Peter Straughan was immediately taken by Robert Harris’ 2016 novel “Conclave,” which follows a Vatican official charged with overseeing the election of a new pope. He still remembers the exact line that made him want to adapt it for the screen.
“It’s when Cardinal Tremblay says, ‘We’re trending online.’ There was something about a cardinal in the Vatican saying that—this collision of the modern world and the ancient, sacred world,” the screenwriter explains. “It was unexpected, and it made me laugh.”
For Straughan, who’s a former altar boy, the story resonated deeply—particularly after he read a sermon early in the book about the importance of embracing doubt. “This was during Donald Trump’s first term, and the world already felt the most polarized it’s felt in my lifetime,” he recalls. “So that homily about certainty as the enemy of unity really rang true for me.”
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Though Straughan calls himself a “jack of all trades,” he says that book adaptations comprise about 80% of his work, among them “The Snowman” (2017), “The Goldfinch” (2019), and “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” (2011). He co-wrote the latter with his late wife, Bridget O’Connor, which earned the pair an Oscar nomination.
“Early on when people used to talk about adaptations, I was trying to defend my position as an artist, like: ‘It’s not that different from an original screenplay!’ But I’m writing some originals at the moment, and they’re much harder,” Straughan admits. “In a way, the process is the same: You find yourself and your own story, even in someone else’s story. And I’ve discovered that often I’m dealing with the same story no matter what I’ve been given, which has to do with loyalty and betrayal.”
In “Conclave,” directed by Edward Berger, these themes are filtered through the lens of a political thriller. As Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) searches for the man who’s most fit to lead the church, he faces constant tests of loyalty to both his friendships and religious beliefs amid mounting betrayals. John Lithgow and Stanley Tucci costar as two of the cardinals hoping for a promotion.
“It’s funny, because when people talk about the film being about Catholicism, there’s a voice in my head saying, ‘It’s not; it’s about politics,’ ” Straughan explains. “But then when people say it’s about politics, I think, Yeah, but it’s also about Catholicism. So it’s a weird two-world process, and I didn’t want to give up either side of that equation.”
Maybe this strange combination is the reason the film has become a bigger hit than Straughan ever could have imagined. He recently won a Golden Globe for the movie, and he’s now up for his second Oscar. He remains humbled by its impact and reach.
“It’s almost embarrassing to be rewarded for something that I was already really grateful for,” he says. “I thought it would be quite a small film that would go under the radar—but that was fine, because I loved it. And then, unexpectedly, it’s taken off. I’m amazed by the way it’s caught the attention and affection of the audience; I love hearing them laugh.
“My daughter is 23, and her generation is connecting with it and comparing it to ‘Mean Girls,’ ” Straughan continues. “And on paper, you think they’re not going to go and see this film; why would they? But somehow, something connected with them.”
This story originally appeared in the Feb. 20 issue of Backstage Magazine.