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Anthony Hopkins used to turn up in several films a year, but that's not been the case for a while. Last seen on the big screen in Beowulf (2007), Hopkins is getting busy again. The Oscar-winning Brit has wrapped Woody Allen's upcoming next film, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010), is currently shooting the comic-book-based superhero saga Thor, and will be seen imminently in The Wolfman (2010). Set for release on February 12, The Wolfman is a remake of the classic monster movie The Wolf Man (1941). Hopkins plays Sir John Talbot, the aloof and dislikable father of Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro). Lawrence returns home to the Talbot family manor in England after his brother goes missing, but it's not long before he's cursed and transformed into a werewolf, with calamitous ramifications. ScreenStar recently caught up with Hopkins for an exclusive interview about The Wolfman.
How did The Wolfman come together for you?
It happened some time ago. My agent phoned and said, "They're writing a script called The Wolfman. Would you be interested in playing the father? Benicio del Toro is playing the son." I said, "Well, yeah, OK." Then months went by, as they do in this industry, and the script turned up. I looked at it and I thought, "Yes, why not? Just do it." I phoned my agent back and said, "Yes, I'll do it."
You played Van Helsing, the vampire hunter, in Dracula (1992) many moons ago. How different an experience was Dracula versus The Wolfman?
We made Dracula in 1991 and (director) Francis Ford Coppola filmed everything on the stage at MGM, or Sony, as it was then known. I think it was where Esther Williams had her swimming pool. Francis had this idea that he wanted everything to be real, or as real as possible, so real effects, very few effects. I don't think any of it was CGI. It was a very controlled set. Francis had total control over everyone, over the performances, but I, being a stubborn guy, I formed my own performance and did my own thing. Francis and I sort of got on OK and he seemed to put up with what I was doing. I wanted to play Van Helsing a certain way, and I did.
And what happened on The Wolfman?
This one, The Wolfman, it was a similar process. I wanted to play the opposite of what was expected. I do know that on this one there was a good deal of green screen, but I think Benicio and Emily Blunt had much more of it to deal with than I did. The only green screen I did was when we did the reshoots of the big fight at the end. But most of my scenes were on the set at Pinewood Studios in London, or on location, and did not involve green screen or effects.
Have you seen the finished film? If so, how do you feel it's turned out?
I saw what I think is a finished film. It looks pretty good. It moves fast. Before the opening titles are done there's a very violent scene and then it says The Wolfman. The whole thing is helter skelter. It's a pretty fast-moving movie thanks to Joe Johnston, who is a fine director. And I will say, it's good fun. It's a really terrific movie.
