Actor Spotlight: Anthony Hopkins
The 83 year old actor is nominated for his 6th Oscar for his role in "The Father" and, like The Academy, we are making up for so many years of this iconic career being overlooked.
This week the celeb shots continue with our new actor spotlight! Drew is taking another week off (He and his wife Emily are now parents to a healthy boy named Wesley. Exploiting him to the benefit of DYLA is being discussed.) and the wonderful Katie Carter is back filling in this week to help me profile Anthony Hopkins (shout out to my Aunt Margaret for the suggestion). Before he is able to have a chance to win his 2nd Oscar we are asking Mr. Hopkins to accept this honor of being profiled by Do You Like Apples.
Hopkins is a surprisingly savvy social media user and let’s see if we can get his attention! Please tweet at him or let him know about the newsletter on instagram.
You can find Katie’s work at katieatthemovies.com and on Instagram @katieatthemovies.
Katie recommends…
The Two Popes (streaming on Netflix)
2021 marks the second year in a row that Anthony Hopkins has been nominated for an Oscar—just last year, he received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his performance as Pope Benedict XVI in director Fernando Meirelles’ The Two Popes. And it’s about as rich an Anthony Hopkins performance as you will ever see.
Andrew McCarten penned the screenplay based on his play, “The Pope.” Following the Vatican leaks scandal, the future Pope Francis Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce) of Buenos Aires travels to Rome to personally deliver his resignation to the Pope. When the pair first meet, it takes a while for Bergoglio to get to the point of his visit; the fact is that Benedict does not want to grant his resignation because he feels like it will reflect badly on his leadership, which has already been tainted by accusations about his role in the cover-up of the leaked documents. But the two have immediate chemistry, and despite their differences, they engage in lengthy discussions about their backgrounds, God, the role of the Catholic Church, and their own personal interests; they even watch TV together.
It’s apparent throughout that “The Two Popes'' is based on a play—it really is essentially just over two hours of the two men talking—but Meirelles imbues his film with cinematic flourishes that differentiate it from the stage version, from elaborate set pieces to a variety of close ups and long shots that emphasize both the growing closeness and the remaining distance between the two men. McCarten’s script is filled with both humor and honesty, as it takes on big picture issues but has its characters tackle them on a personal level.
A big reason why this movie works, however, is due to its lead actors (who are almost the only two people we see throughout the entire movie). “The Two Popes'' centers on Bergoglio a bit more than Benedict—some lengthy flashback sequences detailing Bergoglio’s past do distract some from the budding relationship between him and Benedict, one of the movie’s few flaws—and Pryce was nominated for his performance in this movie as well, but in the Best Actor category. But there’s just something fitting about having as revered an actor as Hopkins portray a figure as revered as the Pope. Every time he is on screen, we are drawn to him, and we are constantly surprised and moved by his actions throughout the film. Hopkins’ performance is filled with regret over past actions and doubt about the future, but also the humanity requisite to endear such a larger than life person to the viewer. It’s about as perfect a performance as you could expect from an actor whose career is filled with perfect performances, and yet he still takes my breath away. I feel like despite its handful of award nominations and a release on Netflix, “The Two Popes'' flew under a lot of radars last year. If you haven’t seen it yet, regardless of your level of knowledge or interest in Catholicism, it’s worth seeking out.
Billy recommends…
The Elephant Man (streaming on Prime Video)
Anthony Hopkins broke out in a big way in 1991 at the age of 54 with his memorable and Oscar winning performance in Silence of the Lambs. This iconic turn by Mr. Hopkins set up a late career resurgence that had him playing many zany and loud roles. To my surprise his early career and past two Oscar nominated performances have been much more understated. Today I want to focus on his role in The Elephant Man. He is about the only thing subtle about this movie and for that it grounds the movie perfectly. Leading to a poignant watch that is purposefully hard to watch at times, but by the end you will want to rewatch it because of the humanity shown in the story.
Hopkins plays Dr. Frederick Treves. A surgeon who becomes the caretaker for our title character John Merrick (Hurt) who is labeled “The Elephant Man” because of his disfigurement. Director David Lynch approaches this story with a classic drama story structure. Which is odd for a director just coming off a lightly put, abstract, debut in Eraserhead. And then throughout the rest of his career only coming back to a story structure like this again in the Disney produced The Straight Story. I don’t want to alienate readers who have not experienced David Lynch, but I have confidence recommending this because he allows his actors and story telling to be understated in a disturbing story.
Hurt magnificently portrays John Merrick (this is all a true story by the way) and is the obvious take away from this moving drama. He has to portray a character who is shocking to look at in the beginning, but by the end is nothing but sweet to take in. What was once tragic is now a source of calmness. That calm is drawn out by Treves who at first is obligated with taking care of Merrick and because of that obligation assumes a lot of things wrongly about him. Assuming he is an imbecile and cannot communicate, but after many hours examining him we get to see Merrick talk to Treves and Treves responds with nervous kindness. In stories like these we need to see the heartbreaking scenes of Merrick being ridiculed. Firstly, because it is true. He was put on display to be mocked in circus sideshows and from just walking around innocently. Secondly, because of the redemption we see throughout the story, we are given powerful scene after powerful scene that bring some hope back into the story. Hopkins brings the calm acceptance that Merrick has not been given and many people never receive.
Sure, I will be the first to admit that stories like that are not the most honest portrayals. Lynch is able to use a formula we have seen time and time again and make it feel new, though. Lynch being able to make this story so iconic is in large part due to the steady presence of Hopkins. He is completely hidden from the horrifying persona he has gained due to his performance in Silence of the Lambs. If it weren’t for Hopkins looking the same age for 83 years you would hardly recognize him. This steadiness is what built his early career and after having an unnerving presence for 20 or so years he is back to his steady self. I hope this iconic man gets his 2nd Oscar this year. He is a joy to watch and thrilling to digest at every moment.
Links