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The One and Only Anthony Hopkins
By : Celeste Rodas de Juarez
The work of Sir Anthony Hopkins has been seen all over the world. From Guatemala to Spain and from Argentina to Hungary, his name and face have captivated audiences for more than four decades. But much about his private life remains a mystery.
Fifty-two pages of biographies and interviews on various Internet sites served to inform me that Hopkins had a lonely childhood; drinking problems at some point in his life; a military past; and that when he finally found acting, he embraced it completely. He became a member of London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and Laurence Olivier invited him to be a part of Great Britain’s National Theater at the age of 29. A short time later, Hollywood came knocking, and the rest is history.
Wearing a black leather jacket over a light-colored shirt, he sits at the head of a huge cedar table and rests his hands upon it as he begins to enlighten us as to why he decided to portray the psychopath Hannibal Lechter for the third time (a role he received an Oscar for in 1991 for the film Silence of the Lambs).
“My agent called me and told me, ‘I think this is something that will interest you. Ted Tally is writing the script for Red Dragon.’ Ted won the Oscar for the Silence of the Lambs script, and it did interest me.”
Weren’t you risking being seen as repetitive?
No. It wasn’t risky. After all, it’s only a movie. People will always have something to say. Once you’ve been in the business awhile, you learn to ignore them.
I read somewhere that when you walked into an elevator one day, a child and his mother had a look of fear in their eyes because they thought you were Hannibal. Does that still happen to you?
Yes, still, but not as often as before. Of course, every once in awhile someone will say, “Oh my God, you’re Hannibal Lechter!” I have to tell them I’m not, that I’m Anthony Hopkins.
You’ve portrayed President Nixon, artists like Picasso and real and fictional heroes. Of all the characters you’ve portrayed, which do you identify with the most?
President Nixon interested me a lot. I didn’t like his politics very much, but his strength. I also really liked the character in Remains of the Day… As far as the rest of the characters, I don’t identify with any of them because I’m only an actor. I don’t identify with the people I play; I see something interesting in them and portray it. But it’s difficult to answer [that question].
I’ve read in a few interviews that you were a loner as a child and that you didn’t even like being in your own birthday parties? Among all those memories, there has to a happy one. Can you share one with us?
I was born in a magnificent part of southern Wales. My fondest memories are of when I played in the countryside. (He seems a little anxious as he pushes away from the table and sighs) These questions are very difficult. I don’t understand why you’re asking me these…
Because I’d like to uncover a part of your soul.
(Resigned, he approaches the table again) I would play by myself and I liked playing alone. I was a loner. I also played the piano a lot. I liked Beethoven. I also went to movies. I liked Snow White as much as the gangster films, everything on the big screen fascinated me.
I also read that you were angry, in fact, upset…
Don’t listen to those things—I’m not an angry man in any way. The media invents those things.
Then, are you happy?
Yes. I’m happy. I’ve lived a privileged life. I don’t have anything to be angry about. When I was young, yes, just like many other young people, but as I’ve matured, there hasn’t been a place for that anger. I’ve had a very happy life and there’s no room for that anger. My life has been very interesting, and I’ve learned some things from it. I’ve learned not to take myself too seriously, for example.
I haven’t suffered, but I have lived through some difficult periods, like when I had problems with alcohol. I’m not going to say I don’t miss it, but I’m grateful and content that I don’t drink anymore.
Does it take courage to do it…
Of course, courage due to fear because I was going to die if I didn’t stop. I stopped, and I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t done it. In other words, I didn’t have much of an option: it was a matter of life or death.
Are you a man of faith?
I think that a greater power must exist because my life has certainly been extraordinary. As a boy, I wasn’t very bright. I didn’t even know the time of day I was in school. I think I had dyslexia or some learning disability. I certainly didn’t fit in anywhere. The years passed and a feeling of failure was always with me until by accident I came across this career, and look at what has happened! Of course, I don’t regret anything because, in the long run, look what I’ve accomplished.
Do you support any of the organizations that research those type of learning problems or help those that suffer from it?
Yes. I’m associated with some of them, but I don’t like to talk about it.
You’ve said (in an interview with Vanity Fair) a couple of years ago that you don’t consider yourself to be a good father. What does it mean to be a good father?
I don’t know. I’m an absent father. My daughter lives in London and I don’t see her very often. I don’t know if she wants to see me. I don’t know what’s going on with her life. She doesn’t write me or call me. (He gets tense) I don’t know…I don’t want to talk about this. It’s very personal. I’m not going to speak about that. My personal life is nobody’s business.
Let’s go on to a different subject then. You won two Emmys, an Oscar and have lived with very interesting people. Have you thought about writing an autobiography?
No. There’s nothing to write.
What? You just said yourself that you’ve lived an extraordinary life…
(He’s pensive and concedes) Well, I began writing one and I’ve been writing it for a while, but I don’t know when I’ll finish.
Besides driving your car for hours on the highways while listening to your favorite music, what other things do you like to do when you’re not working?
Read, walk on the beach, play the piano and travel.
What do you pack when you travel?
I’m not a big packer. A few books and some clothes is enough.
What are your plans for the near future?
I want to go to Alaska. I also think that my next movie, The Human Stain (with Nicole Kidman and Ed Harris), is about to premiere. I had a lot of fun making it because Gary Sinise and I even had a chance to dance in one scene. Not because I’m a great dancer, on the contrary, but it was fun to do.
His eyes, a bluish gray, brighten up once again when he speaks about his career. It’s been said that if you mention the name of Stella Arroyave, an elegant antique seller to whom he has been linked romantically for some months, not only his eyes but his cheeks take on a different color. He answered a definite “no,” though, when asked if at the age of 65, he would consider getting married for the third time.
A waiter appears with a plate of fruit. Courteous, he thanks us for the interview. He has that unique combination of frankness and chivalrousness. I conclude that it doesn’t matter what age his biography says he is, Anthony Hopkins is still a child at heart who’s exploring the immensity of this life.
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