‘House of David’ star opens up about Catholic conversion as new season premieres

The star of a popular show about King David is opening up about his personal conversion and the decision that led him to come into full communion with the Catholic Church ahead of the second season’s global premiere.

“I don’t think I can put into words how much the Eucharist means to me,” Michael Iskander, who plays David in “House of David,” said. Catholics believe that Jesus Christ is truly present in the Eucharist — body, blood, soul and divinity — while the appearances of bread and wine remain. “It’s what brought me back, this sacrament.”

Iskander spoke with OSV News about his faith journey and the second season of the epic biblical drama series ahead of its premiere March 27 on Prime Video, Amazon’s streaming service. While the first season led up to David’s defeat of the giant, Goliath, the second season follows David’s transition from a shepherd to a warrior.

The show from Wonder Project and Amazon MGM Studios has already captivated over 40 million viewers worldwide.

Previously, the second season was only available on Prime Video with a Wonder Project subscription. Beginning March 27, Prime Video subscribers can also watch all eight episodes of the second season. The hourlong episodes are rated “13+” (for teens), except for the first episode, which is rated “16+” (for young adults).

In addition to Iskander, the series stars Ali Suliman, Ayelet Zurer, Stephen Lang and Indy Lewis. The cast also includes Yali Topol Margalith, Ethan Kai, Sam Otto, Oded Fehr, Louis Ferreira, Davood Ghadami, Ashraf Barhom and Alexander Uloom.

When people watch the show, Iskander hopes they see God in David.

“I just want them to know and to see (David’s) heart,” he told OSV News. “And ultimately, at the center of his heart, is God.”

— A conversion sparked by the Eucharist —

The premiere comes after Iskander announced last year that he came into full communion with the Catholic Church.

“When I was younger, I went to the Coptic Orthodox Church — and I love the Coptic Orthodox Church,” said the 24-year-old actor, who moved from Egypt to the United States as a boy. “But I found myself for a while, especially here in the States, I just didn’t go to church at all.”

His conversion began when, one day, he stumbled into St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan. While there, he remembered the significance of the Eucharist.

“I saw the altar, and I realized, ‘I haven’t taken the Eucharist in a very long time,'” he said. “I was hungry for the Eucharist.”

Shortly after that, he auditioned for “House of David.” The role led him to think about faith even more and, when he returned home from filming, he met with a priest. He remembered how everything the priest said felt right to him. He also noticed God placing people who were Catholic into his life.

“The calling became more and more clear that Christ wanted me in the Catholic Church,” he said.

Because Orthodox Christians have received all their sacraments of initiation, they only make a profession of faith to come into full communion with the Catholic Church — which Iskander did during Mass Aug. 21, 2025. As Catholics, they automatically join the particular Eastern Catholic church that corresponds to the Orthodox church they came from. Coptic Orthodox who become Catholic would be canonically enrolled in the Coptic Catholic Church, one of the 23 Eastern churches that with the Latin Church make up the global Catholic Church, unless they were granted permission to switch canonical membership.

Today, Iskander said the Eucharist “is everything” to him.

“Christ said, ‘Take, this is my body,’ and, ‘Take, this is my blood,” Iskander said. “And he is present in the Eucharist, so how can I say no to him? To say no to the Eucharist is to say no to God.”

He added later: “I pray that more people can experience Christ in the Eucharist.”

— A shepherd’s lesson —

Iskander said that his faith journey and his role as David grew both separately and together. As he began playing David, he faced unexpected trials that made him realize the importance of growing in faith.

“I knew that if I was going to fight, I cannot fight alone — I have to have God by my side,” he said. “In that way, David inspired me and reminded me of the closeness that I need to have with Christ.”

He recalled a piece of advice he received during his training for the show’s first season. At the time, Iskander was trying to spend a lot of time with a flock of sheep, but they would always run away from him. The shepherd told him how to change that.

“He goes, ‘Come stand next to me,'” Iskander said. “And when I stand next to the shepherd, the sheep don’t run away. But the moment I leave his side, the sheep go crazy.”

The shepherd encouraged him: “You need to be by my side always — and you need to spend as much time with me as possible so that the sheep know that you’re with me.”

Iskander knew God wanted the same from him.

“In the same sense, Christ was saying to me, ‘I need you to spend a lot of time with me. I need you to stand by my side always, so that the sheep don’t steer away and that they see me,'” Iskander said.

— An answer to prayer —

Today, Iskander said he prays for the intercession of St. King David and St. Michael the Archangel, whom he was named after. He prays the St. Michael Prayer and reads the psalms, many of which are attributed to David. Iskander said he has a psalm for every season of his life. Most recently, he fell in love with Psalm 131, a song about trust in God.

Iskander called playing the psalmist an answer to prayer. His desire to play David began with “The Chosen,” the hit series following the life of Jesus. A fan of the show, Iskander remembered showing it to his family.

“They asked me, ‘Who would you play if you ever got the chance?'” he said. “I said, ‘I’d love to play King David.'”

Here is the link for the trailer: https://youtu.be/uav8nXiWkGg?si=Ynr5h4xGPCI_OD3b

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