It still breaks my heart that Anthony Hopkins wasn’t allowed to accept his Best Actor Oscar this year. It was just awful all-around – most people believed that Chadwick Boseman would win the Oscar posthumously, and Chadwick’s widow would make a speech in his place. So the Oscar producers didn’t even bother making arrangements for Anthony Hopkins, who wanted to pre-record a speech or even have a Zoom link-up, considering he was in Wales at the time of the Oscars. Anyway, all of this happened because Hopkins actually did give an incredible performance in The Father, and despite reports of his retirement, he still enjoys working. British GQ has given Hopkins their “Legend Award” at the GQ Men of the Year Awards this week. Hopkins spoke to the magazine about life, awards and moving to America:
On his Bafta and Oscar wins: “We were in Wales when the Bafta happened. I wasn’t asked to make any prepared speech in case I won, so I took it that it would go to Chadwick Boseman. I didn’t really want to watch the awards, because I have better things to do. Then suddenly, in the next room, I heard this scream. My wife and her friends said, ‘You won the Bafta!’ Then I went to where my father is buried, just to visit his grave and see an old friend of mine. And it was on the Sunday evening, we’re staying in this hotel [when the Oscars took place]. The Academy had stipulated that the nominees would have to go to either London or Dublin and, at my age, the risk of Covid and all that, I had no intention of going. I went to bed, then at about five o’clock in the morning, my buzzer went off on my phone. My agent said, ‘Tony, you’ve just got the second Oscar!’ I couldn’t believe it. We were all up and celebrating. So then I made a little speech and a tribute to Chadwick Boseman, sadly gone so young in his life.”
On leaving England for America: “I’d felt like I was on the run. I was at the National Theatre, I had a great time and I was given great opportunities by people such as [Laurence] Olivier. But there was something in me that wasn’t settled. I couldn’t fit in somehow, so I scarpered. I did the big skedaddle. And when I left in 1973 I was told I’d never work again. My agent at the time. He said, ‘Tony, what are you doing?’ I was a rebel, I was a fighter and I was insufferably dogmatic about certain things. But those demons are long gone. Maybe I was a bit of a troubled character. But I’m old now: I’d be stupid to walk around full of nettles and devils in me. We’re not here for long. But the last decade or so it’s been a wonderful feeling of freedom and just doing the job and showing up.”
On acting schools: “Don’t waste your money. They’re failed actors that set themselves up as gurus. That’s one of the reasons I left the National Theatre – we had a particular director who was very picky. And that’s one of the reasons that I would be angry. This was in my days of raging paranoia and I warned one director, ‘You ever speak to me like that again I’ll punch your face in.’ Obviously, I don’t do that any more. There’s one very well-known actor with an acting class here in Los Angeles and he’s the star of the show! And all these other students sitting around paying their fees and he’s the star! He’s on stage with them, interrupting them, being rude to them. No, you don’t do that.”
Oh, a little blind item from Tony Hopkins: who is the well-known actor with an LA acting school? I wonder if he’s talking about James Franco? Franco had a little acting school, but the young women who paid for classes said Franco was a disgusting predator. But it could be someone else. I do think it’s interesting that he thinks acting schools are so unhelpful though, especially given that so many British actors these days are alumni of RADA or LAMDA.
Anyway, I’m glad that Tony isn’t disturbed by how badly he was screwed over by Oscar producers this year. Maybe he’ll be invited to next year’s ceremony and he’ll actually get to enjoy himself. If I was producing the show, I would invite him and put him early in the evening, so that he could get a long standing ovation by an adoring crowd.
Here, Hopkins speaks about his first day playing the role of Lecter, his opinion on acting schools, his decision to move to work in America in the 1970s, and much more:https://t.co/7lIr5So3Qc #GQAwards #BossXGQAwards pic.twitter.com/ownfzwKJrZ
— British GQ (@BritishGQ) August 30, 2021
Photos courtesy of British GQ.
I love what he said about acting school. I think taking drama classes in school is another category and if you have that opportunity why not. But I agree with him on acting schools.
James Franco was my first thought too, LOL.
I’ve heard several actors talk about acting school, it seems like kind of a mixed bag – some are good and helpful, others are like this, a useless ego boost for the teacher.
I don’t agree. He’s being churlish. In New York in the 1950s all the biggest stars went to the same wonderful acting school.
Eh. He’s churlish but that doesn’t mean he’s wrong about this. We’re not in the 50’s anymore. Things have changed.
I don’t think he’s talking about the 50’s.
The Actors Studio? That was not started by failed actors. He’s most definitely not referring to the past.
Over the years I have dabbled in acting classes with ‘working actor/director’ types as teacher – for the most part they were great to work with and i learned a lot from them but they all pretty much said that drama schools don’t really teach or prepare you to be a working actor as often you have to re-learn your craft for the real world. They also all said that the only positive is the industry connections you get via them – i.e. agent showcases etc.. And yes they all went to drama school and they loved it but they found that they were not really prepared to transition from drama student to working actor when they graduated esp if they were auditioning for the big and small screen. Drama schools in the UK primarily focus on acting for the stage which is very different to acting for the screen.
This reminded me of a joke from The Big Bang Theory. Penny at one point gives up on her acting as she can’t land any roles, so she proclaims she’ll go back to Nebraska to teach acting like all other failed actors.
Xoxoxo
Acting schools, proper acting schools, not these teaching groups you get by the ton in L.A., the ones that seem like straight out of Barry and basically are retirement plans of actors who can’t get any roles (anymore), are very similar to art academies: places where things that come to us naturally are intellectualised. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, critical analysis of art is good, but it comes with a ton of problems too. They will teach you many different techniques you can use, technical aspects that you can build on (but also might kill instincts), and they make you work like most actors and artists won’t ever work again in their lives post school, which is challenging and can teach you a lot about your art. They give you workspaces, aka the infrastructure to be creative and access to supplies (costumes or art utensils f.ex.) so they are a bit of a safe space, and IDEALLY – and this often is the main reason for people to attend certain art schools – they will give you connections. Introduce you to the right people, insert you into the right bubble. This aspect is often very overrated though and I’ve met so many people who were massively disappointed on that front. Others thrive ONLY because of these connections, so I guess it really comes down to the individual. I wouldn’t say don’t try art schools, yeah, don’t give someone who was in two episodes of a 90s police procedural thousands of dollars, that’s a no brainer, and don’t be afraid to quit some prestigious schools either if they don’t work for you, but I wouldn’t generally call them unhelpful.
He has a point.
These days you only get into the top drama schools if you already have really posh connections (*cough cough, looking at you Kit Harrison Rose Leslie Tom Hiddleston Benedict Cumerbatch) or if you’re a 1 in a million talent.
Back in the day, actors like Michael Cane, Patrick Stewart, and Anthony Hopkins could have working class backgrounds and still get into those top schools and come out with the incredible skills that made them household names.
That also extends to getting an agent, esp here in the UK. I’ve heard that there are many agents who won’t even look at showreels etc.. unless you have gone to drama school etc.. Its particularly bad if you want to get work in theatre which is a notoriously closed and snobby industry. Even if you haven’t been to drama school if you have family connections you can easily get an agent (looking at you Daisy Ridley).
It is def an industry where its all about who you know – regardless of talent.
“But I’m old now: I’d be stupid to walk around full of nettles and devils in me.”
I need to get this tattooed on my arm, so I never forget.