The one director Anthony Hopkins always wanted to work with: “I like his style”
Working with everyone from David Lynch and Francis Ford Coppola to Ridley Scott and Ron Howard, Anthony Hopkins has always been flooded with options, his position in Hollywood as one of the most acclaimed stars of his generation allowing him endless opportunities.
However, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t longed to work with filmmakers that he has never had the chance to be directed by as of yet. You’d think that someone as revered as Hopkins wouldn’t have a problem working with whomever he chooses, but Hollywood doesn’t necessarily operate that way.
The actor, who has long been praised as one of the industry’s finest stars – his background in theatre shaping him into a versatile and disciplined performer – might be able to do whatever is asked of him, but not every director is going to pick him for their film, in spite of his talents, because sometimes, it’s just not the right fit, especially when there are so many incredible actors out there all competing for the same parts.
So, a Hollywood legend and Oscar winner he might be, but Hopkins still has dreams of working with one of his cinematic heroes, yet it seems unlikely that this desire will ever be fulfilled, because despite the fact that the Welsh-born actor has always wanted to work with Clint Eastwood, but whether the filmmaker, now 95 years old, has another directorial effort in him remains up to speculation.
Eastwood’s latest film was Juror #2, and while it received some pretty good reviews, people were quick to suggest that it would be his final film. This hasn’t been officially confirmed, but it does seem unlikely that Eastwood is going to helm another movie, so perhaps Hopkins has missed the boat on this one.
Hopkins admits that when he was younger, he might have dwelled on working with certain filmmakers, but now he is pretty at peace with the decisions he has made in his career, refusing to look back with regret. Talking to JoBlo, the actor said, “Philosophically, I’ve reached a point in my life that I’m at a good age where I’ve done everything I wanted to do. And to be free of wanting to work with Mr Scorsese or whoever… It’s wonderful to not care.”
Yet, he followed that with the admission that working with Eastwood would be pretty spectacular, given the chance: “But I admire people, I suppose I would have liked to have worked with Clint Eastwood, I think I admire him.”
Adding, “I think he’s one of the best. I mean, I like his style of directing – not that I’ve ever worked with him. It’s two takes and is it in focus, then OK, move on. I like his attitude.”
Eastwood, who rose to fame in Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy back in the 1960s, made his directorial debut in 1971 with Play Misty for Me, and while he continued acting, he soon established himself as a rather prolific filmmaker, winning several ‘Best Director’ Oscars and earning plenty of acclaim for the likes of Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby, Eastwood hasn’t slowed down over the years, and it’s a shame he hasn’t found a role for Hopkins.
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