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Sir Anthony Hopkins makes rare chat show appearance on Ross sofa
British acting legend and Academy award-winner Sir Anthony Hopkins joins Jonathan Ross for a rare and exclusive chat show appearance in tonight's edition of Friday Night With Jonathan Ross on 91Èȱ¬ One.
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Sir Anthony treats the audience to his great range of comedic impressions including Tommy Cooper and Ray Winstone and says he drew on the demons of his past when creating his latest screen role in animation adventure drama Beowulf: "I played him as a drunken Welsh king, back to my old days."
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He talks about his ambitions when young: "My father used to say God knows what's going to happen to him ... I went to Richard Burton's house for an autograph and I thought I want to be like that, I want to get away, be famous."
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And about his discontent, he says: "I was never happy in the theatre, never comfortable, my attention span was too short – two days!"
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About his first response to what became his Oscar-winning portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence Of The Lambs: "I thought it was a children's story at first. I knew it was going to be a good one, I knew how to play the guy on the first reading."
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He also talks about being made a knight: "Her Majesty said very intimately 'are you busy? Are you working?', it was a very informal ceremony."
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And he talks about how acting has changed: "There are some wonderful actors around, I think it's all about celebrity now ... fashion, girls, youth ... it's much faster, a little bit overwhelming."
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And on how his life has changed: "I live a hermit's life, I don't know any actors. I don't ever feel like part of the acting business, which is liberating because I don't get caught up in it. Young actors ask me today how to succeed, I say I don't know, there's a lot of luck.
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"I'm getting more choosy now, I'm enjoying it more now than I've ever done. I think I'm still around, and they still want me, so that's ok. I live my life and don't think about acting at all, it doesn't preoccupy me any more."
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He is looking forward to celebrating his 70th birthday later this year: "I'm going down to Wales for my birthday. My wife won't tell me what the party's going to be like, I'm going to meet all my little girlfriends from 65 years ago."
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And he is about to make his directorial debut with Slipstream: " I set out to make people angry, an anti-movie, like a dream."
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Tonight's line-up also includes rising star and comedy actor Katy Brand and comedian Jimmy Carr. Plus, there's music from Foo Fighters performing their new single Long Road To Ruin live in the studio.
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Friday Night With Jonathan Ross is a Hotsauce TV production for 91Èȱ¬ One.
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Friday Night With Jonathan Ross, 10.35pm,
Friday 9 November 2007, 91Èȱ¬ One
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JP
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