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Anthony Hopkins is in a new villainous form in the thriller Locked, and according to the actor, it’s a part unlike any he’s played before.
“None,” Hopkins tells Newsweek of the parallels between his previous villains, such as Hannibal Lecter from 1991’s The Silence of the Lambs.
“Hannibal was a long time ago, and I don’t think I’ve played that many [villains]. I mean, the Hannibal thing was one of those breaks I had. I just knew how to play them. And I kept it very simple, and for some reason, it caught one with the public and I’ve been known as a villainous actor, which is not true. I mean, I don’t specialize in anything like that.”
In Locked, Hopkins plays William, a vigilante who delivers his own brand of justice on thief Eddie, (Bill Skarsgård) after Eddie breaks into a luxury SUV. Now trapped inside the car and communicating through the car’s speaker system, Eddie has to reckon with the devious machinations of William and whatever chaos he’s got planned.
Directed by David Yarovesky, Locked is an English-language remake of Argentinian 2019 action film 4×4. It released in cinemas 21 March 2025.
After Locked comes Hopkins’ next film, Wife and Dog, which is a collaboration with director Guy Ritchie. Also starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Rosamund Pike, Hopkins shot his part in February.
Anthony Hopkins’ Film with Guy Ritchie
“Guy Ritchie’s a very interesting guy,” says Hopkins, “because everything was on-location, and guy Richie is one of the best directors. I’ve worked with so many good ones.”
Wife and Dog doesn’t have a plot synopsis but is said to blend crime and aristocracy similar to Ritchie’s previous releases such as The Gentlemen and Snatch. According to Hopkins, Ritchie edited the script right up to the last moment.
“I was sent the script and started learning it and he phoned me up and he said ‘Don’t get too involved in learning it because I like to change it’. I said, ‘OK, this is going to be interesting’. So I showed up on-location in England. He’s very good, but he loves to control everything, which is good and that’s alien to me, but I thought, well this is going to be interesting.”
Later this year Hopkins releases his memoir, We Did OK, Kid. Out November 4, 2025, in it he details how a chance decision in his youth kicked off a legendary acting career.
“I came into this business by accident because I was so stupid at school,” Hopkins says, “and I didn’t know what else to do. And I didn’t know how to act. So I won a scholarship to a large college of acting in 1955 and I’ve been doing it ever since. I just learned a few tricks on the way and that’s about it really. So I don’t take any big credit for any of it.”
Locked is out now in cinemas.
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