The message was short and sweet:
Dear Holy Father @Pontifex@Pontifex_it@DarrenAronofsky#Noah film. Screening?The message of the film is powerful , fascinating , resonant
— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) February 24, 2014
In a move that few in Hollywood might have ever seen coming, Russell Crowe, the star of the new film Noah (an account of the Old Testament story), brought the movie to the Pope’s attention in a tweet late Sunday, hoping to get a positive response (as well as some marketing mileage) from his efforts. Following his initial message to the Pontiff, Crowe immediately reached out to his own 1.37 million followers:
Villagers,given his environmental focus/scholarly knowledge ,trying to screen #Noah for Pope Francis. @Pontifex You help? retweet previous
— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) February 24, 2014
But that was not all. On Tuesday, he went knocking on the Pope’s virtual door again…
Dear Holy Father @Pontifex , Sorry that I have caused havoc in your social media world. Seriously though, #Noah the movie will fascinate you
— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) February 25, 2014
… and again.
Holy Father @Pontifex , it would be my deepest pleasure to bring the @DarrenAronofsky film to you to screen. That this may happen Inshallah
— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) February 25, 2014
Pope Francis has yet to respond to Crowe’s request, but meanwhile – and in true biblical form – it seems the award-winning actor has taken one message from the Gospel to heart: “Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you” (Matt. 7:7).
Alberto González is the Associate Editor of Aleteia’s English edition. His prior endeavors have included working in political campaigns and in the United States Senate. He also maintains an active schedule as a liturgical vocalist and organist.
A native of California, Alberto graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.A. in Music and Political Science. He currently lives in the greater Washington, D.C. area.
And today we celebrate...