MTV Movies Blog › anthony hopkins

If it's not enough to watch Anthony Hopkins get all creepy and possessed in the new thriller "The Rite," you should know that the exorcisms and exorcists depicted in the film are based on real events and people!

When MTV News caught up with the film's other stars, newcomers Colin O'Donoghue and Alice Braga, we asked them what the reaction to the film has been from the real-life people on which O'Donoghue's and Hopkins' characters are based.

"Father Gary saw the film, who my character is based on, and he said it was really a great representation of what he does on a daily basis," O'Donoghue said. "I spoke to a lot of exorcists before we did it and I went to see some exorcisms in Rome, and what you realize is that it is a real thing that’s happening daily for millions of people across the world."

The Irish actor went on to say that one of the most interesting aspects of making the film was learning so much about exorcism, and how it actually affects people.

"You don’t think about it, most people don’t go around saying ‘I saw my exorcist today,' " he joked. "It’s not something people talk about. Also you have to slowly understand and appreciate that, to them, it’s a real living thing and to be respectful."

One burning question we had to ask was if O'Donoghue and Braga were told how people become possessed, or if there are commonalities between people who have to be exorcised.

"They say you open yourself up to it by doing stuff like the Ouiji Board or trying to contact spirits," he said. "That’s what you read about and exorcists have told us that, [but] who’s to say? There’s no answer either way as to whether it’s real or not real," O'Donoghue added. "I think that’s what this film is trying to debate."

What's your take on exorcists and those who claim to be possessed? Tell us in the comments!

Tags Alice Braga, anthony hopkins, colin o'donoghue, the rite