‘Westworld’ Star Anthony Hopkins on His Approach to Acting — “If You Overanalyze Anything, You Just Kill It”

Oscar-winning Westworld star Anthony Hopkins opens up to Closer Weekly in an exclusive interview about his surprising approach to acting and why he doesn’t take himself too seriously.

“I’ll make a confession — half the time I don’t know what I’m doing,” Anthony, who just wrapped the first season of HBO’s mind-bending sci-fi hit, tells Closer. “I learn my parts, show up and do it. If you overanalyze anything, you just kill it.”

And with his 79th birthday on New Year’s Eve, Anthony shows no signs of slowing down. “I’ll go until my teeth fall out, I guess, or until they tell me to stop,” he says. “I get a little tired sometimes, so I save my energy.”

Anthony in Westworld.

And he puts it to good use. “I like to keep my brain active by learning lots of text, and Westworld is a big challenge,” he adds.

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But it’s not one he takes too seriously. “I say live life as best you can, and enjoy it because you’re a long time dead. The big sleep!”

Anthony is eager to dispense with any stuffiness that comes along with his image as “Sir Anthony.” “I’m not British in that sense — people think I am, but I’m not,” the 78-year-old Welshman declares to Closer. “I’m a wild man from Wales!”

For the full story on Anthony, pick up the new issue of Closer Weekly on newsstands now!

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