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Ralph Fiennes on choosing acting roles: “I like characters that have contradictions inside them”
In the new film “Conclave,” based on the Robert Harris novel, Ralph Fiennes is a Vatican insider, the cardinal tasked with running the gathering of the entire College of Cardinals in Rome to select a new pope.
The film is partially set in the Sistine Chapel, literally “the room where it happens” when the election of a pope is concerned. But as imagined in the film, not serene.
“Conclave,” which also Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Isabella Rosselini, is a taut thriller with a shock of an ending you just don’t see coming. Fiennes, as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, navigates the intrigue, the treachery even, of papal politics – a reluctant player consumed with doubt. As he tells the collected cardinals, “If there was only certainty and no doubt, there would be no mystery, and therefore no need for faith.”
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This “Doubting Thomas” is a very Ralph Fiennes sort of character. “I like characters that have contradictions inside them,” he said. His reaction to reading the part of Lawrence was, “Oh, I love this, this is a human. He’s not a saint. He’s a good man trying to find his way.
“I was brought up a Catholic and then rebelled when I was 13,” Fiennes said. “My mother was a committed Catholic. So, ‘God questions’ have been in my family since I was a child.”
Did he come away with any answers to his own questions? “No, I came away with more questions,” he said.
In a key scene with Cardinal Bellini (played by Tucci), Fiennes’ Lawrence lets slip that even his conflicted character has ambitions to be pope.
“I used to think that acting was about becoming someone else – you changed completely, and you were not recognizable,” he said. “To a certain extent, it can be about that. But as I’ve got older, I’ve thought, no. The springboard is yourself.”
To watch a trailer for “Conclave” click on the video player below:
In “The Return,” out in December, Fiennes, now 61, plays Odysseus, the once-proud king finally home after the Trojan War. “He’s exhausted. He’s emaciated and also just, I think, not at all the warrior,” he said. “He’s diminished as a man.”
Fiennes had to transform himself physically for the role: “We said he should look ropey – like, literally he’s been at sea.”
Slowly reclaiming his identity, Odysseus finally faces his wife, Penelope, played by Juliette Binoche.
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The chance to work again with Binoche, a longtime friend, was what convinced Fiennes to do the film (their third together). “We’ve been given this gift of these famous iconic parts,” Fiennes said. “It may sound a bit airy-fairy, but I think all actors have, Oh, this role has come to me, and I’m meant to do it. I don’t know how it’s going to turn out, I’m meant to do this, it’s come to me and this other person is doing it.“
“The English Patient” was another one of those, for both of them. It won nine Academy Awards, including best supporting actress for Binoche. Fiennes received one of his two career Oscar nominations.
He’s played dozens of singular characters, good and bad, in both films and plays. In addition to Gustave in “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” he was Voldemort, a noseless monster in the Harry Potter series, and a Nazi concentration camp commandant in “Schindler’s List.”
We saw Fiennes most recently on “Sunday Morning,” in 2022, on stage as Robert Moses, supremely confident, power-hungry, the man who shaped 20th century New York City, in the play, “Straight Line Crazy.”
“Straight Line Crazy”
In New York last week, discussing acting, Fiennes described the excitement of playing arrogance: “You’re given a sports car, where you can rev it up with anger and contempt, and there’s no compromise, and it’s shocking,” he said, “but it’s thrilling to play. You challenge your audience with it: Argue with me if you dare, you will not win. I know the answer. And that’s a great provocation.”
Teichner asked, “Have any of the characters you’ve played affected your life after you’ve played them?”
“Characters mark you,” Fiennes replied. “There’s often a time of a kind of mourning if you’ve loved playing a part and you’ve given it everything. It’s not that you let go of the part, but you’re feeling a kind of mental exhaustion. You need time to just shake it away.”
But only until another role finds him…
“People sometimes say, ‘What do you want to play?’ And I go, well, I could tick off a few Shakespeare parts or well-known Ibsen parts. But actually, that’s not really it. I want to be surprised by a new script, something I’ve never heard of, and you go, Oooh, yes. Oh my God, what is this new thing? I’ve not heard of it, I’ve not read the source material. And this all feels, it feels good, it feels right.”
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Story produced by Mikaela Bufano and Reid Orvedahl. Editor: Carol Ross.
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How to watch the Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears NFL game today: Livestream options, more
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The Minnesota Vikings will take on the Chicago Bears today. The Vikings are currently 8-2, an impressive run so far this season, and will be looking to add a fourth win to their current streak after last Sunday’s 23-13 win against the Tennessee Titans. The Bears, on the other hand, are entering this game on the heels of a four-game losing streak after a tough 20-19 loss against the Green Bay Packers last Sunday.
Here’s how and when you can watch the Vikings vs. Bears game today, whether or not you have cable.
How and when to watch the Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears
The Vikings vs. Bears game will be played on Sunday, November 24, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. ET (11:00 a.m. PT). The game will air on Fox and stream on Fubo and the platforms featured below.
How and when to watch the Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears game without cable
You can watch this week’s NFL game on Fox via several streaming services. All you need is an internet connection and one of the top options outlined below.
Fubo offers you an easy, user-friendly way to watch NFL games on CBS, Fox, NBC, ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network, plus NCAA football channels. The Pro tier includes 200+ channels and unlimited DVR, while the Elite with Sports Plus tier adds NFL RedZone and 4K resolution. New subscribers get a seven-day free trial and all plans allow streaming on up to 10 screens simultaneously.
You can watch today’s game with a subscription to Sling’s Orange + Blue tier, which includes ESPN, ABC, NBC, and Fox. The plan offers 46 channels with local NFL games, nationally broadcast games and 50 hours of DVR storage. For complete NFL coverage, add Paramount+ to get CBS games, or upgrade with the Sports Extra add-on for additional sports channels like Golf Channel, NBA TV and NFL RedZone.
Watching NFL games, including Fox broadcasts, is simple with Hulu + Live TV, which includes 90 channels, unlimited DVR storage, and access to NFL preseason games, live regular season games and studio shows. The service includes ESPN+ and Disney+ in the subscription.
Want to watch today’s game live on your smartphone? If so, NFL+ streaming service is the solution you’re looking for. It lets you watch NFL Network and out-of-market games on mobile devices, with an upgrade option to NFL+ Premium that includes NFL RedZone for watching up to eight games simultaneously. Note that NFL+ only works on phones and tablets, not TVs.
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How to watch the Detroit Lions vs. Indianapolis Colts NFL game today: Livestream options, more
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The Detroit Lions will face off against the Indianapolis Colts today. The Lions enter this game as top contenders with a near-perfect record of 9-1 so far this season. The Colts, who are 5-6 this season, could have a tough game on their hands against the Lions but will be looking to rack up another win after prevailing over the New York Jets in a tight game last Sunday.
Here’s how and when you can watch the Colts vs. Lions game today, whether or not you have cable.
Here’s how and when to watch the Detroit Lions vs. Indianapolis Colts
The Lions vs. Colts game will be played on Sunday, November 24, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. ET (11:00 a.m. PT). The game will air on Fox and stream on Fubo and the platforms featured below.
How and when to watch the Detroit Lions vs. Indianapolis Colts game without cable
You can watch this week’s NFL game on Fox via several streaming services. All you need is an internet connection and one of the top options outlined below.
Experience NFL action like never before with Fubo’s comprehensive sports streaming platform. From Sunday showdowns to primetime matchups, catch every NFL game across major networks including CBS, Fox, NBC, ABC, ESPN and NFL Network. Choose the Pro package to unlock 200+ channels and limitless DVR storage, or elevate your game-day experience with the Elite with Sports Plus package, featuring NFL RedZone’s commercial-free scoring highlights and stunning 4K quality.
Test drive the service with a no-commitment seven-day free trial, and share the excitement with family and friends — Fubo supports simultaneous streaming on up to 10 devices, so everyone can watch their favorite teams.
You can watch today’s game with a subscription to Sling’s Orange + Blue tier, which includes ESPN, ABC, NBC, and Fox. The plan offers 46 channels with local NFL games, nationally broadcast games, and 50 hours of DVR storage. For complete NFL coverage, add Paramount+ to get CBS games, or upgrade with the Sports Extra add-on for additional sports channels like Golf Channel, NBA TV and NFL RedZone.
Watching NFL games, including Fox broadcasts, is simple with Hulu + Live TV, which includes 90 channels, unlimited DVR storage, and access to NFL preseason games, live regular season games and studio shows. The service includes ESPN+ and Disney+ in the subscription.
Want to watch today’s game live on your smartphone? If so, NFL+ streaming service is the solution you’re looking for. It lets you watch NFL Network and out-of-market games on mobile devices, with an upgrade option to NFL+ Premium that includes NFL RedZone for watching up to eight games simultaneously. Note that NFL+ only works on phones and tablets, not TVs.