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On paper the names Jonathan Pryce and Jorge Mario Bergoglio may not bear much resemblance, but a quick glance at the pair and it's easy to see why the Welsh actor has been cast as the current pope.

Popelgangers!Credit: MediaPunch/REX/Shutterstock and ALESSANDRO DI MEO/POOL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Pryce is no stranger to religious roles. In the sixth season of Game of Throneshe played the High Sparrow, leader of the faith militant and basically the fantasy version of Martin Luther. A few degrees of removal from the Catholic hierarchy, but relevant experience nonetheless!

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In the series the High Sparrow is viewed as a revolutionary, and certainly the same could be said to apply to Pope Francis. The pope's decision to replace the papal throne with a normal office-chair certainly has a ring of the Sparrows' modesty about it, although it would probably be fairer to say the Sparrows have a ring of Christian theology about them. The High Sparrow's overhaul of the Westerosi church dismantles the traditional hierarchy, and in a vaguely similar vein Francis' "progressive" views on topics such as homosexuality certainly break from traditional Vatican line.

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At this stage I would like to point out that these comparisons are pretty superficial. Pope Francis is yet to raise a standing army of extremists or drive any Italian aristocrats naked through the street.

The bottom line is Pryce has shown himself capable of capturing the motivations and contradictions that make up a religious leader. It's always strange making a biopic of someone still living, adding to the narrative of a person still able to speak for themselves especially when that figure is controversial.

With that in mind the more difficult role may well be that of Pryce's partner-in-pope-portrayal Anthony Hopkins (Westworld, Silence of the Lambs) who will be playing Francis' predecessor Benedict XIV, whose resignation will be the narrative framework for the film.

Eh not quite uncanny but we'll allow it.Credit: Jacek Bednarczyk/Epa/REX/Shutterstock and TANNEN MAURY/EPA/REX/Shutterstock

Benedict did not garner as benign or progressive an image as Francis, especially after being accused by many of complicity in sex abuse prior to becoming Pope, so Hopkins may have his work cut out for him.

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TopicsGame Of ThronesNetflix