Russell Crowe embodies 'The Pope's Exorcist' in horror film based on priest's life story

Record ID: 1719462

  • Title: Russell Crowe embodies 'The Pope's Exorcist' in horror film based on priest's life story
  • Date: 5th April 2023
  • Summary: UNIDENTIFIED FILMING LOCATION (MARCH 27, 2023) (Reuters) (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, RUSSELL CROWE, SAYING: "I got interested in the movie because of the real life of Gabriele Amorth, you know. When I started reading about his experiences and where he came from and how he got to the job that he ended up doing for 36 years, I just found it very fascinating. And what's more, he left behind - because he passed away in 2016 - he left behind a whole bunch of his first-person experiences to read through. I think there's like a dozen books or something like that, you know. So it was just his journey that really fascinated me to start with."
  • Embargoed: 19th April 2023 12:15
  • Keywords: Exorcisms Gabriele Amorth Russell Crowe The Pope's Exorcist Vatican
  • Location: UNIDENTIFIED FILMING LOCATIONS
  • City: UNIDENTIFIED FILMING LOCATIONS
  • Country: US
  • Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Film,North America
  • Reuters ID: LVA002169430032023RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe is taking on a new persona in 'The Pope's Exorcist'.
    Crowe is playing Father Gabriele Amorth, who in reality served as the Vatican's official exorcist from 1986 to 2000, and during his lifetime claimed to have performed over 50,000 exorcisms.
    "I got interested in the movie because of the real life of Gabriele Amorth, you know," Crowe told Reuters during a Zoom interview from Australia.
    He added "When I started reading about his experiences and where he came from and how he got to the job that he ended up doing for 36 years, I just found it very fascinating and what's more, he left behind - because he passed away in 2016 - he left behind a whole bunch of his first-person experiences to read through. I think there are like a dozen books or something like that, you know. So it was just his journey that really fascinated me to start with."
    The film's story is based on the content of Amorth's books and follows American widow Julia (Alex Essoe) moving into an old castle in Spain with her two children.
    When renovators break into a sealed room in the basement, they unleash a demon which then possesses the son Henry (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney).
    Amorth is sent to rid the demon from the child. However, unlike previous exorcisms, the demon appears to be able to prey on the exorcist's own guilt and regrets.
    Crowe, after being asked how true the story was, said "What the character in the movie is going through we've tried to connect to actual experiences in Gabriele's life so the process he's going through in terms of what it is to forgive yourself for the experiences you've had, you know, and things like that. They're all based on his real life. In terms of what happens with an exorcism and stuff like that, everybody is going to have their own opinion but these are books which are written from first person experience."
    After playing a true-life exorcist and having read Amorth's books, does Crowe feel more of an affinity to the supernatural?
    "You know, have I been in a situation where I've walked into a room and felt a change in energy that makes me a little uncomfortable? Yeah, I have," said Crowe.
    "There's a whole lot of things out there that we don't really fully understand and it's all well and good to stand atop of a mound of cynicism and think you know everything that goes on in the world but if you do think that, then you're fooling yourself," he added.
    'The Pope's Exorcist' begins its global release in theaters from April 7.
    (Production: Rollo Ross)
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