The Naples-born director and screenwriter Paolo Sorrentino had his first screenplay made when he was in his 20s, and has since written and directed nine films, winning an Oscar and a Bafta for 2013’s The Great Beauty. In 2016, he created and directed his first TV series, The Young Pope, which starred Jude Law. For the follow-up, The New Pope, John Malkovich joins the cast.

Was it always your plan to make a sequel to The Young Pope?

No, initially I intended to end the story with The Young Pope. It was while editing the first season that I had the idea that opened up the game again.

We left the first series with Pope Pius XIII (Jude Law) in a coma. Now the Catholic church is seeking a replacement, right?

Exactly. They appoint John Paul III (John Malkovich), who is quite the opposite of his predecessor. Pius was ambitious and had always wanted to become pope. John Paul III is a reluctant pope who does it despite himself. He’s moderate with a natural inclination towards compromise, whereas Pius was much more hardline and conservative.

So the new pope is more like a politician?

Yes, like a smart politician. Which are increasingly rare creatures. It’s interesting. The church still believes in training its people and preparing them for power. Politics used to be like that too, but nowadays we have more and more improvised politicians with no experience.

Why did you decide to make John Paul III a Brit? There’s only ever been one British pope and that was nearly 900 years ago.

I made him English because he’s a key figure in converting as many Anglicans as possible to the Catholic church. That’s why he’s selected to be pope.

But then Pius wakes up, which is considered a miracle, and a power struggle ensues. What were your inspirations for that rivalry?

I don’t tend to get inspiration from outside sources, but from inside myself. In all the stories I tell, the struggles of my characters are the struggles I have within me.

Sharon Stone and Marilyn Manson guest star in this series. Tell us about that?

They play themselves. Our new pope has that kind of mundane secular side and, ever since he was a kid, he’s had an inclination to meet celebrities.

A scene from Paolo Sorrentino’s The New Pope. Photograph: Gianni Fiorito

Michelangelo’s Pietà gets damaged by a terrorist bomb in the new series. Did that feel like sacrilege?

Not really. I saw it as quite a likely scenario. We’re living under the clear and present threat of terrorism. In Italy, there has been talk of possible targets for terror attacks and the Vatican is one of them, so why not fantasise about what could happen?

Has TV caught up with film now, in terms of its scale and ambition?

I don’t think television and cinema are in competition. But in recent years, TV at its best has become like an extension of cinema. In the 60s and 70s, the so-called cinéma d’auteur movement enabled directors to make long, impressionistic films. Now that’s impossible in film-making, but TV allows you the opportunity to tell those long-form stories.

Your work is visually very beautiful. Did you ever want to be an artist?

Unfortunately, I am unable even to draw a small house [laughs]. I wish I could paint, but I belong to the old-school theory that an artist must also possess technique. I don’t have that. The only technical ability I have is in film-making.

You’ve made films about a pair of Italian prime ministers: Il Divo, about Giulio Andreotti, and Loro, about Silvio Berlusconi. Any more planned?

Two is enough! I don’t feel the need to make any more. They’re quite delicate. I have a big imagination and I like to use it, but when you’re dealing with well-known real people, you have to be very careful and respectful. That’s a game I’m no longer interested in playing.

You can’t write without listening to music. What sort of music is best?

Yes, I always have music in the background as I write, but the volume is usually very low. Sometimes I forget there’s music in the room. I have eclectic taste. I just got that end-of-year report from Spotify about what I’ve listened to and it’s all kinds of genres.

You once said that Diego Maradona saved your life. How?

It was literally fate. When I was 16, I was supposed to go on holiday with my parents but decided to stay home because I really wanted to go and watch my football team Napoli play. My parents had an accident on holiday and died. So yes, my passion for soccer – and for Maradona in particular – saved my life.

Do you still have that passion?

Very much so, but not just for Napoli, for all soccer. I often find myself stopping to watch matches in parks or schoolyards. I used to play, but I turn 50 this year and it’s important in life to know when to stop doing things! I wish I could have been a football coach, but I never studied to be one and it’s too late now.

How do you feel about turning 50?

It was more fun when I turned 20! I might have a party, but I always say I will, then get the fear and cancel it two weeks beforehand.

What was the best film and TV show you saw last year?

Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman was wonderful. On TV, Modern Love, which is based on the New York Times column.

Where do you keep your Oscar?

In a cabinet in my study. Let’s pretend that it’s just one award, sitting among my many others!

Do you have any new year resolutions?

I should give up smoking, but won’t. Recently, I switched to cigars. I probably would have given up long ago if I didn’t have half the world telling me to stop. Everyone around me says I must, which only makes me more determined to continue.

The New Pope launches on Sky Atlantic and Now TV on 12 January