Paychecks alone won’t justify the Marvel roles to some actors, as they often voice their concern about doing something relevant. Anthony Hopkins, who played Odin, was not a fan of green screen movies and labeled his Thor role as ‘pointless acting’. The Two Popes actor later took another dig at the Marvel films, mentioning that while they were fun, they just didn’t appeal to him.
Coming from the oldest Best Actor Oscar winner, the argument holds particular weight in light of the current state of the MCU projects. Anthony Hopkins won the Oscar for Best Actor for his role as an octogenarian with dementia in The Father at the age of 83 in 2021.
Marvel And Other Green Screen Films Don’t Pique Anthony Hopkins’ Interest
Anthony Hopkins has been a student of acting his whole life, starting his journey at the Royal National Theatre. The veteran actor instilled fear in audiences with his role as Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs. However, the Nixon actor now finds himself disinterested in going to the movies for a clear reason.
Anthony Hopkins joined his Legends of the Fall co-star Brad Pitt for a conversation about modern cinema for Interview Magazine. During their chat, the two actors touched upon the new films and series they had watched. Hopkins revealed that he had watched some amazing British series on streaming. However, when it came to watching new films in theaters, Hopkins had a different opinion.
The Westworld actor opined that he was not interested in watching the green screen films, subtly pointing out the fact that most recent releases belong to the fantasy and superhero genres. He added that he had been in a few films himself, hinting at his roles in the Thor films and Transformers: The Last Knight. These green-screen films failed to captivate him as a viewer. Hopkins shared this sentiment with Pitt in the Interview Magazine:
“I’m not a great fan of going to movies anymore. Except, for example, I went to see Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. I’m not great at going to see the green screen films. I’ve been in a few of them and they’re fun, but they don’t grab me. I’m a bit too old for that.”
It appears that Hopkins was impressed with the Troy actor’s film with Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. This is not the first time that the Elyse actor was critical of his Marvel films.
Anthony Hopkins Described His Marvel Role As ‘Pointless Acting’
Anthony Hopkins joined the MCU in one of its superhero origin stories, Thor, where director Kenneth Branagh cast him as Odin, father of Thor and Loki. While Hopkins was not a fan of comic books or superheroes, the prime attraction for The Virtuoso actor was the fact that the role, being a Norse god, had a Shakespearean touch to it.
However, when he described his all-powerful God character to The New Yorker magazine, he was not so appreciative. The Solace actor shared that he was made to put on armor, sport a beard, sit on a throne, and shout his dialogues, all in front of a green screen. Hopkins went as far as to call the role ‘pointless acting’. Hopkins told The New Yorker:
“They put me in armor; they shoved a beard on me. Sit on the throne, shout a bit. If you’re sitting in front of a green screen, it’s pointless acting it.”
Anthony Hopkins’ next release will be as the lead in Freud’s Last Session. While the actor hates green screen films, he has given voice to one. Hopkins voiced the role of Jimmy in Zack Snyder’s epic space film, Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire, set to be released on December 15, 2023, on Netflix.
