On the occasion of celebrated actor Anthony Hopkins’ birthday, we revisit the time when he wanted to quit acting, but didn’t, all thanks to the 2011 Marvel release Thor.
Imagine Sir Anthony Hopkins giving up acting. Seems impossible, especially after his recent award-winning performance in the family drama, The Father. But there was indeed a time when the beloved actor had sought to give it all up. However, when he was offered to play the part of Odin in the MCU, things changed dramatically. Hopkins, by his own admission, said that he had gotten a new lease of life, at least professionally via the comic book character who appeared in Thor trilogy.
In an excerpt from The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe book, where artistes share interesting anecdotes about making that magical world come alive on the big screen, Hopkins was quoted as saying, “Ken Branagh (director of first two Thor movies) gave me back the chops to work. I was gonna give it up, really. But, you see, he won’t let you do that. 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,” the actor concluded.
Anthony Hopkins was first seen as Odin in Kenneth Branagh’s first Thor movie that came out in 2011. The movie featured Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Tom Hiddleston as as the cunning villain Loki. The film went on to achieve massive success, critically as well as commercially. And the rest, as they say, is history. Hopkins was last seen as Odin, Thor’s father, in the 2017 release Thor: Ragnarok.
Apart from giving numerous acclaimed performances on the big screen, Hopkins has also dabbled in the theatre and television medium. He is also been credited as a film director and producer. Anthony Hopkins was last seen in the 2021 thriller Zero Contact.
