In the hallowed halls of 2025’s awards season, Ralph Fiennes (pronounced “Rafe Fines”) has once again proven his magnificent versatility. His latest Academy Award nomination comes for his masterfully restrained turn as Cardinal Lawrence in Edward Berger’s Vatican-set thriller Conclave, where he delivers what critics are calling one of the finest performances of his illustrious career.
The role sees Fiennes, now 62, inhabiting the complex world of a man caught between faith and power, tasked with overseeing the selection of a new pope while wrestling with his own spiritual doubts. It’s the kind of nuanced character work that has become his signature— all internalized turmoil beneath a composed exterior, with the slightest twitch of his mouth speaking volumes.
The nomination marks Fiennes’s third brush with Oscar glory, following his unforgettable turns in Schindler’s List and The English Patient. In Conclave, he brings his trademark intensity to the marble halls of the Vatican, creating what Variety calls “a masterclass in controlled performance,” proving yet again why he remains one of Britain’s most captivating screen presences.
“I veer away from trying to understand why I act. I just know I need to do it.”
