"Since its announcement, social media has been ablaze with the news that British actor Josh O'Connor would be playing a charismatic priest suspected of murder. This archetype has become known as the hot priest, thanks to Andrew Scott: six years ago, he played a priest who was the love interest in Fleabag. Since then, the internet has been obsessed with hot priests."
"For years, the social media accounts of young, attractive priests have garnered thousands of followers. The most recent case is that of Father Jordan, a British priest who had to disable comments on his videos due to the millions of messages he received this summer praising his hot priest physique. During the meeting of Catholic influencers convened last July by Pope Leo XIV, the term hot priest was also trending on social media."
"At least 21 years now, which is how long Piero Patzi's Roman Calendar, more popularly known as the calendar of handsome priests, has been in print. The 2026 edition has just been released with almost the same photos as always, and although most of the priests weren't real, it has become an emblem of the city. The key is fantasy which is why it matters little that they are models and the best place to study fantasy is in film."
The Knives Out installment Wake Up Dead Man features British actor Josh O'Connor as a charismatic priest suspected of murder, tapping an emerging cultural archetype. The "hot priest" trope traces notable momentum to Andrew Scott's priest role in Fleabag and has exploded across social media. Young, attractive priests' accounts attract large followings and intense commentary, exemplified by Father Jordan disabling comments after receiving millions of messages. The phenomenon intersects with longstanding practices such as Piero Patzi's Roman Calendar, in print for 21 years, where stylized images and fantasy sustain public fascination. Film remains a primary site for exploring the romance-versus-vocation dynamic.
Read at english.elpais.com
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