Why Anthony Hopkins hates method acting: “It’s a pain in the ass”
The veteran British thespian Anthony Hopkins is recognised as one of the greatest actors in the history of Hollywood for a reason, claiming two Oscar victories from six total nominations. Working with such established filmmakers as Jonathan Demme, Oliver Stone and Steven Spielberg, Hopkins has delivered some of cinema’s very best performances, being most well-known for his insidious portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs.
Poisoning the celluloid with his sinister glare, Hopkins’ Lecter is just one of his iconic characters, being joined by Dr. Frederick Treves in David Lynch’s Elephant Man and Stevens in James Ivory’s period drama The Remains of the Day. One could indeed be mistaken for thinking that the iconic dramatist was a method actor, dedicating his body both physically and mentally to each of his roles, yet Hopkins would hate you for thinking this.
Vocal in his dislike for the practice, which involves actors totally emotionally identifying with their characters, often entirely embodying their persona on the set of a film, Hopkins clearly isn’t fond of the likes of Marlon Brando, Dustin Hoffman and Jared Leto, who have forged a career using the method.
“I think that’s a lot of crap,” said of method acting during an interview with Huffington Post, “I just don’t understand that. If actors want to do that, fine. If they want to be miserable, that’s up to them. I’m not interested. It’s a job. I do the job. I’m certainly not going to make my life miserable just to be a character.”
Pressed further about how it is to work with a method actor on set, Hopkins explains: “It’s a pain in the ass. Who the hell wants to be with some miserable grump because he wants to get his performance right, so you have to call him this or call him that? It’s so boring. I’ve been with actors like that, and they’re a pain in the ass, they really are.”
Though he doesn’t explain exactly who he is referencing, Hopkins has worked with a vast number of method actors, including Gary Oldman, Matthew McConaughey and Nick Nolte, with each one potentially being the actor Hopkins alludes to.
Continuing in his tirade against method actors, he adds: “They’re unpleasant to work with, and I don’t think they’re always that good either. I’ve worked with some awkward customers, fortunately not too many. I go out of my way never to work with them again.”
Hopkins isn’t the only one who hates method acting either, with fellow British icon Brian Cox calling the practice “American shit” in a recent interview. “I don’t hold a lot of the American shit, having to have a religious experience every time you play a part. It’s crap,” he added, “I don’t hang onto the characters I play. I let them go through me. The thing is to be ready to accept as an actor. You stand there, you’re ready to accept whatever is thrown at you.”
Take a look at a clip of Hopkins acting alongside Gary Oldman in heavy prosthetics below.
