The controversial filmmaker Anthony Hopkins called “a great director”
Controversy can often have a detrimental effect on a career, but Anthony Hopkins had no issues working with one of Hollywood’s most outspoken heat magnets, so much so that he did it twice.
Actors tend not to pay heed to the bad buzz that follows a filmmaker around, which is evidently illustrated by the fact Woody Allen and Roman Polanski are still working despite the unsavoury headlines to have dogged them for decades, even if Hopkins’ contentious collaborator irked people for different reasons.
Despite enjoying massive success during an incredible run that yielded four Academy Awards in three different categories in little over a decade, Oliver Stone was never one for playing the Hollywood game. His opinions were his, they were loud, and they didn’t beat around the bush. As a result, it’s been a long time since he was regarded as a viable entity in a cutthroat industry that’s in a constant state of evolution.
His staunch support of several conspiracy theories have been incorporated into his filmography, he’s regularly critical of the government, showcased support for Hugo Chavez and Vladimir Putin, and was happy to run his mouth to such an extent it effectively saw him cast out into self-imposed exile.
Stone hasn’t directed a narrative feature in almost a decade, but he has become a prolific documentarian, with his subjects including pro-Russian figures, climate change, and, of course, the John F. Kennedy assassination. He’s an increasingly polarising presence, but Hopkins didn’t seem to mind.
After playing the title role in 1995’s political biopic Nixon, they’d reunite almost a decade later for Alexander. The expensive epic that tanked thunderously at the box office and marked the last time Stone would be trusted by a major studio to helm a feature of great expense.
In an interview with The Talks, the two-time Academy Award winner called him “a great director” who sat alongside Steven Spielberg among the pantheon of filmmakers Hopkins referred to as “some of the best.” They also have “their own quirky way of working,” which is one way to describe Stone’s regularly fractious relationships with many of the actors he’s enlisted over the years.
Hopkins initially thought Stone was out of his mind for wanting him to play Richard Nixon, but he ended up earning ‘Best Actor’ nominations at both the Oscars and the Golden Globes for his efforts. The maverick had a way of getting great performances out of his actors when operating at the peak of his powers, but these days, when his name makes the front pages, it tends to be about his extracurricular and politically charged endeavours.
Still, he remains responsible for several stone-cold classics of cinema, something no amount of controversy will ever be able to take away.
