Unconventional Preachers in Pop Culture
Image by Monika Robak from Pixabay
ICYMI, Preacher is back for its fourth and final season. And while it means the end of yet another comic book-inspired television show (RIP Luke Cage and Jessica Jones), we’re committed to giving the show a proper send off. To celebrate this weird show about a preacher with a criminal past — and superpowers! — we’re highlighting all of our favorite unconventional preachers. And a couple of nuns as well.
The Priest from Fleabag
If you’ve been on the internet at all this summer, you know about Hot Priest aka the unnamed priest from Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag. Despite a tricky history with alcohol — the first piece of information he shares is that his parents were alcoholics, all his own alcohol is hidden in his office — he’s basically perfect. He really gets Fleabag, really sees her. And have we mentioned how hot he is? Well, hot for a priest. You know what, just watch season two. We don’t want to accidentally give anything away.
Father Peter from Derry Girls
While the internet was drooling over Fleabag’s Hot Priest, another man of the cloth was making the young women of Derry drool. First of all, if you haven’t yet seen Derry Girls on Netflix, drop everything and stream the first season immediately. It’s about an all girls’ Catholic school in Derry, Ireland and it’s hilarious. And then just settle in and wait for Father Peter’s appearance. His influence on the group is incredible. James, the wee Englishman in the group, even starts not-so-subtly dressing like him.
Fernanda from The Little Hours
We could spend this entire blog post talking about the nuns of The Little Hours, but that would be a little excessive. So because we had to choose, we’re focusing on Aubrey Plaza’s character Sister Fernanda. Is it possible to laugh too hard? Fernanda is up to way more trouble than the convent would be happy with — witchcraft, theft, and bullying, to name a few. But it’s all done for the entertainment of her fellow sisters. In fact, if it wasn’t the Middle Ages, Fernanda might be a stand up comedian.
Maria from The Sound of Music
How do you solve a problem like Maria? Well, what if Maria’s not a problem at all? Maybe she just really likes taking care of children and playing music and going to the farmer’s market. Maybe she’s an early pioneer of the green movement, buying locally and salvaging every piece of cloth to create dresses and play clothes. Okay, so there was the sticky situation of falling in love with your boss. And the whole World War II thing. But hey, the heart wants what the heart wants. And Maria’s heart doesn’t really want to be a nun.
Dom Claude Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame
If anyone could perfectly embody hatred and power in human form, that someone would be Dom Claude Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Not only does he turn away the helpless and homeless, he becomes so obsessed with a woman he cannot have that he burns down all of Paris just to find her. He’s terrifying rather than unconventional, but we’re including him on this list because he’s the only religious leader in Disney’s canon. And he’s a literary character, so we truly can’t ignore him, even if we tried.
