Former Marvel Star Anthony Hopkins Slates 'Pointless Acting' In Superhero Films

He might have starred as Odin in several Thor movies, but the Oscar winner clearly isn’t the biggest fan of the MCU's approach.
Sir Anthony Hopkins
Sir Anthony Hopkins
Rich Polk via Getty Images

Sir Anthony Hopkins has totally slated the Marvel Cinematic Universe despite appearing in several Thor films over the years.

The two-time Oscar-winning actor first took on the role of Odin in the original Thor movie in 2011, before returning for The Dark World in 2013 and Ragnarok in 2017.

However, in a new interview, Sir Anthony didn’t mince his words and blasted Marvel’s approach to filmmaking.

“They put me in armour; they shoved a beard on me,” he told The New Yorker. “Sit on the throne, shout a bit.”

“If you’re sitting in front of a green screen, it’s pointless acting it,” he added.

The Silence Of The Lambs star’s criticism of the superhero genre comes just a few years after he lauded Thor director Kenneth Branagh for encouraging him to keep on acting.

Sir Anthony with Chris Hemsworth in Thor: The Dark World
Sir Anthony with Chris Hemsworth in Thor: The Dark World
Marvel/Kobal/Shutterstock

Writing in the 2021 book The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making Of The Marvel Cinematic Universe, he said: “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.”

Sir Anthony went on to add: “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.”

Unsurprisngly, then, Sir Anthony fans shouldn’t expect to see him reprising the role of Odin in any Marvel films anytime soon.

He will, however, be playing Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud in the upcoming movie Freud’s Last Session, alongside Matthew Goode, who takes on the role of C.S. Lewis.

Sir Anthony also stars in One Life, an upcoming biographical film of British humanitarian Nicholas Winton.

In 2021, Sir Antony made history when he became the oldest person to win an Oscar for Best Actor, for his role as a man with dementia in The Father.

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