CANNES: The maker of The Da Vinci Code – director Ron Howard – and the cast and crew today stated that it is the media which is looking for a story that has created the hype around the so called religious controversy. “The controversy has actually been very limited,” says alberto Miniola, who plays the part of Bishop Aringarosa.
“Right from the beginning I expected controversy. We were talking about a global bestseller.,” said Howard. “we were expecting it to be upsetting to some people. But we cannot forget that this is a piece of fictional entertainment. People who have not seen the movie are talking about. What I would tell them is see the movie and then form your opinion. And if you are going to be upset by the movie don’t watch it. The movie will arouse different reactions from various people. We wanted to stir debate, we wanted people to think”
Added Tom Hanks: “This is not theology, it is entertainment, and if people can remember that, it will be good. It is a piece of commercial cinema”
When asked if the religious community put any pressure on him before he enacted the role of Robert Langdon, Hanks said, thankfully, “Brains score over emotion and fiction.”
Ian Mckellen, who essays the role of Leigh added in lighter vein that the fact that Jesus was married puts to rest the speculation that he was gay. Tom Hanks avoided the question saying that he was not around then.
As far as box office goes, Howard said that his partner in Imagine Entertainment expected the movie to do well. His partner Brian Glasser, who begins work on Imagine’s next project American Gangster with Russel Crowe and Samuel Jackson in Haarlem two months from now, said he expects it to do very well. “A big winner,” he said.
