Bronx nun inspires Oscar-nominated film 'Doubt'

A nun from the Bronx served as inspiration for the star-studded film ?Doubt,? nominated for five Academy Awards this year. The film tells the story of a young nun at a Bronx Catholic school in 1964,

News 12 Staff

Feb 21, 2009, 6:21 PM

Updated 5,702 days ago

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A nun from the Bronx served as inspiration for the star-studded film ?Doubt,? nominated for five Academy Awards this year.
The film tells the story of a young nun at a Bronx Catholic school in 1964, who suspects that a priest is sexually abusing a student. The fictional story, written by John Patrick Shanley, was inspired by his first-grade teacher, Sister Margaret McEntee.
?So I said to him, ?John, maybe I helped train you to be a great thinker and a reflective person who became a great writer?? McEnteee says.
The Bronx nun, however, did not only inspire the film, but also served as a technical adviser, setting up scenes and having input on the costumes. McEntee even helped Meryl Streep, who stars in the movie alongside Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams, with her wardrobe.
McEntee says she has watched the movie four times, but has never seen the very end.
?It's a dark screen, and in white letters it says: ?This film is dedicated to Sister Margaret McEntee, S.C., and I never get to the rest of it because my eyes fill up,? she says.
McEntee says she has been invited to attend the 81st Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles Sunday, but instead she will have her own celebration in the Bronx.