Exclusive: Russell Crowe on Playing The Pope’s Exorcist

Russell Crowe trades swords and sandals for a crucifix and rosary beads in The Pope’s Exorcist. The Oscar-winning actor battles a horrifying demon targeting a mother (Alex Essoe) and her children (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney, Laurel Marsden) for an evil Satanic purpose. Crowe portrays Father Gabriele Amorth, a Catholic priest and famed author who professed to performing thousands of exorcisms for the church. He’s aided by a young novice (Daniel Zovatto), who quickly learns the wrath of their diabolical adversary.

The Pope’s Exorcist is loaded with grotesque imagery and terrifying scares, but surprises with humorous jabs. Crowe gives Father Amorth a charming personality that bucks convention with wit and sarcasm. He faces unthinkable fear with a positive attitude that lifts spirits in the darkest moments. Crowe adds fantastic complexity to a character that could have been formulaic.

Crowe delved into Father Amorth’s writings to craft his interpretation of an established figure. This “artistic license” allowed him to develop a unique personality not usually seen in the genre. Crowe seized the opportunity to do something radically different. He’s embraced diverse roles throughout his career to avoid being typecast.

An Upbeat Demon Slayer

MW: Father Gabriel Amorth fights demons with a twinkle in his eye and a smirk on his cheek. You seem kind of upbeat given the dire situation?

Russell Crowe: There’s a large degree of artistic license going on. I started watching footage of Father Amorth, reading his articles that have been translated to English, and then his books. I just read the first two. My interpretation came down to two things that I thought I could perceive from what I was reading. What gets him through his job? What makes him successful? His job, if we just put it in context, is constantly dealing with afflicted people, and the families of afflicted people. He spends a lot of time in very dark situations, spiritually and emotionally. But for me, the distillation of the father was a purity of faith and a sense of humor.

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Russell Crowe: I said, we’ve got to expand this a little bit. We’ve got to put some biographical details in, so people really understand a little bit more about who this guy is and his attitude to things. He’s got some pretty famous quotes out there. Some of them went against where the Catholic Church wanted him to be. One of my favorites was when he said, “You should not do yoga. Yoga requires you to put yourself at the center of the universe. Surely, that’s a place that God should occupy. So just do stretching.”

A Fresh Perspective

MW: You’ve made so many great films. I first saw you in Michael Mann’s The Insider as a tobacco executive. Three decades later, you’re playing this priest battling Satan. What informs your choices at this point? Why make a movie about a guy slaying a demon?

Russell Crowe: It’s got to be fresh to me. People come along, and they do one thing of a certain type. Then you see them do 50 versions of that same thing. After Gladiator, I was offered Alexander, I was offered Troy, I was offered all these things. To me, it felt like covering ground I’d already been over. When you’ve been around for as long as I have, what turns you on is possibly a little more extreme. Or just areas that I haven’t been into. That’s where my fascination with this comes from.

Russell Crowe: The thing that really caught my attention, though, was I had no idea there was a job called the chief exorcist for the Vatican. I didn’t know that was an actual thing. And that really interests me. I looked into the man himself. I knew I could have some fun with it while battling Satan. But that purity of his faith and that sense of humor means that I can approach it with a certain lightness of touch.

The Pope’s Exorcist will be released theatrically on April 14th from Sony Pictures.