Robbert Rodenburg is the first to play the role of unbelieving Tomas The Passion Ascension takes on. The presenter can be seen on Thursday as the disciple of Jesus. Rodenburg recognizes himself in the character, he tells NU.nl.
“Ik denk dat er best wat overeenkomsten zijn tussen Tomas en mij”, zegt Rodenburg. “Mijn moeder noemde mij vroeger weleens ongelovige thomas, omdat ik als enige van onze familie uit de kerk stapte.”
De 26-jarige acteur en presentator groeide op in Bergambacht. In het Zuid-Hollandse dorp werd hij christelijk opgevoed en ging hij elke week trouw naar de kerk. Daar kwam verandering in toen hij op zestienjarige leeftijd uitkwam voor zijn homoseksualiteit.
“Ik werd door mensen afgewezen om wie ik was, met het geloof als beweegreden. Ik ben daar lang boos over geweest”, vertelt Rodenburg, die er inmiddels vrede mee zegt te hebben. “Ik hecht nu veel minder waarde aan wat mensen van mij vinden.”
Geloof speelt tegenwoordig geen rol meer in het leven van Rodenburg. Toch kan hij best jaloers zijn op zijn ouders, die veel steun halen uit hun geloof. “Als je écht kunt geloven, dan geeft dat een bepaalde rust. Ik heb nog steeds veel respect voor het geloof en kan er ook moeite mee hebben als mensen het belachelijk maken. Maar door de afwijzing in mijn jeugd is geloof iets dat mij altijd een dubbel gevoel geeft.”
‘I wanted to believe, but looked for explanations and signs’
Doubting Thomas, also known as Thomas the Doubting, owes his nicknames to his reaction to the resurrection of Jesus. When the other disciples told them that Jesus had risen from the dead after the crucifixion on Good Friday, Thomas did not believe it. He wanted proof. Rodenburg sees a similarity between himself and Tomas.
“I am very critical and find it difficult to accept things at face value. Just like Tomas, I wanted to believe, but I needed more. I looked for explanations and signs,” says Rodenburg, who is best known for Open Card. In that YouTube program he interviews famous Dutch people.
‘I found the combination of entertainment and faith interesting’
Before the start of his YouTube channel, Rodenburg had already appeared as an actor in, among other things, the television series SpangaS. Still, he finds his participation The Passion very exciting. “I haven’t acted for a while and now I’m among all very experienced actors,” says Rodenburg. “You also know that everyone who watches will find something about it. But I try not to think about that.”
The actor and presenter is a fan from the very beginning and can remember the first edition The Passion in Gouda.” I was in seventh grade and skipped school, so that I could be one of the first at the location. With friends I stood at the very front of the gates,” says Rodenburg.
“There was a lot of criticism in my environment at the time. People thought the Easter story was too modern. But I found the combination of entertainment and faith interesting. Since then, I have always watched the program with great admiration.”
‘Cannot be compared with others as the first’
Yet Rodenburg did not immediately accept the invitation to play a role in The Passion. “I continue to find faith difficult because of my personal experiences. So I really had to think about it for a few days. But because of the similarities with Tomas that I saw, it felt like something I had to do.”
Rodenburg sees the fact that no one has yet played this new role as a major advantage. “A role like Jesus has already been played by so many fantastic actors. You are tempted to put everyone next to each other. Because I am the first to play this role, I cannot be compared to others. It also gives me the space to to keep the interpretation of the role close to myself.”
The Passion Ascension can already be seen on Thursday, May 9 on NPO Start and on Friday, May 10 at 8:30 PM on KRO-NCRV on NPO1. Due to the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest on Thursday evening, the television broadcast is on Friday.
Tags: Robbert Rodenburg plays incredulous Tomas mother called Media
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