{"id":21163,"date":"2022-10-20T10:41:43","date_gmt":"2022-10-20T14:41:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=21163"},"modified":"2023-06-13T12:59:31","modified_gmt":"2023-06-13T16:59:31","slug":"the-chosen-star-details-story-of-how-justin-bieber-witnessed-to-him-while-hiking-in-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2022\/10\/the-chosen-star-details-story-of-how-justin-bieber-witnessed-to-him-while-hiking-in-california.html","title":{"rendered":"Justin Bieber Leads \u2018Chosen\u2019 Star to Christ While Hiking in California"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Working on a faith-based project didn’t initially sound appealing to Yoshi Barrigas \u2014 the actor portraying the disciple Philip in “The Chosen” \u2014\u00a0but a chance, perhaps divine, encounter with pop star Justin Bieber helped change his perspective.<\/p>\n

Sitting in a black, folding director’s chair in Midlothian, Texas, Barrigas recalled his “serendipitous” meeting with Bieber as the two men were, unbeknownst to one another, hiking along the same mountainside in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

“Well, do you want the long story or the short story?” Barrigas cheekily replied after CBN’s Faithwire asked how he landed his role in “The Chosen,” the crowdfunded series launched in December 2017 by director Dallas Jenkins, the son of “Left Behind” novelist Jerry B. Jenkins.<\/p>\n

The relaxed actor meandered through his memories, reflecting on the unexpected experiences that ultimately led him to where he is now. He also discussed the season-three debut of “The Chosen” as he and his fellow cast mates wrapped filming at Camp Hoblitzelle, a sprawling midwestern space owned by The Salvation Army.<\/p>\n

Barrigas’ days are now spent on a first-century set, an impressive plot of land spanning nearly two football fields side-by-side. In a dizzying seven months, the space that was once a cowboy’s playground was transformed into a dazzling depiction of the biblical age.<\/p>\n

But Barrigas’ presence there might not have happened without Bieber. It all unfolded on a hike in Los Angeles, where Barrigas had found a spot to read. As he pored over the book in his hands, he heard clamoring nearby, a group of girls “chirping” with excitement, he said.<\/p>\n

Unable to see through the trees what was transpiring, the actor turned his focus back to his book. That is, until he heard a voice across the way: “Hey, what’re you reading over there?” Barrigas continued, “I looked over, and it was Justin Bieber. I told him what I was reading, and we started conversing from afar.”<\/p>\n