Joe is all about truth—no illusions, no Hollywood smoke and mirrors. He’s seen enough actors playing roles, putting on performances, and chasing stars. What he wants is reality first. Real people, real stories, real impact.
Maybe that’s why Common’s line hits differently. If Joe didn’t stress about Les Grossman’s casting couch—meaning the whole fake, power-playing, sell-your-soul side of Hollywood—he might’ve “got that star.” But what’s a star worth if it’s built on illusion? Joe wants something solid, something real.
Is that where his head is at? Moving past the scripted world and straight into the unfiltered truth?
Joe never forgot the square dance. It was a small thing, just another childhood memory buried under years of life. But some moments stick, waiting for the right time to surface.
He was twelve, she was eleven. St. Joseph’s School in East Vancouver. Sister Helen’s square dance.
The boys had a habit of running away when they were paired with the last-picked girl. That day, it was Nelly Furtado. She stood there, hands clasped in front of her, trying to hide the sting of rejection behind a brave face. But Joe didn’t run.
He had heard things about her. Nelly was an overachiever, they said. Smart. Ambitious. But what Joe admired most was the way she read from the Bible in Sunday School. Her voice was steady, clear, and filled with meaning beyond her years. There was something in the way she spoke—the way the words seemed to belong to her, as if she truly understood them.
He never told her that. Until now, he hadn’t even admitted it to himself.
They danced. Her small hand in his, warm and slightly nervous. The music played, their feet shuffled over the old wooden floor, and for a moment, it didn’t matter that she had been picked last. Joe saw something no one else did.
Years later, he listened to Childhood Dreams and wondered if she remembered. If the song was about those days at St. Joseph’s, about Sunday School, about Chrism preparation. He wondered if she still carried that hidden Catholic side, buried under the world’s expectations.
Maybe she did. Maybe she didn’t.
But Joe remembered. And maybe, deep down, so did she.
? The Young Pope & Nelly Furtado: A Battle of Love vs. Lust ?
Setting: The Vatican Gardens, a warm evening breeze rustling the leaves. The Young Pope (Jude Law) strolls alongside Nelly Furtado, who’s just finished performing a private concert for the Cardinals. Her song “Promiscuous” still lingers in the air. She turns to him with a playful smirk.
Nelly:“So, Your Holiness… are you always this serious, or do you ever let loose?”
Young Pope:(sighs, adjusting his cassock)“Nelly, if I responded to you the way you sing to men in that song, I’d have a restraining order before my next confession.”
Nelly:(laughs)“Come on, it’s just a little fun.”
Young Pope:(raises an eyebrow)“Fun? If I said, ‘Isn’t it delightful that we’re conversing so intimately?’ Or if I called you ‘girl’ and told you to make a move? No, no, no—imagine the headlines: ‘Pope Pius XIII Accused of Flirting with Pop Star.’ I am not a piece of meat, Nelly.”
Nelly:(grinning)“I never said you were. But… you are kinda devastatingly handsome.”
Young Pope:(exhales, shaking his head)“Yes, I know I am incredibly handsome, but let’s just try and forget about that. I want love, not lust. Family, not fornication. I am a man of God, not an extra in a music video.”
Nelly:“You mean you’ve never been tempted?”
Young Pope:(pauses, looking at the Vatican skyline, deep in thought)“Temptation is constant. But the world doesn’t need more men chasing pleasure. It needs men who build something greater—faith, family, legacy.”
Nelly:(softens, nodding)“That’s deep, Your Holiness. Maybe I should write a song about that.”
Young Pope:(smirks)“Just don’t call it ‘Promiscuous Part II.’”
? Final Thought: Even the Young Pope has boundaries. #HolinessOverHorniness #NotAPieceOfMeat #ThePopeRejectsThirst
