Russell Crowe, the Australian Oscar-winner, revealed that had a good time filming "The Pope's Exorcist," noting that it partially had to do with where the film was shot.
"We shot in Dublin and surrounds," Crowe told RTÉ Entertainment. "Shot at Trinity College, we shot at Town Hall, we were on the north side for a while.
"We shot in Bray a lot and bits and pieces around there and Marley Park and we went down to Limerick.
"It was a grand summer, there was a lot of sunshine, I did a lot of bike riding. I loved being where I was."
In "The Pope's Exorcist," directed by Julius Avery, Crowe plays Gabrielle Amorth, a real-life priest who was the Chief Exorcist of the Vatican. The film follows Amorth as he investigates a young boy’s possession in Spain - but ends up uncovering a centuries-old conspiracy the Vatican has desperately tried to keep hidden.
The film is inspired by the files of Father Gabriele Amorth himself, who Crowe said was "just so full of cool stuff."
He said he told the film's creators: "OK, we’ve got the story, but this priest’s real life has to be honored and respected so let’s delve into who he is and try and capture the man. the more I looked into this life, it seemed to come down to two things and his effectiveness as the chief exorcist of Rome.
"It came down to the purity and his humor and I tried to capture both of those things."
Crowe reflected on Ireland's relationship with religion and how it factored into the filming of the new movie. He said Ireland has "a very accepting and loving culture," but the cast and crew were aware of certain religious sensitivities to the subject matter.
"As gruff as some people want to be, I find Irish people very warm," Crowe added. "When we were shooting, for sure, we were aware of being respectful to people’s beliefs."
"The Pope's Exorcist" arrives in Irish movie theaters on Friday, April 7, and US theaters on Friday, April 14.
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