As an actor, you can't ask for anything better than this," says Diogo Morgado. "Talk about stretching your muscles."
Indeed. Morgado's latest exploration of character involved a 180-degree shift — from playing Jesus in History's The Bible to portraying the devil in the CW's apocalyptic series The Messengers, premiering April 17.
"After playing Jesus," he observes, "you have a different opinion on how evil can operate in this world."
Born and raised in Lisbon, Portugal, Morgado began acting at 15 and attended drama school in his hometown.
While he had a leading role in the Portuguese telenovela Lacos de Sangue (which won an International Emmy Award), his big break came in a Portuguese-English coproduction.
That 2009 feature, Star Crossed — about a soccer rivalry — brought him his first English-speaking role.
It also landed him an American agent and, eventually, the starring role in History's 2013 miniseries, The Bible, which attracted more than 13 million viewers.
"Playing Jesus was tremendously important, not only personally but professionally," Morgado says. "I took it really seriously. I wanted to tell the story as truthfully as possible. I didn't want to have one frame I didn't fully believe in."
Splitting his time between Portugal and Los Angeles, Morgado enjoys the cultural differences of working in far-flung locations, including Spain, Morocco, Brazil and even Albuquerque, where the 13 episodes of The Messengers were shot.
True to his culture, the actor enjoys lengthy mealswith friends and family, including his five-year-old son.
''lt's a privilege to have the opportunity to do what I love," he says. "I live through my work, but we need to give ourselves a break and enjoy the small things in life like hugs, smiles and laughs.
"I enjoy having the chance of sharing joy and feeling gratefulness."
