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TO CAST A PRIEST (cont'd)
 Holland had also been interested in Harris' inherently strong sexuality and she requested that he keep that part of himself very much a part of the role of Father Frank. "I think a priest is much more interesting if he is not an asexual human being, but someone who makes a very difficult choice. Father Frank is a man who has this incredible sensual dimension and has to cut it out. This is very interesting to me. Ed Harris projects this sense of underlying sensuality incredibly well," says Holland.
Once Harris was cast, Holland searched for an actress with whom he could fall in love. "Ed is the type of actor who if he has to fall in love on the screen, will really fall in love. He is very complex in that way," says Holland. She chose Anne Heche, an actress whose work she has followed with great interest. "Anne was incredibly surprising because she was so creative with the role. She brought so many unexpected touches to this character – and she made her much more alive that I could ever have imagined in reading. Anne is a very emotional actress and she made the role distinctly personal. And most importantly, I think you really feel the connection between her and Ed."
Rounding out the cast is Armin Mueller-Stahl, with whom Agnieszka Holland previously worked on her first major international film, Angry Harvest. "It was a breakthrough moment for both of us," she says, "and I have always wanted to work with him again. It was very much a treat to work again with two of my favorite actors: Armin and Ed Harris."
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