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so...... I listened to the big broadcast yesterday and It came to the part of the sam maritian skech, and I was wondering..... why would they make eugene play a biblical character when he wasn't a christian? and Sam says that there's a friend that he knows that would explain the story better, that friend being jesus...... But eugene doesn't even know jesus! and uh.... I just thought that was a little weird.... could someone be willing to explain it to me?

I believe Eugene was willing to act as certain bible characters because he just enjoyed acting in general. (I have friends in theatre like that) I personally would play a character who believes differently than me if I had to for theatre. (As long as I don't get too involved with the character and their religion)

aha! that explains it! thanks sparky

I've never listened to this episode. Having said that, I will now proceed to post anyway because I love to talk. And I fully expect people to read this.
Eugene also played Joseph before being Christian. He seemed, in those days, to consider Biblical tradition a part of history in its way, and academically interested in it.
I'd play a character with different beliefs in heartbeat. Indeed, all characters have different beliefs from ours, because no character is exactly like anyone else, just like real people (as I'm fond of saying, characters are people in their way.)
I've played a kind soldier, a lost boy (one of the twins), an evil villain. If the role was a good part of the play, I'd play a buddhist or Morman or what have you.
We need to keep an open mind, and pretending to be another is a good way to do it. Besides, good stories deserve to be told, whether they're Christian from Babylonian mythology.

Pound Foolish wrote: I'd play a character with different beliefs in heartbeat. If the role was a good part of the play, I'd play a buddhist or Morman or what have you.
We need to keep an open mind, and pretending to be another is a good way to do it.

I agree, playing a person of different religion in a good play would be a great experience.

However, if the play isn't good, like the one Audrey got the lead in in The Big Deal. She got the role of Cassidy in Cassidy's last supper, but the play ended with a line directly defying Christianity. That would not be a play I'd be willing to be in.

Unfortunately, I've never had the opportunity to play anything other than characters very much like myself. I hope that I will sometime in the future.

It was an interesting experience playing a Jewish girl in the musical Fiddler on the Roof that I did two years ago. We got to learn Jewish traditions that we incorporated in the show. And everyone there was a Christian so it was fascinating for everyone!