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Pope Leo XIV appears on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica.
Vatican Media
MANILA, Philippines — Thousands of people put up their screens to see the 2024 movie "Conclave" in the days leading up to the actual papal election, including the man who would become Pope Leo XIV.
The new pope, American-Peruvian Robert Francis Prevost, was elected to succeed Pope Francis as the new leader of the Catholic Church by the College of Cardinals last May 8.
Around 80% of the voting cardinals, including the future pontiff, were appointed by Francis and were participating in their first conclave.
According to Politico, a few of those cardinals looked to Oscar-winning film "Conclave" as a point of reference given how accurate it was depicting the papal voting process.
John Prevost told NBC Chicago that his younger brother was among those cardinals who watched the movie following Francis' passing.
The Prevost brothers spoke right before the 2025 conclave began and John shared what they discussed to keep Robert's mind off life in the real world.
They played Wordle and Words With Friends as they regularly did, then John asked if Robert was prepared to take part in the papal election.
Related: Some cardinals watched 'Conclave' for research — cleric
"I said, 'Well, are you ready for this? Did you watch the movie 'Conclave' so you know how to behave?'" John said, confirming that Robert at the time had just finished the film. "[sic] laugh about something, because this is now an awesome responsibility."
John added that while his brother doubted his papal chances, he was still in serious contention.
"What I was reading and what I was hearing was that there were three outstanding candidates that were in first, second and third place: the cardinal from the Philippines, the secretary of state, and him," said John.
The Chicago native was referring to Filipino cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle and Italian Pietro Parolin, both considered "papabile" ahead of Leo XIV's election.
In a separate interview with the New York Times, John described his brother as someone who would follow his predecessor's footsteps as Robert and Francis were good friends even before the former became a bishop.
"Conclave" received eight nominations at the most recent Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for Ralph Fiennes. Its sole win was for Best Adapted Screenplay. The movie is based on a novel by Robert Harris.
Pope Leo XIV made history as the first American pope and the first to take the name Leo in over a century.
