Chris Pratt Vatican Documentary: Actor Calls St. Peter's Tomb Experience 'Really Profound'

Chris Pratt went beneath St. Peter's Basilica and came back changed.

At an Apple TV press day this week, the "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Jurassic World" star opened up about narrating "Pétros Ení: Discovering the Origins," a Vatican documentary filmed deep beneath St. Peter's Basilica — with IMAX drone cameras sent into the apostle's tomb itself. Pratt, who returned to the Catholic faith about six years ago, called the experience "really profound," saying that standing where the remains of one of Jesus' apostles rest helped define his faith in a way nothing else had.

The documentary, directed by Paula Ortiz and produced with Vatican Media, marks the 400th anniversary of the consecration of St. Peter's Basilica — consecrated November 18, 1626. It premiered at the Rome Film Festival on October 16, and a clip of Pratt's Variety interview circulated widely on October 20. In its closing scenes, the film features none other than Pope Leo XIV. For one of Hollywood's biggest stars to narrate a Vatican production about the bones of St. Peter is, by any measure, an extraordinary cultural moment.

Inside the Tomb: Cameras Where Few Have Gone

The necropolis beneath St. Peter's Basilica is one of the most restricted spaces on earth. The ancient Roman cemetery, buried under the Renaissance basilica, holds the traditional burial place of the Apostle Peter — the fisherman Jesus called the rock on which He would build His Church. Access is tightly controlled, and filming inside has always been limited.

"Pétros Ení" — from the Greek for "Peter is here" — changes that. The production used IMAX drone cameras to capture the tomb and its surroundings in ways never before filmed, producing what the filmmakers describe as never-before-seen images of one of Christianity's holiest sites. Pratt filmed his narration work in Rome in December 2025, walking the same ground where pilgrims have prayed for nearly two millennia.

For a Catholic like Pratt, this was not a job. It was a pilgrimage with a camera crew. "It was really profound to be encountering the remains of one of Jesus' apostles," he told Variety. "There was prophetic word, he said that the church will be built upon that rock. And Simon Peter is the rock. To see the church some 2,000 years later, and see the prophecy of his words came true, it just was really meaningful to me."

"It was really profound to be encountering the remains of one of Jesus' apostles. There was prophetic word, he said that the church will be built upon that rock. And Simon Peter is the rock." — Chris Pratt, to Variety

Pratt's Faith: From Hollywood Outlier to Vatican Narrator

Chris Pratt's Catholic faith has never been a secret, but it has never been this visible either. He returned to the faith about six years ago, is married to Katherine Schwarzenegger, and has spoken openly — in an industry where that carries real cost — about prayer, church, and raising his family in the faith. Hollywood has not always been kind to outspoken Christians, and Pratt has taken his share of mockery for it.

Which is what makes this project so striking. The Vatican does not hand its most sacred spaces to just anyone. Choosing Pratt — an A-list American actor with an unapologetic Catholic witness — to narrate a film about St. Peter's tomb is a deliberate statement about who the Church wants telling its story in the 21st century. Not a historian in a tweed jacket. A movie star who means it.

Pratt's reflection on Peter himself reveals how personally he took the assignment. "He was a weak man. He was a human being. And I believe we are all broken, imperfect and weak. But his strength lies in the grace of Jesus and his faith in God," he told Vatican News. That is not promotional fluff. That is a man looking at the apostle who denied Christ three times and seeing himself — and finding hope in it.

Pope Leo XIV in the Closing Scenes

The documentary's closing scenes feature Pope Leo XIV, a notable appearance by a pontiff who has been in the headlines this month for his own health struggles. The Pope's presence bookends a film about 2,000 years of unbroken continuity — from the fisherman's grave to the current successor of Peter, standing in the basilica built over his bones.

That continuity was clearly what moved Pratt most. "To see the church some 2,000 years later, and see the prophecy of his words came true" — the line lands because it is true in a way that hits Catholics in the chest. Whatever else can be said about the Church's failings and scandals, the building is still there, the Mass is still said, and the tomb is still beneath it. Two thousand years is a long time for a prophecy to hold.

Why This Film Matters Beyond Hollywood

Religious documentaries rarely break through to mainstream culture. "Pétros Ení" might. It has everything: unprecendented access, IMAX spectacle, a movie-star narrator, a papal appearance, and a 400th anniversary hook. If it reaches even a fraction of Pratt's global audience, millions of people who would never watch a theology lecture will spend two hours staring at the tomb of St. Peter.

There is also the evangelistic math to consider. Pratt's faith testimony — a Hollywood star talking about grace, brokenness, and the rock of Peter — will travel on social media in clips and quotes long after the film's release. Every share is a small sermon. The Vatican, intentionally or not, has found a way to preach to the streaming generation: give the microphone to someone they already follow.

The film arrives at a moment when interest in the historical roots of Christianity is surging — archaeology documentaries, Bible-history podcasts, and pilgrimages are all trending upward. "Pétros Ení" lands right in the middle of that wave, with the one thing no competitor can offer: the actual tomb, filmed by drones, narrated by a believer.

The Question the Film Leaves Behind

Pratt's central reflection is worth sitting with: Peter was weak, broken, imperfect — and became the rock. That is the whole Christian story in one sentence, and it is the reason the film will resonate far beyond Catholic audiences. Everyone knows what it is to fail. The tomb beneath the basilica says failure is not the end of the story.

Whether "Pétros Ení" becomes a cultural phenomenon or a niche Vatican project remains to be seen. But one of Hollywood's biggest stars just told the world that standing over the bones of an apostle was the most profound experience of his working life — and that his faith, not his fame, is what defines him. In an industry built on image, that kind of honesty is the real spectacle. Watch for the film's wider release. It may be the most-watched sermon of the year.

Read about Pope Leo XIV in Latest: Pope Leo XIV Returns After Lung Cancer Surgery, Leads Prayer, and about another star's faith journey in Billy Crystal Says He Doesn't Trust God Anymore After Tragedies. For a celebrity who found faith through a friend, see Danica McKellar Says Candace Cameron Bure Led Her to Jesus.

But the most surprising part of this story is yet to come — keep reading.