The religious leader agreed to meet with the movie star for a brief chat about his new film Noah, which debuted at the top of the U.S. box office at the weekend (30Mar14).

The private get together at Lambeth Palace took place after Noah’s London premiere on Monday (31Mar14).

The two men talked about faith and spirituality.

The meeting was a big boost for the biblical epic, which has come under fire from many religious groups for its retelling of the Noah story.

Crowe has defended the film, stating, “It has something for people of faith and people who don’t have faith. It’s an intense experience. You come out of it wanting to have a chat. That’s the best part of a movie when that sort of thing happens.”

News of the meeting comes weeks after the actor was denied a private audience with Pope Francis after lobbying to have Noah screened for the pontiff to prove to religious critics that there is nothing blasphemous about the movie adaptation.

Instead, the actor and his director Darren Aronofsky were invited to join the official VIP section of the Pope’s general address in the Vatican in Italy on 19 March (14).

Source