Pope Leois bringing Hollywood to the Vatican.
Thefirst pope to hail from the U.S., who waschosen as Pope Francis' successor in May, is scheduled to meet with actors and directors on Nov. 15. The invitees include "Blue Jasmine" Oscar winnerCate Blanchett, "Severance" starAdam Scott, Oscar-winning filmmakerSpike Lee,Chris Pine, "Mad Max" saga directorGeorge Millerand "Drugstore Cowboy" director Gus Van Sant.
On- and off-screen partnersAlison Brie and Dave Franco, "The Lord of the Rings" alumnusViggo Mortensenand "American History X" director Tony Kaye are also among the people expected to meet with the pontiff.
The pope "has expressed his desire to deepen dialogue with the world of cinema. ... exploring the possibilities that artistic creativity offers to the mission of the Church and the promotion of human values," the Vatican said in a Nov. 10 statement.
The Vatican's culture office is organizing the Nov. 15 event as part of the Catholic Church's ongoing Holy Year. It's rare for the pope to host Hollywood celebrities. His predecessorPope Francis hosted comediansincluding Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Whoopi Goldberg, Jimmy Fallon and Chris Rock in June 2024.
In June, Al Pacinobecame the first Hollywood starto have a private audience with the pope.
As part of the announcement, the Vatican also shared the Chicago-born pope's favorite films: "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946), "The Sound of Music" (1965), "Ordinary People" (1980) and "Life Is Beautiful" (1997).
Robert De Niro's 'very special' meeting with Pope Leo
The announcement comes after Pope Leo met withRobert De Niro and his children, Julian De Niro and Drena De Niro, at the Vatican on Nov. 7.
"He's a good guy. … I was very, very happy to meet him," the "Taxi Driver" actortold CNN afterward. "My grandson, who died of an overdose a little over two years ago, his name was Leo. So my daughter gave him his card and it was just a nice moment, very special."
De Niro's daughter, Drena, opened up in aNov. 9 Instagram postabout how having an audience with the pope was an "honor that will stay with me for the rest of my days."
"My little Leo has been showering us with so many signs of his constant presence this entire trip," Drena De Niro captioned a series of photos of the family members' visit.
"The warmth and kindness in Pope Leo's eyes when he accepted my small token of reverence and affection, asking that my son remain in his presence and grace. I was given this blessing not only in my Leo's memory, but in acknowledgment of all the young beautiful lives that have been taken too soon."
Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, 19, died followingan accidental drug overdosein July 2023. On Oct. 30,an indictmentcharging five men with distributing fentanyl and other drugs that resulted in the overdose deaths of three teens was unsealed.
The defendants, whose ages range from 22 to 29, are accused of operating "a criminal network that distributed thousands of counterfeit prescription opioid pills laced with fentanyl, among other drugs, to teenagers and young adults living in New York City." Over the period of three months, three 19-year-olds, including Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, died after ingesting fentanyl pills that had allegedly been distributed by the defendants.
If you or someone you know needs help battling a substance abuse addiction, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration'sNational Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Contributing: Joshua McElwee, Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Pope Leo announces first celebrity event with Spike Lee, Chris Pine
