Al Pacino becomes first actor to meet Pope Leo, amid 'Maserati' shoot in Italy

Al Pacino on Monday became the first actor to meet Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, a month after the American-origin pontiff was inducted in a papal conclave following the death of Pope Francis.

The 85-year-old veteran actor had been in Italy filming his latest, 'Maserati: The Brothers', a biopic about the brothers behind Italian luxury car manufacturers Maserati. Accompanied by the film's producer Andrea Iervolino, the Oscar-winner received a private audience with the pontiff.

“The meeting was a moment of profound spiritual and cultural inspiration, centred around shared values that lie at the heart of both the Catholic Church and the film: family unity, love, compassion and the importance of contributing to the common good,” said Iervolino, in a statement, as per a Deadline report. 

He added that Pope Leo's values resonated deeply with that of the Maserati brothers, “a family whose legacy was built not only on innovation and excellence but on profound mutual respect, solidarity and a shared vision”.

In May, it was announced that Pacino had joined the cast of the Bobby Moresco directorial 'Maserati: The Brothers', playing the role of businessman Vincenzo Vaccaro, an early investor in the company, alongside an ensemble cast of Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Alba, and Andy Garcia.

The rest of the cast, however, did not attend the private audience.

Moresco, who has been involved in the production of Oscar-winning films like 'Million Dollar Baby', has also won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for co-writing 'Crash' (2004).

Last seen in horror film 'The Ritual', which released earlier this month, 'The Godfather' actor will next be seen in the 'Maserati' biopic, which is set to release later this year.

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