Anthony Hopkins: Life Unfolds in the Present Moment

On December 31st, the renowned British actor Anthony Hopkins celebrates his 83rd birthday. As I sit down to interview him, I’m taken aback by his charm and wit. He not only discusses his life and acting career but also surprises me by reading the Russian title of my previous article, “Мудрая невинность Эмили Уотсон,” which translates to “Emily Watson’s Wise Innocence.” He smiles triumphantly, “Yes, I’m trying to learn Russian. It’s fascinating. The letters are completely different. Plus, I love Russian literature.”

Anthony Hopkins and Lena Basse

I look around the room at the Four Seasons hotel in Los Angeles, where our meeting is taking place, hoping to catch someone’s eye to share my awe of this legendary actor. It’s incredible that, despite his age, the great artist continues to learn and maintain a genuine interest in life. He’s reluctant to part with the magazine and happily accepts my offer to keep it as a gift. The title of my future article pops into my head: “Anthony Hopkins’ Innocent Wisdom.”

Indeed, he is wise, as wise as a man who has played over 100 roles in his lifetime can be. And that’s just on screen. Like many British actors, he began his professional career on the stage. Once, as an understudy for Laurence Olivier, he even replaced the great actor in a play when Olivier suffered an appendicitis attack. Undoubtedly, his name is primarily associated with the character of the serial killer Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs.” This role earned him a well-deserved Oscar in 1992. The film’s success was so immense that two sequels were made, continuing the story of one of cinema’s most terrifying maniacs. However, Anthony Hopkins has played a vast array of characters throughout his more than 60-year career, including Adolf Hitler, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Quasimodo, Zorro, Pablo Picasso, Alfred Hitchcock, King Lear, the butler of Darlington Hall, Richard Nixon, John Quincy Adams, Pierre Bezukhov, and Professor Van Helsing.

Anthony Hopkins as the Pope

For his numerous achievements, Queen Elizabeth II knighted Hopkins in 1993, granting him the honorable title of Sir. Not a bad accomplishment for a baker’s son. However, in 2000, the actor moved to Los Angeles, where the title of knight is more associated with the superhero film genre. It was here that Sir Anthony met his lady love and, in his third marriage, finally found long-awaited family happiness. Moreover, after several scandalous incidents in the distant past related to excessive alcohol consumption, the actor completely gave up the harmful habit and has been a member of Alcoholics Anonymous for over 45 years. He devotes all his free time to painting, playing the piano, and learning foreign languages. Additionally, he continues to act and has no intention of retiring. For instance, last year, Sir Anthony Hopkins added the on-screen portrayal of Pope Benedict XVI to his collection of roles, starring in Fernando Meirelles’ film “The Two Popes.” For his performance in this role, Anthony Hopkins was once again nominated for an Oscar.

Anthony Hopkins in “The Father”

This year, before the world hit “pause,” the film “The Father,” starring Anthony Hopkins, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. He played an elderly man suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, trying to adapt to the world around him. Unlike other films on similar topics, viewers experience the entire story through the eyes of its protagonist, attempting to find meaning in what is happening around him. French writer and playwright Florian Zeller directed the film based on a play he wrote specifically for Anthony Hopkins. It’s no coincidence that the main character is also named Anthony. Alongside the remarkable British actress Olivia Colman, who played his adult daughter in the film, Anthony Hopkins allows viewers to experience the full range of emotions associated with living with an elderly person: from pity and confusion to anger and depression. The constantly changing scenery and the appearance of unfamiliar people significantly enhance the growing sense of uncertainty about everything happening on screen. What remains in the end is an all-encompassing sympathy for all of humanity, embodied in the film’s characters.

This challenging film prompted a discussion with Anthony Hopkins, which took place online, about quite serious topics. Fortunately, wisdom is not lacking in such a conversation partner, and he has much to share.

Anthony Hopkins in the movie “The Father”

“In the film ‘The Father,’ reality is so closely intertwined with illusion that it’s often very difficult to separate one from the other. Looking back at your own life, what role has illusion played in it? In other words, how close is your hero’s worldview to your own?”

“Gradually, I’m getting closer to my hero’s age, and in that sense, he’s completely understandable to me. I didn’t have any difficulties with this role. And if I look back at my own life, it really seems like an illusion in some sense. As if someone else wrote the script for me. Sometimes it seems to me that my life developed on its own. That I never had any control over it, and therefore, there’s no merit of my own in everything that happened to me. I was lucky; many of my friends have long since died. My father and mother have died. I’ll be 83 soon, and I often wonder: where have all these years flown? How did this happen? How did I end up where I am now? That’s the mystery.”

“You said that you didn’t have any difficulties with the role. Have you had to deal with people suffering from dementia?”

“There were no such examples in our family; at least, my parents were spared this disease. But my father had depression, which especially worsened towards the end of his life. He had heart problems and was very hostile towards me. It’s quite possible that I simply annoyed him with everything that he had already lost by that time: health, youth, future. Interestingly, after watching the finished film, I suddenly saw my own father in the character I played. Yes, it was definitely him. Just like my hero, my father was demanding and often showed distrust and hostility towards others. I remember that before filming the last scene in the movie, I looked at the chair in which my hero was sitting, at his glasses on the table – and suddenly remembered my father. I remembered how, after his death, I picked up the book he was reading and his glasses and thought: ‘Did he even exist?’ I still think: do we all exist? There’s still some mystery in all of this.”

IT’S IMPORTANT TO LISTEN TO YOUR PARTNER AS IF YOU’RE HEARING THEM FOR THE FIRST TIME. AND IT’S EVEN MORE IMPORTANT NOT TO TAKE EVERYTHING TOO SERIOUSLY. ON THE CONTRARY, BE SIMPLE.

For more information about Anthony Hopkins, you can visit his official Instagram profile.