So, as Father Flynn preaches, Sister Aloysius moves among the schoolchildren admonishing some for various minor transgressions.

WSJ: A Re-'Doubt'-able Effort | John Patrick Shanley | Cultural Conversation by Judith H. Dobrzynski

But it was the rapport between Streep and Oscar-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman who plays Father Flynn that was central to getting the story across.

CNN: Streep leaves no 'Doubt' with 'tooth and nail' acting

In Act II, for example, when Father Flynn consoles Sister James and earns her support, the braiding of their lines creates romantic frisson between the two.

WSJ: A Re-'Doubt'-able Effort | John Patrick Shanley | Cultural Conversation by Judith H. Dobrzynski

Soon after the play opened on Broadway, co-producer Scott Rudin asked him to turn it into a film, which starred Meryl Streep as Sister Aloysius and Philip Seymour Hoffman as Father Flynn, and invited him to direct.

WSJ: A Re-'Doubt'-able Effort | John Patrick Shanley | Cultural Conversation by Judith H. Dobrzynski