The wayward star who disrupted one of Anthony Hopkins’ favourite performances: “He had his troubles”
There’s something enticing about hearing about chaotic film sets, the drama and intrigue that follows glamorous people to exotic corners of the globe while they chase stories with palpable passion. However, as Anthony Hopkins recalls, it’s not so fun from the inside, as was his experience when filming The Bounty, directed by Roger Donaldson. The 1984 film was so close to Hopkins’ heart that after its messy, gruelling production, he promised he’d never become so emotionally invested in another project.
“I will no longer invest so much effort in something over which I have no control,” he said in a 2006 interview with Total Film. “It’s too frustrating.” From injuries on set to the tough working conditions filming in Tahiti and sometimes actually onboard ships at sea, the filming process proved to be too much for its actors. One aspect of the process that didn’t help was Mel Gibson’s consistent drinking to excess, which proved to be an issue for his coworkers.
Hopkins was sober by the time filming began after dealing with alcoholism as a young adult. “I’d mended my ways by those days. I’d got off the sauce and all that. Mel was still in it,” he said. Gibson’s challenging emotional outbursts after nights of drinking made working on the film difficult, often needing support from his fellow actors.
“He’d get into fights in the bars in Tahiti, and Liam Neeson used to go out as his kind of henchman to try, and calm him down and get him out of trouble,” Hopkins revealed. That certainly didn’t make for the easiest working environment, and Hopkins noticed that it was impacting Gibson emotionally and physically. “Mel would come in with bruises sometimes. ‘Aw Tony,’ he’d say, ‘Jesus Christ, I’m really hungover,’” he said.
Able to sympathise, Hopkins explained that “In those days, he had his troubles, as we all do.” But, though the making of the film proved to be less than satisfactory, Hopkins still counts The Bounty’s William Bligh as one of his favourite roles.
Recounting the true story of the HMS Bounty, the film depicted Bligh’s experience with a mutineering crew through the use of flashbacks. Ranging from Portsmouth to Tahiti, the film covers Bligh’s struggles with his subordinates and the weather, both of which eventually led to his ejection from the ship by his crew and court marshal for the loss of the Bounty. Mel Gibson played Fletcher Christian, Bligh’s second-in-command and the eventual leader of the mutiny. A parallel could be seen between the tension on set and the power struggle between Bligh and Christian, but that seems to have really been the straw that broke the camel’s back during filming.
Hopkins also clashed with Donaldson, saying they held mutual responsibility for their interpersonal struggles. Hopkins doesn’t shy away from the fact that they didn’t always get along. “If you want to give me trouble, I’ll give you trouble,” he declared. After decades, though, they reunited, buried the hatchet, and collaborated on The World’s Fastest Indian.
