Russell Crowe Talks 'The Pope's Exorcist' and What to Expect from the Film
Moviefone speaks with Russell Crowe about 'The Pope's Exorcist.' "I thought it was something that a Hollywood writer came up with but it's a real gig."
Opening in theaters on April 14th is the new supernatural horror thriller ‘The Pope’s Exorcist,’ from director Julius Avery (‘Samaritan’).
What is the plot of 'The Pope's Exorcist?’
Inspired by the actual files of Father Gabriele Amorth, Chief Exorcist of the Vatican, ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ follows Father Gabriele Amorth (Oscar-winner Russell Crowe) as he investigates a young boy’s terrifying possession and ends up uncovering a centuries-old conspiracy the Vatican has desperately tried to keep hidden.
The Pope's Exorcist
Who is in the cast of 'The Pope's Exorcist?’
'The Pope's Exorcist’ stars Russell Crowe (‘The Nice Guys,’ ‘Gladiator’) as Father Gabriele Amorth, Daniel Zovatto (‘Lady Bird’) as Father Esquibel, Alex Essoe (‘Doctor Sleep’) as Julia, Franco Nero (‘Django Unchained’) as The Pope, and Ralph Ineson (‘The Green Knight’) as the voice of the Demon.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Russell Crowe about his work on 'The Pope's Exorcist,’ what audiences can expect from the film, the unexplainable things that happen on a set, and his surprise to discover that the Pope really does employ an exorcist.
(L to R) Daniel Zovatto and Russell Crowe in Sony Pictures 'The Pope's Exorcist.'
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview with Russell Crowe about ‘The Pope’s Exorcist.’
Moviefone: To begin with, what would you say to audiences about to see this movie to prepare them for the experience they are about to have?
Russell Crowe: Popcorn. Popcorn would prepare them. Popcorn is a known benefit when dealing with spiritual matters and the occult. I don't know if people in the audience are particularly religious. Some may prefer Coke, some may prefer Pepsi. I can't know from this perspective, but at certain points of the movie, you may get a little dry in the throat, so you should have something standing by. Even water, water's good. Doesn't have to be blessed, doesn't have to be holy water, but some level of purity that you should be able to ascertain by reading the label. But, I don't want to say anything else. You're about to see it. I don't want to give anything away.
(L to R) Daniel Zovatto and Russell Crowe in Sony Pictures 'The Pope's Exorcist.'
MF: The movie deals with supernatural events, have you ever witnessed an unexplainable phenomenon on a film set?
RC: Well, lots of inexplicable things happen in a film production every time you work, but the studios don't like you to discuss that sort of stuff. But I'll tell you a story from a movie I did called ‘Unhinged.’ We were shooting in New Orleans and I was playing a character in a story that involves a road rage incident that goes out of control. I decided to get a house close out to where the production was based. So out in an area called Kenna. So I rented this house, and it must have been built on some reclaimed land or whatever because the structure itself was a little odd. Some hallways kind of went downwards, and then a hallway right parallel to it would actually be rising upwards. It was an odd house. I had this experience of every time I walked through the house, lights would turn on and off. You'd be in one part of the house and then lights from the other side of the house that you'd just left would turn on. That was going on quite a lot. So one night I was sitting with the people I was working with and I just brought it up. I said, has anybody noticed the light? Everybody had the same experience. One of the people I was working with didn't actually want to be in that house by themselves. We had some strange incidents that happened in the house, like dead creatures being left at doorways. A couple of people who had come over for dinner both fell over in a very peculiar way. It was just odd. So daily I'm going to work and I'm playing this character. He's in his truck, he's driving down the freeway and he's pursuing this woman that he thinks in his head has done him wrong. Then I come back to that house at night and have these weird experiences with the lights and what have you. I'd been told when I'd rented the house that Will Smith had rented the house. My assumption was that it was Will Smith, the actor. But over time I learned that it was a fellow called Will Smith, who was a former NFL football player who played for the New Orleans Saints who died in a road rage incident.
Russell Crowe (Right) as Father Gabriele Amorth in Sony Pictures 'The Pope's Exorcist.'
MF: Finally, ‘The Pope's Exorcist’ isn't just the name of the film, it’s an actual job that exists within the Vatican. Were you aware of that before making this movie?
RC: Well I was a bit surprised actually, when I read the script. I thought that the job title of Chief Exorcist for the Vatican was something that a Hollywood script writer had come up with. But then I looked into it and that's a real gig. Father Gabriele Amorth was in that job for 36 years, but it was his personal story and his history, being born in Modena in Italy just before the outbreak of the Second World War and what he'd experienced in his lifetime, which brought him to the job of being the Pope's Exorcist, being the Chief Exorcist for the Vatican. He served in that position for 36 years until his death in 2016, with tens of thousands of exorcisms he performed.
Russell Crowe stars in 'The Pope's Exorcist.'
Other Movies Similar to ‘The Pope’s Exorcist:’
- ‘The Exorcist' (1973)
- ‘Exorcist II: The Heretic' (1977)
- 'Possessed' (2000)
- ‘Exorcist: The Beginning' (2004)
- 'Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist' (2005)
- 'Paranormal Activity' (2009)
- 'Prey for the Devil' (2022)
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The Pope's Exorcist’ is produced by Screen Gems, 2.0 Entertainment, Jesus & Mary, Worldwide Katz, and Loyola Productions. It is set to release in theaters on April 14th, 2023.
