me,” he said. “But I’m so grateful because being able to spend these last seven plus years with them has really made me grow not only as an actor, but as a person as well. I love this family and they really prepared me for moments like this.”

Playing Thaddeus, Cairo explained, has transformed him personally and spiritually, a sentiment echoed by many of his castmates and even director Dallas Jenkins. He recalled filming a pivotal moment in season five that still moves him deeply.

“Thaddeus is only mentioned a handful of times in scripture and you can say that at times he’s overlooked. I’ve felt that before in my life,” he said. “When we filmed Thaddeus’ backstory with Jesus in season five, it’s a moment I will never forget. I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t seen it, but essentially, Jesus makes it known to Thaddeus that he (the one who is often overlooked) has a lot to offer this world. He’s seen. Thaddeus wasn’t the only one Jesus was talking to. He was talking to me. He was talking to you.”

For Cairo, the character’s “quiet faith” is a timely model for life in a noisy world. “I think he teaches us that quietness doesn’t mean weakness,” he said. “Presence and action speak much louder than words. ‘Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.’”

Long before he joined “The Chosen,” Cairo revealed he faced his own season of uncertainty. Though raised in a Catholic household, the actor fell away from his faith before it was reignited through his work on the biblical series.

“Right before booking 'The Chosen,' I had been in Los Angeles for a few years auditioning and taking classes and just wasn’t getting anywhere in my career,” he said. “I didn’t feel fulfilled and was missing my family back home in Michigan. This was also at the exact time I was missing having a connection to my faith.”

A friend encouraged him to join a nonprofit program focused on serving others and setting personal goals. That timing, he said, changed everything.

“Two of mine were to book my first series and get closer to God,” he said. “I committed to reading the Bible every day and praying as well as continuing my acting training. A couple of weeks before the program ended is when the audition for ‘The Chosen’ came.”

Cairo stressed that storytelling is a form of worship and an act of reflecting the Creator’s image. Faith and prayer, he added, ground his entire creative process.

“I see creativity as one of the purest reflections of God’s image in us,” he said. “I thank God every day for being able to be a vessel, not only for Thaddeus’ story, but His as well.”

“My faith and prayer anchors me. It’s the backbone of my preparation for Thaddeus,” he said. “I truly love the preparation process with reading the script, breaking down scenes and making choices, but at the end of the day, my faith and full surrender is what I believe frees me to tell his story.”

Cairo, who also met his fiancée on the set of “The Chosen,” believes the Glorify partnership represents a bridge between timeless faith and a new generation’s digital habits. Combined, storytelling and technology can serve as tools to bring people closer to God, he said.

“Glorify has so much to offer the young generation from guided meditations, Bible readings, daily devotionals to playlists that cater to the user’s preference,” he said. “Especially with media being so popular with today’s generation, the options to connect deeper to their faith are endless with Glorify.”

“I think this younger generation connects with faith through storytelling because stories reach the heart before the mind,” the actor added. “When we see faith lived out through the characters on screen and the emotions they emote, that touches our hearts. It becomes relatable, familiar and personal. That’s why projects and companies like 'The Chosen' and Glorify matter. They invite people to experience faith in a personal way.”

Cairo added that the partnership between “The Chosen” and Glorify has the potential to spark transformation in the lives of listeners around the world.

“My hope for this collaboration between ‘The Chosen’ and Glorify is that it helps people dive deeper into their relationship with God in their everyday lives,” he said. “This is a partnership that can turn inspiration into transformation.”

“God sees you. He sees us all,” Cairo added. “You’re never alone. What I’ve also experienced to be true is that when we follow Jesus’ humility and love, He brings those with that same heart into our lives.”