Hollywood giant Anthony Hopkins has questioned actors’ intelligence while speaking with another movie star Brad Pitt for the latest issue of the Interview magazine. The Oscar laureate said: “People ask me questions about present situations in life, and I say ‘I don’t know, I’m just an actor. I don’t have opinions. Actors are pretty stupid'". The actor made the comment when he and Pitt were discussing changes in the movie industry.
Unlike his colleagues and other celebrities, the Wales-born actor, who became a US citizen in 2000 and now resides in California, avoids talking about politics, in particular speaking about Donald Trump and his presidency.
During the conversation, Hopkins revealed how he prepared for the role of US President Richard Nixon in Oliver Stone’s movie and how he was puzzled when the director offered him the role.
"I remember thinking, 'Why would he give me that part?' And he said, 'Because I’ve read interviews about you being a loner'. 'That was Nixon'. So I watched a lot of Nixon films. I went down to Yorba Linda, California, to see the house where he was born", Hopkins told Pitt.
The star of the upcoming Netflix movie “The Two Popes”, where Hopkins portrays Pope Benedict XVI also recalled how another president, Bill Clinton told the actor that during his tenure in the White House he phoned Nixon every day to talk about Russia and China. Hopkins confessed he found it very emotional to portray the 37th President of the United States, who resigned from his post due to involvement in the Watergate scandal.
"Oliver just tried to portray the man as he was—neither good or bad, but a man who makes mistakes, as we all do. You can see the pain in him, and you think, 'Well, am I better than him? No. I’m not better than him. I’ve got my own immoral quirks'", the actor said.
Pitt and Hopkins, who worked together in “Meet Joe Black” in 1994 and reunited in 1998 for the western “Legends of the Fall”, then spoke about their past drinking problems and the need to embrace mistakes. Pitt said people are very quick to treat people as disposable and lamented that society places importance on mistakes. The 55-year-old said: “But the next move, what you do after the mistake, is what really defines a person". To that Hopkins replied: "We are all screwed up".
During the conversation Hopkins, who is also a composer and an artist, also revealed how he learnt about the shortest prayer in the world from a Jesuit priest.
"He [the priest] said 'f**k it', it’s the prayer of re-release. Just say 'f**k it.' None of it is important. The important thing is to enjoy life as it is. Your life today, it’s fantastic", the actor said.
The movie “The Two Popes” where Hopkins stars alongside Jonathan Pryce, who portrays the current head of the Holy See, Pope Francis, will premiere on Netflix on 20 December.