Pope Francis meets Russell Crowe, Darren Aronofsky, but doesn’t watch ‘Noah’ film
Russell Crowe, who plays the title character in the new film Noah, lobbied hard for a personal audience with Pope Francis using social media to get the Pope to watch the new film.
Pope Francis I March 2013 photo by Casa Rosada via wikipedia
Religious groups have spoken out about the creative liberties taken to create the film (a topic of this recent Dispatch interview HERE), so The Vatican’s chief spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, nixed both ideas; he said Francis would not watch the film and Crowe would not be granted a private audience.
But Crowe, along with director Darren Aronofsky and some studio officials, were in the invitation-only section of St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, where they reportedly met the pope briefly and received a blessing.
“Pope Francis’ comments on stewardship and our responsibility in the natural world are inspirational,” Aronofsky, who was nominated for an Oscar four years ago for Black Swan, said via social media. “When the opportunity to hear him speak (arose) … I couldn’t miss the chance to listen and learn.”
Crowe referred his participation in the audience “a privilege.”
Rumors swirled on the Internet that Wednesday’s encounter is an endorsement for the movie, but Vatican officials made it clear that was not the case.
Noah arrives in theaters on March 28, 2014.
