THE MINDSET
Lithgow was initially sceptical about playing Cardinal Tremblay, one of the frontrunners to become the new Pope in Edward Berger’s thriller Conclave. “I didn’t really know what I was being offered,” he says. “I launched into this screenplay thinking, ‘Is this really something I want to do? AVatican clerical drama?’ But it was irresistible.” Part of the draw was playing the enigmatic, colourful Canadian bishop, who locks horns with Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), the Brit presiding over the voting. “Tremblay is very much an administrator,” Lithgow says. “He’s the one who knows the spreadsheets, pays the bills and even signs off on the menus. He’s one of the people who makes everything work —sometimes you have to be slightly suspicious of those.” A cardinal sinner, perhaps?