‘Daddy, are you the pope?’: Jonathan Pryce tipped for Oscar nomination playing Pope Francis

JONATHAN Pryce has not slept. He is fresh off a plane from New York, where he is appearing in a play on Broadway, and is due to fly back to perform again the following day. It’s a trip so whistle-stop it makes you want to lie down for a long winter’s nap, but 72-year-old Pryce is taking it in his stride.

Luckily the play is going well, he says modestly, and he is in the charmed position of scoring warm reviews both on stage and on screen.