Ralph Fiennes Wasn’t the First Choice to Play Cardinal Lawrence in ‘Conclave’
Renowned author Robert Harris has revealed that Ralph Fiennes was not the initial choice to play the lead role of Cardinal Lawrence in the Oscar-winning film ‘Conclave’. According to Harris, both Robert De Niro and Javier Bardem were considered for the part before Fiennes was cast.
The film, directed by Edward Berger, is an adaptation of Harris’s 2016 book of the same name, which follows the sequestering of cardinals, ministers, and other religious figures at the Vatican as they elect a new pope. Fiennes’s performance in the movie earned him his third Oscar nomination.
Speaking at the 2025 Hay Festival, Harris disclosed that De Niro was initially set to play Cardinal Lawrence, but the role eventually fell through. Bardem was also considered for the part before Fiennes was cast. “For quite a long time, Robert De Niro was supposed to play the character, but that fell through, and then Javier Bardem was supposed to do it,” Harris said. “And so it went on and on and on. Until eventually Edward Berger came on board – this was before ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’, otherwise we couldn’t have afforded him actually.”
Harris’s book and the subsequent film ‘Conclave’ offer a unique glimpse into the inner workings of the Vatican, depicting the papal conclave as a gossipy affair, full of infighting and political manoeuvring. The film’s script was written by Oscar-winning screenwriter Peter Straughan.
The role of Cardinal Lawrence in ‘Conclave’ was eventually given to Fiennes, which meant that the character – an Italian named Jacopo Lomeli in Harris’s novel – was made into an Englishman. Harris explained that Berger had wanted actors to play characters of their own nationality, and Fiennes’s casting led to the change.
“I got a call from the producer and we went for lunch, and they said, ‘We want to change the nationality of the cardinal because Ralph Fiennes would play an Englishman,’” recalled Harris. “I looked across the table and thought, ‘Do I really want to lose Ralph Fiennes?’ And of course, it doesn’t make any difference at all, so it works that way.”
Harris also discussed the film’s release strategy, stating that the studio “sat” on the finished movie for a year “simply because they wanted to position it properly so it wasn’t swamped by other movies – and that really was a stroke of genius”. The film received renewed attention in the wake of the late Pope Francis’s illness and later death.
The film ‘Conclave’ is one of several adaptations of Harris’s work, including ‘Fatherland’, ‘Enigma’, ‘Archangel’, and ‘The Ghost Writer’. Harris expressed his satisfaction with the adaptations, stating that his favourite adaptations of his work are ‘Conclave’ and 2019’s ‘An Officer and a Spy’, directed by Roman Polanski.
Harris’s comments offer a fascinating insight into the making of ‘Conclave’, a film that provides a gripping portrayal of the Vatican’s inner workings. The film’s success is a testament to the enduring appeal of Harris’s work, which continues to captivate audiences worldwide.
This news was originally reported by The Independent.
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