The Chosen Actor Luke Dimyan Sympathizes with His Character Judas, Calls His Story ‘Heartbreaking’ (Exclusive)

Actor Luke Dimyan, who plays Judas Iscariot in the popular biblical series The Chosen, says he already had strong feelings about the character even before he was cast in the role — and he’s excited for people to see another side to him.

“I always loved the Old Testament growing up,” Dimyan, 28, tells PEOPLE. Dimyan, an Egyptian-American from Torrance, Calif., grew up in the Coptic Orthodox Church, which is a Christian religion in Egypt.

“I read my Bible,” he explains with a laugh. “I understood the stories, and I was very aware of them before I was cast in The Chosen. To me personally, I’ve always felt like there was more to Judas than just greed or devil manipulation and mind control.”

He continues, “His name is cursed upon and he’s vilified, of course. But I’ve also had many talks with people, even in my Coptic community, who genuinely feel heartbroken for him. And you can see naturally that there is room for that. The one bad thing he did hurt him so badly that he took his own life.”

Dimyan, who joined The Chosen in season three, says there are no spoilers in how Judas’ story eventually ends. But he’s also loved showing other sides to him over the past two seasons.

“The show focuses on him being kind of this very excited, naive kid. I think that’s what Judas was to the group,” he says. “He’s the little brother you want to care for, but he just makes naive little brother mistakes because he wants to be so much more.”

Dimyan, the son of two doctors who were born in Egypt but raised in the U.S., says being on the show has been life-changing. “I get more recognized in the Midwest and South, where our viewership is really strong,” he says of the show. He also gets recognized internationally.

“I’ve had very nice interactions with fans that’ll surprise me,” he says. “Just out of the blue, someone will recognize me like, ‘Ah, you’re Judas!’ And I’m like, ‘Ah, don’t hurt me!’ And they’ll be like, ‘No, we love you.’ ”

He says that the show’s creator, Dallas Jenkins, takes great care to be historically accurate in the retelling of the story while also taking artistic creativity.

“The Chosen tries to be very respectful to the time, the history, the people that this story takes place in,” Dimyam says. “That’s why it’s almost a historical drama. We get into the politics of it. We get into the economic situation of the people of Israel and how they feel both oppressed and financially burdened by a military occupation of Rome. It gets very specific. And I think that’s why it’s become so big. It’s become so widespread because it’s not just about telling the story of Jesus, but it’s about understanding the story of Jesus.”

He adds that that accuracy makes him feel all the more for his character.

“In every dogmatic sense, you are just meant to hate Judas,” he says. “But with Judas, if it was all about money, if it was all about greed, he could have left. He didn’t. His betrayal couldn’t even make it past the trial. He couldn’t even make it to the crucifixion.”

He adds, “That’s how heartbroken he was. He went back, threw the coins at the Pharisees’ feet, and when they said they could not undo what was about to happen, he realized that his best friend, his mentor, a father figure, someone that he genuinely loved, was going to be killed and hurt and slaughtered, that was too much for him.”

Dimyan continues, “He lost everything. And when you’re filled with such despair, with such depression, with such heartache, that you inevitably take your own life, I feel like that’s something to mourn. It’s heartbreaking.”

The Chosen season 5 will be released on March 27, in select theaters and then on streaming.