When Anthony Hopkins manifested a role on 48 hours’ notice: “Wonderful serendipity”
Being a successful actor requires equal doses of talent and luck, and for Anthony Hopkins, there was a time when the universe seemed to be working perfectly in his favour. You could say that about many moments in the actor’s life; however, considering that he has appeared in countless acclaimed films and even won two Oscars. But he’ll never forget a certain instance in which one of his wishes came true.
Sometimes, when things we want happen, it feels as though we’ve manifested them through positive thoughts paired with some cosmic forces that are far beyond our comprehension. That’s what happened to Hopkins when he bagged the leading role in the 2001 film Hearts in Atlantis, although it hasn’t exactly endured as one of his greatest and most beloved movies.
We’re not saying that Hopkins read The Secret and then manifested his way into securing the part, but he certainly found himself caught in a moment that almost felt too good to be true. Talking to Studio LA, Hopkins explained, “There’s a story I’ll tell you briefly, I was reading a book by William Goldman, who wrote the script, and he mentions Stephen King. He talks about his work with Stephen King as a writer. I thought I’d like to do a Stephen King novel. Two days later, my agent offered me this script. It was wonderful serendipity.”
Hearts in Atlantis is based on King’s novella Low Men in Yellow Coats, making it one of many adaptations that the horror writer has seen transformed for the big (and small) screen. This isn’t one of the horror master’s scary stories, with the movie instead following a young boy who finds a father-like figure in Hopkins’ Ted Brautigan, soon realising that his new friend possesses telekinesis powers.
The actor was inspired to take on the role because he really liked its themes of connection, explaining, “The film is about a little boy coming of age, by his meeting with this man that I play, Ted Brautigan who happens to have a gift of psychic, normal psychic experiences, which I guess most of us possess.”
Perhaps Hopkins used some secret psychic powers to ensure that his wish to appear in an adaptation of a King novel came true, or maybe luck was just on his side. It’s interesting that the man, who stunned viewers with his performance as Hannibal Lecter in the classic thriller The Silence of the Lambs, hasn’t appeared in any other King movies, especially one that falls under the horror umbrella. Hopkins is incredibly well-equipped for the genre, but perhaps his notoriety as Lecter, the terrifying yet charming cannibal, has prevented him from taking on other parts that could become as iconic, including those by King.
Still, he was pleased to do Hearts in Atlantis, which co-starred Anton Yelchin as the 11-year-old boy he forms a bond with. While the movie received mixed reviews, Hopkins could count on Roger Ebert for a positive spin, who wrote, “Rarely does a movie make you feel so warm and so uneasy at the same time, as Stephen King’s story evokes the mystery of adolescence, when everything seems to be happening for the very first time.”
