11 hours ago
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- New York Post
Ralph Fiennes reacts to Pope Leo XIV watching ‘Conclave': Is it ‘rubbish'?
Ralph Fiennes has many questions for Pope Leo XIV.
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, the Oscar nominee, 62, was asked about Leo, 69, watching his 2024 film 'Conclave' before he was elected the head of the Catholic Church last month.
'My thoughts are questions,' Fiennes told the outlet. 'Did he enjoy it? Did he just shrug his shoulders and say halfway through, 'This is rubbish'? Or did he get something from it?'
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9 Ralph Fiennes in 'Conclave.'
í©Focus Features/Courtesy Everett Collection
9 Pope Leo attends Pope Francis' funeral in Vatican City on April 26.
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'I'd like to know what he thought,' the '28 Years Later' star continued. 'I'm sure there are many people in the church and many cardinals who've looked at it and thought it was nothing like reality.'
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While the Edward Berger-directed film was fictional, Fiennes said he thinks they were accurate enough in portraying the process of electing the next pope.
9 Director Edward Berger and Ralph Fiennes on the set of 'Conclave.'
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'I think we did get the rituals right,' he stated. 'I'm sure the power politics was amped up for entertainment purposes, but I hope that he saw something of value in it. I just don't know.'
9 The Seventh Novemdiale mass at St Peter's Basilica after Pope Francis' funeral on May 2.
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'I guess if the next pope watched 'Conclave,' of course, at a simplistic level, I'm delighted,' Fiennes added. 'But I mean, I want him to like it. If he didn't like it, what can I do? I've done it!'
In 'Conclave,' which is based on a 2016 Robert Harris novel, Fiennes plays a cardinal tasked with selecting a new pope and finds himself investigating secrets and scandals about the major candidates, which include Stanley Tucci's progressive Cardinal Bellini and Sergio Castellitto's conservative Cardinal Tedesco.
9 Pope Leo XIV seen for the first time after he was elected on May 8.
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9 Ralph Fiennes in 'Conclave.'
AP
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9 Ralph Fiennes at the '28 Years Later' premiere in London on June 18.
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In May, Leo's brother, John Prevost, confirmed that the Catholic leader watched 'Conclave' before the election.
'I said, 'Are you ready for this? Did you watch the movie 'Conclave' so you know how to behave?' He had just finished watching the movie 'Conclave,' so he knew how to behave,' Prevost told NBC News.
9 Pope Leo XIV overlooking St. Peter's Square after being named the new pope.
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'So it's that kind of stuff, because I wanted to take his mind off of it,' he added. 'You know, laugh about something, because this is now an awesome responsibility.'
Leo was selected as the new pope on May 8 after Pope Francis died in April at age 88.
9 Pope Leo on the balcony of St Peter's Basilica in The Vatican on May 8.
AFP via Getty Images
Born Robert Francis Prevost, the Chicago-born missionary is the first US pope.
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'Peace be with you all,' were Leo's first words as he greeted crowds in the packed St. Peter's Square from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica on his election day.
Leo also repeated the word 'peace' nine times, and vowed, 'God loves us, all of us. Evil will not prevail.'
