Movies

Conclave author reveals Ralph Fiennes was third choice for lead role in Oscar nominated film – behind two other A-list Hollywood actors

BBG News

Ralph Fiennes‘ exceptional portrayal of a respected liberal cardinal during Conclave earned him an Academy Award nomination, however, it was not his initial role to play.

In an interesting turn of events, it’s been disclosed that both acclaimed actors, Robert De Niro from Hollywood and Spain’s Javier Bardem, were contenders for the main part.

However, the talks with the representatives of both parties failed, paving the path for the 62-year-old Fiennes.

Or

The negotiations between the representatives of both sides fell through, clearing the route for 62-year-old Fiennes.

Both sentences maintain the original meaning while being easy to read and understand.

The shift in casting resulted in a transformation of his character. Originally, the head of the council of cardinals in Harris’s 2016 novel was an Italian named Jacopo Baldassare Lomeli. However, with Fiennes being cast, he morphed into the English Cardinal Thomas Lawrence.

Initially, it was planned for Robert De Niro to portray the character Fiennes, but that arrangement didn’t work out. Later on, it was intended for Javier Bardem to take over the role instead.

However, another agreement couldn’t be reached, leading the producers to approach Fiennes instead, who is well recognized for his roles as the sinister Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter movies and M in the James Bond series.

According to Harris’ revelations, it was Fiennes and director Edward Berger who made the choice to alter the character’s nationality.

They visited for lunch and informed me about their plan to alter Cardinal Lomeli’s nationality, as Ralph desired to portray an English character. As I looked over the table, my thoughts were, ‘Am I willing to let go of Ralph Fiennes?’ Of course, it doesn’t have any impact whatsoever.

Harris, who has previously written successful books such as Fatherland and Enigma, mentioned during his talk at Hay that movie producers were already showing interest in his unfinished novel.

After the initial excitement, the decision was made by the executives to delay the movie’s premiere. This turned out to be quite fortunate since the film went on to hit screens right as the actual Vatican conclave to choose Pope Francis’s successor was taking place.

Harris, aged 68, remarked: ‘They held off releasing it for a year to avoid being overshadowed by other films, which turned out to be a brilliant move as it attracted much attention. There was already growing curiosity about conclaves, and surprisingly enough, I found myself penning a comprehensive guide on the topic.’

This year, American Cardinal Robert Prevost, who later became Pope Leo XIV, was among the viewers of the movie. He watched it right before the conclave elected him, prior to his assumption of the papal title.

The film titled “Conclave,” featuring actors like Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini, garnered a total of eight Academy Award nominations. However, it ended up winning only the Oscar in the category of Best Adapted Screenplay for Peter Straughan’s script.

Two Oscar voters confided to Variety, a trade publication, that they didn’t vote for Fiennes because they mistakenly thought he had already won the award.

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2025-06-01 02:33

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