Anthony Hopkins on Why His Films Don’t Matter — And What Does

Anthony Hopkins has never been precious about his own legend, and he just proved it again. In a new chat with The New York Times, the two-time Oscar winner — still most synonymous with Hannibal Lecter — waved off the notion that any of his films are, you know, capital-I important. It is a bracing take from someone who helped define several eras of prestige drama.

'Important'? Not to him

In The New York Times's The Interview with David Marchese, Hopkins was asked point-blank if he considers any of his work important. His answer: no. Even when Marchese brought up the heavy hitters — The Elephant Man, The Remains of the Day, The Silence of the Lambs — Hopkins stuck to it. They are good movies, he said, but he is not assigning them that kind of weight.

How he actually plays those icons

Hopkins also explained his approach to the roles people always bring up. He does not mythologize the process — far from it. He treats acting like a craft, almost like engineering: show up, do the work, hit the marks, go home.

'I am not Hannibal Lecter. I am not a butler. I am not this and I am not that. I am just a mechanic. I show up.'

For The Remains of the Day, that meant being still and quiet, letting the restraint do the talking. For Lecter, he intentionally zigged away from the expected monster version, playing it with unnerving calm and courtesy — the kind that makes a simple 'Good morning' or 'You are not real FBI, are you?' feel like a threat. It is very Hopkins: blunt, a little wry, and totally in control.

Where he is now

• Earlier this year, Hopkins starred in Locked alongside Bill Skarsgard.
• He is currently shooting Maserati: The Brothers, with a cast that includes Michele Morrone, Jessica Alba, Al Pacino, Salvatore Esposito, and Lorenzo De Moor.

Bottom line: Hopkins sees the job as the job. Let the rest of us rank the films and argue about legacy — he will be on set, doing the work.