Hopkins worries that effects eclipse acting

Anthony Hopkins in The Wolf Man.
Anthony Hopkins in The Wolf Man.

Anthony Hopkins, who won an Oscar for his memorably menacing performance as the monstrous Hannibal Lecters, tells Hollywood Reporter that he worries about Hollywood’s current obsession with computer-graphics and green-screen work. Hopkins is not opposed to the techniques, just concerned that they sometimes create a disconnect between performer and audience:

“I’ve done a couple of greenscreens, and if they work that’s great,” he said. “But now the audience is so smart, and I think you watch some movies, and you can tell it’s greenscreen, and somehow that looks detached” from the acting.

Hopkins recently appeared in THE WOLFMAN, which made extensive use of special effects, so he knows what he’s talking about.
The article goes on to lament (in reporter Bob Tourtellotte’s word, not Hopkins) that, while Hollywood is emphasizing action, animation, comic books and 3-D, Hopkins 2007 Merchant/Ivory production CITY OF YOUR FINAL DESTINATION is only now receiving limited theatrical exposure in major U.S. cities, and Hopkins is finding himself employed less frequently these days
Of course, any cinefantasitque fan who has sat through the tedium of many Merchant/Ivory prestige productions will probably conclude that Hollywood is making the right decision. Still, it’s weird to think that Hopkins, whose portrayal of Lecter stand as one of the highlights of the horror genre, is becoming detached from his audience because of the intervention of digital effects.

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