UK: Anthony Hopkins and Dame Helen Mirren teamed up on the red carpet to launch their new movie "Hitchcock"

Record ID: 220957

  • Title: UK: Anthony Hopkins and Dame Helen Mirren teamed up on the red carpet to launch their new movie "Hitchcock"
  • Date: 9th December 2012
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (9 DECEMBER, 2012) (REUTERS) ANTHONY HOPKINS AND WIFE STELLA POSE FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS FASHION SHOT DAME HELEN MIRREN (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANTHONY HOPKINS, SAYING: "Well I was always a little nervous playing him because I didn't want to hear my voice back or see any of it. On the set they have these monitors and I didn't want to see any playba
  • Embargoed: 24th December 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Reuters ID: LVA1DN2IPWAA7LCCMXAE7I82PZYN
  • Story Text: Both Sir Anthony Hopkins and Dame Helen Mirren where in London's Leicester Square on Sunday night (December 9) for the UK premiere of 'Hitchcock', a love story about one of the most influential filmmakers of the last century, Alfred Hitchcock, and his wife and partner Alma Reville.
    The film recounts the days when Alfred Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) tried to make his classic movie "Psycho" without the help of studio funding, but with the backing of his loving wife Alma (Dame Helen Mirren).
    The 74-year-old Oscar Award-winner is almost unrecognisable as Hitchcock having to wear prosthetics and a fat suit for the role.
    The British actor told Reuters TV at the event: "I didn't want to see any playback because I didn't want to shock myself, so I saw the film when it was finally cut together and I was very pleased with it. It was a tough role to play... just tricky because everyone knows him and he's such a formidable presence in our living rooms over the years and probably the most famous director of all time, so it was a pretty daunting task to take on."
    For Mirren, the prosthetics caused other problems.
    "I never saw him on the set as Tony. Very occasionally at the end of the day he would be so in need of getting himself out of that make up that he'd start ripping it off his face and that always really really alarmed me because underneath there was always Tony Hopkins and I was always thinking 'Who the hell are you? What are you doing here? I don't know you. Are you in this movie?'"
    The film is directed by Sacha Gervasi, who couldn't have wished for a better actor in the lead role.
    "Overwhelming, it was absolutely overwhelming because Hopkins just becomes Hitchcock. Obviously he's Anthony Hopkins but he's channelling Hitchcock, he was becoming that guy so he disappeared inside that role as he does each of his great roles."
    The film also stars Scarlett Johansson who stepped into the role of film star Janet Leigh, Jessica Biel, who plays Vera Miles and James D'Arcy who portrays a young Anthony Perkins.
    Hitchcock with go on general release around the UK on February 8, 2013.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register