Those About to Die Stars on Working with Anthony Hopkins: "One of the Greatest Actors of All Time"
Anthony Hopkins makes quite an impression in Those About to Die, particularly on his younger co-stars.
While every actor in Peacock's new historical epic Those About to Die is capable and accomplished in their own way, Anthony Hopkins fittingly stands above them all. As the Emperor Vespasian, presiding over the Eternal City in 79 AD, Hopkins' presence radiates through everything the new show from creator Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan) and executive producer/director Roland Emmerich (Independence Day) sets out to accomplish, and that's by design.
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Hopkins, a two-time Oscar winner with a decades-long career, is a towering figure in the world of acting, with roots in theater and classical training, so it makes sense that Rodat and Emmerich tapped him for Those About to Die's most powerful character. His reputation and skill have an immediate impact on the audience, and they had an immediate impact on the other actors as well.
Those About to Die Stars on Working with Sir Anthony Hopkins
The two stars who worked most closely with Hopkins on the series are, naturally, the actors who play his sons: Tom Hughes as the accomplished General Titus, and Jojo Macari as the politician and gamesmaster Domitian. Both sons are vying for the Roman throne, which means that Hopkins' Vespasian has to both hold his empire and his family together in the series. Behind the scenes, though, there was no tension. Instead, according to Hughes and Macari, it was an atmosphere of learning from one of the best actors working right now.
"I think in an industry where you meet a lot of people, a lot of the time, every time you join a new cast, you're building new relationships with people. He was just the most warm, open, engaged, engaging man, and then you realize that he is also Anthony Hopkins who's doing that, and you kind of go, 'Wow, that's pretty special, man, for you to be that way,'" Hughes told NBC Insider. "And he was fun, and he was kind, and he was supportive of myself and Jo, and more than anything, he was just a lot of fun and a thrill to work with him. It goes without saying how good he is, but when you're in a scene, just you and him, it is a thrill. It really is a joy."
Macari added, "Obviously the big anxiety is, 'How am I going to stand next to one of the greatest actors of all time and look like I'm any good by comparison?' And Anthony's amazing in that working with him makes you feel like you're an incredible actor, which is such a gift to work with someone like that for that reason, and many others."
Anthony Hopkins' Acclaimed Acting Career
Now in his 80s, the Welsh actor brings with him decades of experience stretching from working on Shakespeare with Laurence Olivier to recent triumphs like The Father (for which he won his second Oscar) and The Two Popes.
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Like many of the great actors of his generation who hail from the United Kingdom, Hopkins began his career on the stage and quickly built a reputation that attracted attention from great screen actors and filmmakers. He made his feature film debut, as Richard the Lionheart, in The Lion in Winter in 1968, alongside Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn.
Hopkins worked steadily on the big screen over the next two decades, but his greatest breakthrough came in 1991, when he played Dr. Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter in Jonathan Demme's The Silence of the Lambs. The performance earned him an Oscar for Best Actor and entered the pop culture lexicon immediately, making Hopkins into a household name. Since then, he's worked across a broad range of genres and with a wide variety of directors and co-stars on films like Bram Stoker's Dracula, The Remains of the Day, Nixon, The Mask of Zorro, The Wolfman, Thor, and much more. In 2022, he won his second Best Actor Oscar for The Father, becoming the oldest actor ever to win the award.
How Old Is Anthony Hopkins?
Anthony Hopkins is 86 years old.
As of 2024, Hopkins has completed six decades of professional acting work, including more than 50 years of film acting. Even at 86, he continues to take on challenging roles.
All 10, hour-long episodes of Those About to Die are now streaming on Peacock.
