Revisiting 'Conclave' Ahead Of The Papal Election In Rome

Summary

Podcast Episode Summary: All Of It – "Revisiting 'Conclave' Ahead Of The Papal Election In Rome"

Host: Alison Stewart
Guests: Stanley Tucci (Actor, Cardinal Aldo Bellini) and Edward Berger (Director)
Release Date: May 6, 2025
Available On: Amazon Prime

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Introduction

In this episode of All Of It, host Alison Stewart delves into the intricacies of the film Conclave, a drama that mirrors the high-stakes process of electing a new Pope at the Vatican. The conversation features insights from Stanley Tucci, who portrays Cardinal Aldo Bellini, and Edward Berger, the film’s acclaimed director.

Overview of Conclave

Conclave dramatizes the selection of a new Pope following the death of the current pontiff. Set in the Sistine Chapel, the narrative captures the tension as cardinals, divided along papal and political lines, vie to elect their successor. The main candidates include:

• A Staunch Traditionalist
• A Center-Right Conservative
• An Openly Homophobic Figure
• Cardinal Aldo Bellini (played by Stanley Tucci), a liberal and progressive voice reluctant to seek the papacy.

The film has garnered critical acclaim, winning an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, four BAFTAs, and two Critics Choice Awards, including Best Acting Ensemble.

Casting and Character Dynamics

Edward Berger discusses the challenges and timing involved in casting for Conclave. He explains that securing Stanley Tucci took years due to the actor’s availability, emphasizing the importance of finding the right fit for Cardinal Bellini.

Edward Berger [02:39]: “He’s the right person... sometimes, you've scheduled your movies around fantastic people like Stanley.”

Stanley Tucci reflects on his preparation for the role, highlighting his deep connection to the character and the script’s timely relevance.

Stanley Tucci [03:32]: “I think the timing was absolutely appropriate because it mirrors a lot of what's happening in our world politically.”

Themes of Friendship and Trust

The friendship between Cardinal Bellini and Cardinal Dean Lawrence (played by Ralph Fiennes) is central to the film’s emotional core. Tucci elaborates on what binds these characters together:

Stanley Tucci [04:41]: “Sometimes you become friends... morally, they are twins... it's about trusting yourself and each other.”

Edward Berger adds that the actors’ real-life friendship enhances their on-screen chemistry, creating a dynamic interplay between differing personalities.

Edward Berger [07:25]: “They egg each other on and they would be... you just want to be really good if you're across from Stanley Tucci.”

Incorporating Humor into the Drama

While Conclave is fundamentally a drama, Berger discusses how humor is seamlessly integrated to break the solemnity of the setting. The unexpected introduction of modern elements, such as an espresso machine in the Sistine Chapel, serves to inject moments of levity.

Edward Berger [09:16]: “If I put an espresso machine... that could come with laughter.”

The presence of Isabella Rossellini’s character delivering a bold, humorous scene adds a relatable and humanizing layer to the high-tension environment.

Exploring Doubt and Self-Discovery

A pivotal moment in the film is Cardinal Lawrence’s speech urging cardinals to elect a Pope who harbors doubts, emphasizing the importance of uncertainty in leadership.

Stanley Tucci [14:32]: “He says the next Pope, someone who has doubts... invites discourse and wisdom.”

This theme resonates deeply with Tucci, who shares personal reflections on self-awareness and the human condition.

Stanley Tucci [13:30]: “He doesn't know himself yet... we all think we know ourselves, but we don't.”

Stanley Tucci’s Reflections on Religion

Tucci opens up about his personal journey with faith, contrasting his upbringing in the Catholic Church with his current secular views. His portrayal of Bellini is informed by his nuanced understanding of religion’s role in personal and public life.

Stanley Tucci [16:16]: “I don’t think that... I’m not a religious person, and that’s my choice.”

This candid admission adds depth to his character, highlighting the internal conflicts that Bellini faces.

Filming in Rome: Enhancing Authenticity

Filming Conclave in Rome was a deliberate choice to capture the city’s authenticity and its influence on the film’s atmosphere. Berger emphasizes how the local environment and interactions with residents enriched the storytelling.

Edward Berger [18:19]: “Rome became such an important element... humanity became the main driving force for the film.”

Scenes depicting everyday life, such as nuns enjoying coffee or archbishops engaging casually in cafes, underscore the film’s focus on humanity amidst institutional grandeur.

Relevance to Contemporary Politics

Released shortly after significant political events, including the US General Election and Germany’s chancellor losing a vote of confidence, Conclave gains additional layers of meaning. Tucci reflects on the film’s resonance with current global uncertainties.

Stanley Tucci [19:37]: “The world has not been here before... it's very scary... communication is polluted and distorted.”

While the film does not prescribe solutions, its portrayal of political intrigue and moral dilemmas mirrors the complexities of today’s political landscape.

Conclusion

Alison Stewart’s interview with Stanley Tucci and Edward Berger offers a comprehensive exploration of Conclave, unraveling its thematic depth, character dynamics, and timely relevance. The film not only entertains but also invites audiences to reflect on leadership, trust, and the human spirit in times of uncertainty.

Conclave is now available to stream on Amazon Prime, providing an insightful cinematic experience that captivates both culturally and contextually.

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Notable Quotes:

• Stanley Tucci [01:31]:
  “Father Bellini... I could never live with myself.”

• Edward Berger [02:39]:
  “He’s the right person... sometimes, you've scheduled your movies around fantastic people like Stanley.”

• Stanley Tucci [04:41]:
  “It’s about trusting yourself and knowing yourself.”

• Stanley Tucci [13:30]:
  “We all think we know ourselves, but we don't.”

• Stanley Tucci [16:16]:
  “I’m not a religious person, and that’s my choice.”

• Edward Berger [18:19]:
  “Humanity became the main driving force for the film... trying to discover the humanity within.”

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All Of It continues to be a platform that bridges culture and its creators, offering listeners an in-depth look into the stories and ideas shaping our world.

Transcript

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[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. The Vatican is now preparing for the election of a new Pope. On Wednesday, the process begins. It's a moment of global significance and one that mirrors the events in the film Conclave. In the movie, the Pope has died and a group of cardinals is locked away in the Sistine Chapel to choose the next leader of the Catholic Church. Factions form on papal and political lines. One candidate represents staunch traditionalism, another is a center right conservative, and a third voices openly homophobic views. And then a newcomer enters the fray, a cardinal with exceptional liberal values. Actor Stanley Tucci plays Cardinal Aldo Bellini, an American who champions progressivism. He says he doesn't want the role until he does. Here's a clip from early in the film when Tucci's character speaks to Cardinal Dean Lawrence, played by Ralph Fiennes.

[Stanley Tucci]

Father Bellini. Aldo. Am I the last one? Not quite. How are you? Oh, well, you know, fairly dreadful. Have you seen the papers? Mm. Apparently it's already decided. It's to be me. And I happen to agree with them. What if I don't want it? No sane man would want the papacy. Some of our colleagues seem to want it. What if I know in my heart that I am not worthy? You are more worthy than any of us. I'm not. Well, then tell your supporters not to vote for you. Pass the chalice and let it go to him, then. I could never live with myself.

[Alison Stewart]

Conclave won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, four BAFTAs, and two Critics Choice Awards, including Best Acting Ensemble. It's available to stream now on Amazon Prime. I spoke with the actor who plays Cardinal Bellini, Stanley Tucci, and director Edward Berger, who won an Oscar for All Quiet on the Western Front. I began my conversation by asking Edward why Conclave took a while, even though he started thinking about the film around the same time or even before his film All Quiet on the Western Front.

[Edward Berger]

Some movies sort of have a dynamic and they just happen quickly. And All Quiet was sort of, you know, a timely film at the time, and this became timely right now. So it's the perfect timing, actually, for both of them. It's just, you know, getting the script right, finding wonderful actors like Stanley Tucci, he wasn't available for years, and I tried to find, you know, like, followed him around. And then I just, I needed him to be in the film. And so, and sometimes, you know, you've scheduled your movies around for fantastic people like Stanley.

[Alison Stewart]

So, Stanley, you weren't around for years.

[Stanley Tucci]

It said, the man is a pathological liar. But I love.

[Alison Stewart]

This is going to be interesting. Then you read the book La Fortuna. When did you hear about the film adaptation?

[Stanley Tucci]

Oh, well, yes, I, I, I read, Excuse Me, Red Conclave about four years ago. It was during the last election, so I remember very distinctly when I read it. And I was sort of sequestered in Spain making a television series, and I just loved it because I loved Robert Harris's writing. And anyway, a couple years later, the script came to me and I was more than thrilled, also more than thrilled that Edward was directing it. And then all of the pieces came together, as Edward said, because I think the timing was absolutely appropriate because it mirrors a lot of what's happening in our world politically.

[Alison Stewart]

I'm sorry, I said you read. You were filming La Fortuna.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah, I was filming. That's all right. That's all right. I didn't want to correct you.

[Alison Stewart]

Well, they appreciate it, but please do. If you, you know, you never know. You know, when we meet Bellini early on, he's the Cardinal Dean's person. He's this guy, as we heard in the intro clip. What are they united by?

[Stanley Tucci]

What are. What are who united by?

[Alison Stewart]

Sorry, what are, what is Bellini and Lawrence? What are they united by? Why are they friends in a way?

[Stanley Tucci]

Well, you know, sometimes you become friends. You don't know why you become friends with people. Sometimes you may have different views politically or, you know, sort of aesthetically, but morally, they are twins, I think, and I think that they, that's what brings them together. Now, I say that because you can be moral twins with someone because you trust them. But the key thing is that you have to trust yourself. And that is so much about, you know, that's what this movie is about. So much is about trusting yourself and knowing yourself. And as it turns out that that trust of yourself and that trust between them, it becomes slightly broken because of the machinations that are going on. But in the end, their friendship, their friendship succeeds, their friendship goes on because Cardinal Bellini makes an admission that he understands that he. Well, I won't give it away. Let's say that Fair Edward, it's really about, it's really about friendship, is about trust and love. And sharing a moral ground.

[Alison Stewart]

Edward, why was Stanley the right actor to play Bellini?

[Edward Berger]

Well, Stanley has a wonderful, you know, I cast Rafe and Stanley at about the same time, maybe Rafe. Sorry, Stanley, a tiny bit before, because you want to make sure that, you know, whoever is right opposite Rafe is the right person. And it felt that Stanley is a wonderful person. I believe there could be friends. And I believed and I saw them as, you know, while they clearly have sympathy towards each other, they feel very different. You know, one is a very, I would say, internal person and other feels like a bit more communicative. And that felt like a friction that was very interesting to the friendship of these two characters. And I believe that he could absolutely represent someone, you know, with those political views.

[Stanley Tucci]

I think the thing. Edward, what I want to. It's interesting you say that because Rafe and I have become friends in, in real life. We were friendly prior to this, but it has only bonded us. But we are very different people. And yet when we're together, it's, it's great. It's great fun. And I'm a. Yeah, it's admirer.

[Edward Berger]

Yeah. And it felt like, you know, two wonderful actors. If they meet each other, there's a, there's a certain, you know, wanting to be there for each other, wanting to be good for each other, wanting to be as good as the other, better as the other one. You know, like, sort of, it's a, it's a little bit of a, you know, a friendly, not battle, but something like, you know, if I, if I have a good discussion with a intelligent partner, you know, that person makes me more intelligent. And that feels like with Rafe and Stanley, you know, that just be, you know, they'd egg each other on and they would be, and, and they are, you know, you just want to be really good if you're across from Stanley Tuccin. You want to be really good if you're across from Ralph Fiennes. And so that just felt inherently right. And, you know, one is American, the other is British. That comes with very different qualities, and they have very different acting styles that I think can complement each other beautifully.

[Alison Stewart]

Edward, the movie the Conclave is a. Is a drama in many ways, but occasionally it's amusing. There are times when I'm amused watching it. How did you figure out how to use the humor? Use the humor and the juiciness of the script when you first read it?

[Edward Berger]

Well, it's, it's, again, it's. A lot of the actors bring the humor to the film. I mean, the. When you read the, when you read the script, it's obviously, it's a. It's a thriller and it's dramatic, but it's, you know, the immediately had images of. That would break the piousness of the church. That would break the piousness of these jobs that these men have and the old buildings and everything. So it. It just felt like, okay, if I put an espresso machine into the middle of the. Basically into the Sistine Chapel, into those chambers, if I put a vape into that, if I put cigarettes or iPhones, you know, that is unexpected and that could come with laughter. And then you get the right people who interpret that and they have fun doing it. And that fun transmits to the. To the screen and to the. And the audience responds to it. And the biggest. It's actually a surprise. I didn't expect it as much. I expected that people would be satisfied. But Isabella Rossellini gets sort of a scene. Applause in many cinemas because she does a curtsy and she tells these men off. Men off, basically. And I think, you know, she hasn't. No one's dared to do it. And so the audience feels relieved and she speaks their mind and so they applaud her for saying that. And so it's really gratifying when that happens.

[Alison Stewart]

Stanley, I'm interested in how you think about the tone of the project overall versus what you have to bring to the character.

[Stanley Tucci]

Well, no, they're part and parcel. I mean, I think, excuse me, you have to fit, as an actor, you have to fit into the tone of the film. If you don't, if you're playing a tertiary role or a secondary role or, you know, whatever. And the director, first of all, the script, second of all, the director, they set the tone very clearly. And you must be a part of that. If you're not, you're just kind of showing off or trying to be different or trying to get attention or something like that. Separate yourself and you can't. Your job as an actor is to. Is to fit into the story perfectly and to tell that story the way it's meant to be told or the way the director has chosen for it to be told. And that's it. As I said, if you're trying to do something different, then it's a bit, you know, show offy.

[Alison Stewart]

My guests are actor Stanley Tucci and director Edward Berger. We're discussing Conclave about all the machinations behind selecting a new pope. Let's listen to another clip from Conclave. Bellini claims he doesn't want the Papacy. But when people start voting for Lawrence and taking votes away from him, his tune changes a little bit. Let's layer a clip featuring you and riffines.

[Stanley Tucci]

I thought we had your support. If we liberals are not united, Tedesco will become Pope. You have no idea how bad it became, Thomas. The way he and his circle attacked the Holy Father towards the end. The smears, the leaks to the press. It was savage. He fought him every single day of his pontificate. And now that he's dead, he wants to destroy his life's work. If Tedesco becomes Pope, he will undo 60 years of progress. You talk as if you're the only alternative, but Adeyemi has the win behind him. Adeyemi? Mm. Adeyemi. The man who believes that homosexuals should be sent to prison in this world and hell in the next. Adeyemi's not the answer to anything, and you know it. If you want to defeat Tedesco, this is a conclave, Aldo.

[Edward Berger]

It's not a war.

[Stanley Tucci]

It is a war, and you have to commit to a side.

[Alison Stewart]

Why does. Why does Bellini at first say that he doesn't really want it, Stanley?

[Stanley Tucci]

Because he thinks he doesn't want it, because we don't. He doesn't know himself yet, which he says later in the film. He doesn't know himself yet. He thinks he knows him. We all think we know ourselves, but we don't. We. Which is the beautiful part of growing older and the awful part of growing older and the not knowing and suddenly realizations or epiphanies are what create regrets. So I think that he thinks he doesn't want it because he thinks he's purer than he is. But we all do.

[Alison Stewart]

Interesting. Before the voting begins, Edward Cardinal Lawrence delivers a speech to all the cardinals in which he says, let us hope the next Pope is one who has doubts. How is that message central to the theme of the film?

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah.

[Edward Berger]

Well, I think it's, you know, he says the next Pope, someone who has doubts, is because the world is full of certainty. We are surrounded by people who say, this is the way. That's the way. But actually, no one knows in faith or politics or anything, or even directing movies. To me, the expression of doubt invites discussion and invites a discourse with other and hearing other people, and then making the wisest decision based on advice and on listening within yourself rather than shouting the loudest. And, you know, that's Rafe's internal journey. He says, basically, I have difficulty with prayer. He goes through a crisis. He doubts his profession. He doubts his faith. And it's almost like I'm saying, I have difficulty believing in the power of the camera. Or you saying, I'm definitely believing in my words. And you go through this existential crisis, and that is, you start to embrace doubts and. And in the end, he comes out having overcome that and embracing the possibility of a future that brings change to his organization. And that's the wonderful arc that he goes through.

[Alison Stewart]

Stanley, you grew up in the Catholic Church, right up in Westchester. How is your relationship with religion changed since childhood and even changed in doing this film?

[Stanley Tucci]

Doing the film was interesting because it was. I was revisiting certain aspects of the Catholic Church that I remember. Yeah, I was raised Catholic, went to church every day. Made my first communion. My. My catechism was confirmed. But by the age of 18, 19, I chose not to go to church any longer. I don't think that. To me, I'm not a religious person, and that's my choice. And if someone is Catholic and they believe in Christ, great. If someone is a Buddhist, if someone is a Muslim, if someone is whatever, great. Just don't foist it upon me, that's all. If it makes you happy and it helps you be a stronger, better person, that's great. That is the only issue I have with a lot of organized religion today, which is it seems to be if you don't believe what I believe, then you're a bad person. And I don't believe that. My late wife was a secular humanist. And that made a bit more sense to me. And yet I'm a little bit like. I'm a little like Groucho Marx in the sense that I don't want to belong to any club that would have me as a member.

[Alison Stewart]

And you filmed in Rome. Was that always the plan?

[Edward Berger]

Yes, it was. Of course, we. We evaluated other places for financial reasons. Because obviously you want to shoot this movie in Rome. But in the end, Rome became such an important element to the shooting and to the atmosphere of the film. And it influenced the film tremendously. Not only the architecture, but also the people and the experiences we had there. For example, when you wake up in the morning, you have your coffee there, and you look out the window. And you see a nun smoking a cigarette on the street. Or two. Two archbishops having a coffee in the cafe downstairs. You realize they're just people, people going to work. And that humanity became the main driving force for the film that became the movie trying to discover the humanity within. Rafe Stanley, John Lisko, Lucien Massimati, all the actors in the movie and their characters.

[Alison Stewart]

The movie came out a little over a week after the US General election. Germany's chancellor lost vote of confidence yesterday, which leaves it in the hands of a caretaker government until next year. Stanley, how have the messages of this movie taken on a new meaning for you given recent political events?

[Stanley Tucci]

I don't know. I don't know. The movie has a message. As much as it just simply shows the machinations of what's happening and the political intrigue. I can't say it has a message. If you take a message from it, that's up to you. It lays out who these people are and how the Catholic Church deals with the choosing of a new pope. I think obviously we're in a very. What do I want to say? We're, we're on a sort of precipice politically in America and throughout the world. The world has not, not, not been here before. However, I don't know. It's simply because we're living through it and it's not in the past. Not watching documentaries about it that are in black and white. We're here and it's in full color and we're seeing it unfold before us. It's very scary. I think that the more people are able to communicate, the better things are. However, a lot of that communication because of technology is polluted, distorted and unreal. So we've lost. Not only what we've lost is a sense of what's real and what isn't real because of where we are technologically. And that will obviously affect us emotionally and on the ground. So does this speak to what's happening now? Yes, it does, but I don't think it tries to signal anything.

[Alison Stewart]

That was part of my conversation with Conclave actor Stanley Tucci, who plays Cardinal Bellini, and director Edward Berger. The film is now streaming on Amazon Prime.

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