Thor Star Anthony Hopkins Found Acting In Marvel Movies Pointless - Here's Why
Sir Anthony Hopkins is a highly decorated Welsh actor who may or may not despise the core requirements of his chosen profession. During a 2021 interview with The New Yorker, Hopkins stated that he prefers to avoid work whenever possible and that his placement within the MCU allows his lackadaisical approach to thrive. "I try to apply it to everything I do: no acting required. On 'Thor,' you have Chris Hemsworth — who looks like Thor — and a director like Kenneth Branagh, who is so certain of what he wants," explained Hopkins. "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."
The statement is seemingly given without malice. According to "The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe," a 2021 illustrated compendium of MCU trivia written by Tara Bennet and Paul Terry, the "Hannibal" star almost retired before "Thor" gave him the strength to continue. "Branagh gave me back the chops to work. I was gonna give it up, really. But you see, [Branagh] won't let you do that," said Hopkins. "Working with Ken was quite an injection of new energy into my life. He seems to have that same infectious quality on everybody in the crew. His enthusiasm, his attitude, is so positive, that he brings out the best in everybody."
Perhaps his attitude toward the MCU shifted after Branagh left — he only directed the first "Thor," after all — or perhaps he just enjoys coasting wherever possible. Either way, another MCU star chose to compare her experience to his.
Angela Bassett feels sorry for Anthony Hopkins (but he's doing just fine)
During a 2023 interview with The New Yorker, Angela Bassett responded to Anthony Hopkins' comments regarding the MCU and its lack of space for creative acting. She described her time starring in the "Black Panther" films as an immersive enterprise that fed into her tangible acting. "The throne room was there, the floor of red clay, the elevation with the Dora Milaje flanking around, the grand doors that they walk through," recalled Bassett. "When Shuri and I went out into the wild, we had trees and bushes and water for yards and yards and yards, and Namor came up out of the water and flew to us ... So I had it much better than Anthony Hopkins. I'm sorry for him. We were in Wakanda, and we know Wakanda is special."
And special it was because Bassett made MCU history with an Oscar nomination for "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." She ultimately lost the best supporting actress award to Jamie Lee Curtis for her role in "Everything Everywhere All at Once," but that hardly diminishes her breaking ground with the kind of exceptionalism audiences can expect from the MCU. While Hopkins might consider it pointless to act in a Marvel film, he still puts in the work elsewhere — or at least the Academy believes so. He took home the 2020 best actor Oscar for his role in "The Father," another film in which he insisted that he wasn't acting all that much — which begs the question, what does he think acting really is?
Is acting an art form? Anthony Hopkins isn't certain
According to Anthony Hopkins, framing acting as an art form is a dangerous trap, one that is best avoided. During a 2023 interview with Far Out, he said, "I always distrust the word 'art' when it is applied to acting. I've always liked to be a meat-and-potatoes kind of actor who doesn't believe in any of the highfalutin stuff about acting, so I tend to be a little bit more cynical." He continued, "But I guess it is a creative process ... I think if you are in a creative profession or a creative business, you do have a heightened awareness. It doesn't make you special, though."
Although not elaborated upon in a direct quote, Far Out chronicled a few general impressions from Hopkins regarding what "highfalutin stuff" and being a "meat-and-potatoes kind of actor" might encompass. In Hopkins' mind, an actor is strongest when relying on rigorous, precise routines and weakest when relying on spontaneous impulses. His belief system somewhat explains why he considers the MCU a "no acting required" project, because it's rather difficult to create a meticulous methodology when the scripts are redacted or never finished and the sets are CGI.
Hopkins' understanding of his craft also explains why he might not always use the phrase "no acting required" as a derogatory comment. If there's time to build a routine, as with "The Father," then what follows isn't necessarily a creative farce but rather a natural conclusion to rigorous study. Is it splitting hairs? Sure. Doesn't make it any less neat.