No, for me it really needed to end when Ralph thought, this is beautiful. Ralph in his room, all you hear is the hum of the fluorescent lights, his breathing, he’s isolated, no sunlight, no life seeping in. It was really stuffy, claustrophobic. Suddenly the shutters opened. The light returned. Then he heard laughter. He realized, oh, the right person had been chosen to be pope. There was a smile on his face: this was the right thing for the future of the church. His boss accepted it, so why doubt it? Everything Carlos said made perfect sense. This is part of his physicality. We elected him. Why would that change anything?
I saw an old black and white photo of three nuns walking in Rome. And I think that will be our last chance. We took this photo in a studio, and I showed it to Ralph and said, “This is what you’re seeing, these three women smiling.” And he said, “Wow, that’s really helpful.” Essentially, he’s really looking at the future of his organization. That’s really the end. It’s not about Benitez. It’s more about getting a breath of fresh air.
In the movie it is said that “the church is not the past. That’s what we do next.” Do you imagine what’s next for all the characters?
We can do a sequel. [laughs] No, I think it’s like this. But clearly I think he will be a very humble and understanding pope, deepening the cracks of the institution, bringing more light.
Did you foresee people in the church finding out about Benitez’s intersex identity or did that even matter?
It doesn’t matter. For me it really wouldn’t change anything. It’s the same pope, and all that matters is how he represents his community and brings others together. To be honest, perhaps many cardinals will be upset or think he cheated, but I don’t care. That’s their problem, not Benitez’s.
Are you on the same page as potential religious people who may feel cheated or outraged about the ending? Are you preparing for backlash?
Not everyone needs to agree with the movie. I like when people disagree and we can debate it, a really lively discussion. This is Benitez’s aim – to bring people together, to promote discussion rather than squash it. So if people don’t agree with it – which to be honest, of course there will be people. But I’m not mentally prepared because I feel like we’re trying to figure it out [the reveal] with diligence, sensitivity and not using it as a plot device or anything. Nor was it the destruction of the church. It’s really looking at people of that faith honestly — trying to understand and serve everyone’s story.
Why did Benitez choose to be called Pope Innocent?
It is a pure name without any prejudice. You can see it in children – they don’t have any bad experiences, in theory they are just positive, just open to other people. They are not prejudiced. They are innocent. Then society conditions them to be a certain way, parents, school, friends, bad experiences leave trauma. So Benitez came to us with absolute openness and I think that’s what it was about.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
