"They stopped," joked Hopkins with a sly little
smile. "I'd bit them." Well, they might start
up again once they get wind of the actor's unbelievable
performance in "Hannibal."
Hopkins knows that the character of Hannibal
Lecter will be what he's best remembered for and
that doesn't bother the seasoned actor who has
appeared dozens of films such as The Remains
of the Day, Meet Joe Black, Legends of the Fall,
Howard's End, Bram Stoker's Dracula and The
Mask of Zorro.
Hopkins was born December 31, 1937, in Margam,
near Port Talbot, Wales, the only child of a local
banker. At 17, he wandered into a YMCA amateur
theatrical production and knew immediately that
he was in the right place. After a stint in the
British Army, he was invited to audition for Sir
Laurence Olivier, then director of the National
Theater at the Old Vic. Two years later, Hopkins
was Olivier's understudy in Strindberg's Dance
of Death. In 1967, he appeared in his first
film, The Lion in Winter opposite Peter
O'Toole and Katherine Hepburn.
Since Silence of the Lamps made him a
star, Hopkins has weathered the spotlight of fame
and gossip. Furthermore, he continues to craft
illuminating performances.
Anthony Hopkins became a U.S. citizen this year.
THE INTERVIEW
Why come back to role after ten years?
Only if the script is good. [Otherwise] there
is no mileage of doing it again. I'm not a gambler.
It's like going to Vegas and winning a pile of
money. Then you say, I'll do it again and you
lose all of the money. It's like being at a good
crap table. You can't compare it to the other
one and yet, you can. It's turned out good so
far but I don't know if it's worth pushing it
because Godfather III didn't work.
Would it bother you to see someone else play
it?
No. I'm just happy to be here. [I'm] happy that
this seems to be getting a lot of interest. I
don't have a lot of expectations. I've done my
work, my job. I don't think about the future.
People are rooting for you, for Lecter. Do
you think this movie celebrates evil?
Oh, don't ask me that. Why do audiences go see
it? Does that make me weird or you weird? Don't
ask me. Women have said they loved it. I was surprised
but I understand women have a high threshold for
pain. Remember Jaws and that's a real horror
movie. I remember when that came out and I didn't
have to see a psychiatrist because I loved that.
Do you think of this as a horror movie?
No. [It's a] thriller. A lot of women are saying
Hannibal is really sexy and they're rooting for
Clarice and Hannibal to get together. I'm glad
of that. I don't think that's strange.
He's protective of Clarice.
He does protect her. He only attacks the men.
He threatens Giancarlo's [Giannini] wife? Oh,
he's going to have sexual conquest without him.
What is the difference between the Hannibal Lector
you did ten years ago and now? Well, he's out
on the streets now and he's world-weary. It's
ten years and he's sadder, lonelier. A bit bored.
Maybe he eats too much pasta. When I flew back
from Florence and I was in Washington D.C. working
with Julianne, I said to Ridley [Scott], I have
an idea. Why don't I cut my hair short and just
change my identity and cutting out all of that
"Silence of the Lambs" Lecter. I'd drive a flatbed
truck wearing boots and jeans. I'd started working
out with the weights to make myself burly. And,
I pass for normal in the crowd. He said it's a
great idea and I decided to change it that way
and to drop the mask of the old Lecter. It was
simply to give audience and myself relief from
the old look. [I could] give something new - a
new look, a new delivery, a new way of playing.
So, he had changed a lot and he's doomed never
to find any peace. He's in prison of his own monstrous
mind.
Did you want him to be sympathetic or likable?
I didn't mean to make him a sympathetic figure.
He's a man trapped in his own - well, when he
kisses her and says, 'I've come half way around
the world. Could there have been a chance?' She
says 'Never in a thousand years.' And, he says
'That's my girl.' She's not corruptible and I
think 'good for her. But, I'm doomed not only
to cut off my hand but being chased by the FBI.
Which is kind of exciting as well.
Where did Lecter's new pet phrase come from?
When I'm doing the line, 'I've been out of action,
Claire and I hope you're back on the case," I
asked Ridley if I could add the line, "Goody,
goody." Because I'm getting a little sassy because
I'm tired like a wasp in summer that gets more
lethal as it's dying. It's seemed more visceral.
How did you feel about the scene when you attack
the nurse? I was surprised. I said to Ridley 'are
we going to show it?' He said, he didn't know.
What about the rating of movie?
I just heard that the movie is getting PG rating
in Canada and in Italy it's just G rating. Only
the Americans [have a problem].
Do you identity with Hannibal?
Identify? I don't identify. It's a chance to
reinvent. Someone asked me if I'd thought about
this character and I said no. But the truth is
I think I have on and off - given him some thought.
If I do play him again, there are a few things
I'd add.
Like what?
I'm not going to say. Give us a hint? When he
was walking around bare foot in the scene with
Giancarlo Giannini. It was my idea to hint that
there was something dark in Lecter's life that
was going on in the back of that house. Did you
approve of the new ending? I didn't object to
the ending in the book but I also liked this ending,
too.
Did you speak to Jody Foster about why she
didn't want to do it?
No. I did see her afterwards at Santa Barbara.
There's a film festival up there and I spoke to
her there. I did say to her I'm sorry you're not
doing it. [But] She's very close to herself and
she didn't give out reasons. I respect her privacy.
By that time, I think, Julianne [Moore] had been
cast and Jody said she'd be wonderful. I didn't
know if she knows Julianne.
Did you have any words of wisdom for Julianne
about playing Clarice?
No. I just said, 'you'll be terrific.' When they
were casting, they had a group of actresses who
were formidable. I think Helen Hunt was one but
I can't remember the list. I talked to Ridley
and he asked who I thought would be good. I said
they're all pretty good but I have worked with
Julianne before. I said she had a nervous breakdown
in front of me and she gave the blazing performance
of mental breakdown all in one take. James Ivory
said, well that's it. She was focused. That's
what Jody, Ray Liotta, Gary Oldman and any good
actor has. It's about focus.
Do the Hannibal jokes get annoying?
No, it doesn't bother me. Why do you think Hannibal
is the role people associate with you? Like Bela
Lugosi and Tony Perkins in Psycho. It hasn't
done any harm to my career. I don't know how Mr.
Perkins did it but it depends on how you handle
it. I remember lining up to see that performance
and it scared the hell out of me. But, I think
that's proof. It's like Jaws.
What part do you play in The Devil in Daniel
Webster?
I play the lawyer, the good guy. I like working
with Alec Baldwin. He's directing you on this
one. What a director! He's a powerhouse. He's
a real leader, very forceful, very focused and
very sure of himself as a director - as he should
be. He's such a gifted man. He's going through
a lot of things now [his divorce] so he's dealing
with the film beautifully. I don't know how he
did it. He has colossal energy. I guess you stay
up all night.
Didn't you take nine months off?
Yeah, there wasn't much around anyway. So, I
just decided to take time off. I use to grab onto
anything. I took time off and then my agent called
and asked if I'd like to do a small part in Mission
Impossible 2. Three or four days with Tom
Cruise and you play his boss. I near did read
the script. I was saying the lines and I asked
Tom what was happening. He said 'don't worry;
you're doing it beautifully.'
Could you talk about working with Jim Carrey
and Chris Rock?
I like Jim Carrey although I don't know him.
Ron Howard asked me if I'd like to do The Grinch
and I said OK. And, my agent said it was a good
deal because after Hannibal, it would be
good to do a light comedy and to work with a young
comic actor.
Do you like living in LA, now?
Oh, I love it. I've been there for some years
now.
What do you like about it?
Mickey Mouse land. I love it.
Do you have a favorite film?
I'm a Hitchcock fan so my favorite film is Rear
Window. I've seen it maybe two dozen times
and it still holds.
Did you ever sneak into a theater to see Silence
with an audience?
Yes, I did. In Atlanta, of all places.
Did anyone recognize you?
No, I went with Renee Russo. She asked me to
go and hold her hand. So, I went with a cap pulled
down over my head. A Sunday afternoon and a thunderstorm
was going on and the lights went out. I was afraid
someone would see me and later I heard one of
the ladies saying, 'Hannibal Lecter is probably
in the theater.'
Will you ever return to stage?
No, too boring. I can't even sit through the
theater. I was burnt out at the National Theater.
I did hundreds of performances of King Lear,
Anthony and Cleopatra and Equus
here. In the end, you find it's repetitious and
an exercise in futility. But the necessary part
for the producers is to make the money so you
can't do it for two months; you have to do it
for six or eight months. Eight performances are
tough going - psychologically it's tough. I was
talking to Hope Davis and she said it was impossible.
People turn up late, their cell phones go off,
etc. But, I'm a philistine. I just like making
movies.
Could you talk about that final scene?
We had loads of fun.
And, what about that kid on the plane?
It was very interesting. There are two versions.
They cut to the boy's face as I was feeding it.
I winked at him and Ridley saw that and cut it
out. He didn't want Lecter to be corrupting anyone.
But, he says to the boy, try it. It's very strange.
