Author Dan Brown rarely comments on the controversy and popularity surrounding his book, "The Da Vinci Code."
At a recent lecture in New Hampshire, the author spoke for the first time about the movie, and addresses the accusations that his book is is anti-Catholic or anti-Christian.
Below are excerpts of what he said, parts of which will be broadcast on “Secrets to the Code,” Dateline Friday on NBC.
On the book becoming a Hollywood movie
Dan Brown, author, "The Da Vinci Code": Adaptation is a difficult process, especially for a novel as long and complicated as "The Da Vinci Code." But this script is powerful and thought-provoking. The locations are stunning. And the cast is world-class. I truly believe moviegoers will come out of the theatre feeling like they have just watched the novel. And for a novelist to be able to say that is really something.
My wife and I were fortunate to spend a lot of the summer in Europe on set. And at times it was like standing in the pages of the book. I will never forget wandering at 2 a.m. in the morning through the Grand Gallery of the Louvre, sort of secretly drifting away from the film crew and exploring the deserted corridors with a flashlight. And we had the entire Denon Wing to ourselves. It was just deserted. At one point I found myself standing all alone in front of the Mona Lisa.
Of course, as if that weren’t strange enough—if you look sort of back out to the Grand Gallery, every now and then you see a 70-year-old curator running by, terrified, with a pale monk in pursuit. So it was a pretty surreal experience, kind of like walking through a three-dimensional version of your own imagination.
The screenwriter, Akiva Goldsman, who’s become a dear friend, came up to me that first night. And he said, “Dan, you do know you’re now spoiled forever, right?”
And I sort of said, “Akiva, what are you talking about?”
He said, “This is your first day on a movie set. And you’re standing in the Louvre’s Grand Gallery. Next to Ron Howard. Watching Tom Hanks play your hero. Just so you know, it doesn’t always happen like that.”
It’s no secret that Ron Howard is one of the finest filmmakers alive today. And as anyone who’s worked with him will tell you, he is also a man of unflinching integrity.
Ron’s journey of bringing this novel to the screen was an almost impossible quest. But he met this material head on. He assembled a team of some of the finest actors, writers and filmmakers in the world.
And guess what? They have done it. And they have done it absolutely wonderfully.The funny thing is that now the filmmakers will start having the same kind of awkward experiences that I’ve been having for the last three years.
On conversations he’s had with nuns and priests
Brown: Recently I met a priest at a book event. And this man came up to me, warmly shook my hand and said, “Mr. Brown. I don’t like your novel one bit.” I was kind of taken aback. And then this man smiled and said, “But I just had to come over here and thank you.”
He went on to say, “Every Wednesday night for the past ten years I’ve held Bible study in my office. And every Wednesday night I’ve had the same eight people show up. Last month, I put in the usual notice in the church bulletin reminding people of Wednesday Bible study and noting that this week’s topic was 'The Da Vinci Code.'”
And this guy paused for effect. Before he smiled very excitedly and said, “I had 217 people.” He was thrilled. And he said, “I’ve been trying to get people interested in this stuff for years. And I have to admit, talking about a novel wasn’t quite how I pictured it. But I’m not complaining.”
In the next month with the movie coming out, many churches are enthusiastically poised to take advantage of this surge of interest in our religious history. They are embracing the controversy. I talk to priests, nuns and clergymen all the time. Some of them love the novel. And some of them don’t. But most are energized by the debate that’s been sparked and they’re using this debate as a springboard to teach— to engage and to connect with their congregations.
I hear from a lot of people in the church and quite often from Catholic nuns. Admittedly some of them say they would like to wrap my fingers with a ruler. But most of them have had the exact opposite reaction to the novel. And for them, the idea of the lost sacred feminine has really struck a nerve. The idea that women have been marginalized by religion. Several nuns have told me that reading this novel gave them the strength to speak out on a forbidden topic.
On religious debate
Brown: When you talk to enlightened clergy members they will agree that religion really has only one true enemy: Apathy. That is all of us getting so caught up in our daily lives that we forget to go to church or to synagogue, or to think spiritual thoughts. There’s a wonderful antidote for apathy and that’s passionate debate.
Debate makes us think about what we believe and why we believe it. Debate forces us to actively explore our beliefs which is invigorating and healthy for religion as a whole. Some of these authors who have written anti-“Da Vinci Code” books seem absolutely certain of their faith. I was not born with the luxury of absolutely certainty or absolutely faith. I have a lot of questions.
I have written a novel in which fictional characters ask some of these questions and they offer possible answers.
How can religion stay relevant in the modern world of having religion forbids us to use our intellect? If it demands absolute belief without permitting inquiry? If it proclaims answers and outlaws questions?
The controversial ideas in this novel have been around for hundred of years—they are not mine. When you see the movie you will see some fascinating characters debating powerful topics. You don’t have to agree with their conclusions. These characters don’t even agree with each other.
You don’t have to believe a single word of this story to enjoy it, to engage in the debate, to remain open minded to perspectives that make us think, perspectives that challenge us to ponder and articulate why we believe what we believe. Who knows? Many of us may emerge from that debate with stronger faith than when we started. I believe readers and movie-goers are a lot smarter than some people would have you believe.
