Latest news with #AnthonyHopkins
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How Kathy Bates Cracked ‘Matlock' — with Wisdom from Anthony Hopkins and ‘Fried Green Tomatoes'
On June 5, the IndieWire Honors Spring 2025 ceremony will celebrate the creators and stars responsible for some of the most impressive and engaging work of this TV season. Curated and selected by IndieWire's editorial team, IndieWire Honors is a celebration of the creators, artisans, and performers behind television well worth toasting. We're showcasing their work with new interviews leading up to the Los Angeles event. A studied actor celebrating her biggest TV role ever at age 76, Kathy Bates recruited some legendary help to get ready for 'Matlock.' In 1992, the year after she won her Academy Award for 'Misery,' Bates presented Anthony Hopkins with his Oscar for 'Silence of the Lambs.' More from IndieWire On '1923,' Aminah Nieves Delivered One of TV's Great Breakout Performances - but She Almost Said No to It Amazon MGM Studios Unveils 'Vought on Ice' Fan Activation in Los Angeles to Celebrate 'The Boys' The pair caught up in 2021 when Hopkins won Best Actor again for 'The Father.' Both killers of the silver screen, Hannibal Lecter and Annie Wilkes were keen to talk shop — an honor Bates extended to IndieWire as our 2025 Vanguard award winner. 'When he was doing 'The Father,' I had seen a lot of the interviews [Hopkins] was giving to the press,' said Bates. 'He was talking about being an actor who did extensive work on his characters and took tremendous notes on his scripts. At his age now, though, he just learns his lines and learns his lines. Then, he goes out and has a ball.' Hopkins and Bates are world-famous for disappearing into their characters. What it takes to pull that off is still a mystery to many, but the challenges facing Bates on 'Matlock' are clear. CBS's so-called 'reboot' centers on a quietly extraordinary role and an undeniably genius actor. To hear Bates tell it, you need a robust toolkit to make the part work, and the script is where you start. 'It's interesting to me that [Hopkins] went from being fully prepared to letting it fly and staying in the moment. With this, I find I really have to do both,' said Bates. 'This is not your grandfather's 'Matlock.'' A contemporary Trojan horse, this unique spin on a classic crime title — starring Andy Griffith from 1986 to 1995 — sees Bates leading the charge as Madeline Kingston. Yes, Kingston. The new Matlock is an accomplished attorney too, but one who only assumes the iconic moniker as an alias. Last season, viewers watched Matty Matlock go undercover at Jacobson Moore, an elite law firm in New York City, to investigate its culpability in the opioid epidemic. 'For the pilot especially, to walk into that boardroom, I had to have a fully formed character without being able to relate to any of the other actors,' Bates said. 'I had to really dig deep and find out, 'Who is this woman? How much of myself can I use to create her?'' Confronted inside by megawatt talents Skye P. Marshall, Jason Ritter, and more from the show's stellar cast, Bates spins Matty into a walking-talking subversion of the 'invisibility' so many women say they feel as they age. Teaming up with Cloud Nine to secure the rights to 'Matlock,' showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman and her production company, Sutton Street, delivered a ratings juggernaut. 'Every bit of this show, I just can't believe it,' said Bates. 'I feel like this should have come earlier in my career. It's a total surprise to me that I would have this success right now, and we're all just going, 'Can you believe this?' The numbers are incredible.' The smash-hit legal drama has appeal across demographics and continents. Bates says it's also the most publicity she's ever done. Much like Demi Moore's 2024 Oscar campaign for 'The Substance,' the pensive reexamination of sexism at the core of 'Matlock' continues to connect with fans. Per Bates, Urman came up with the idea while taking a walk to reflect on her own evollution as a woman in Hollywood. What had aging into her forties really meant for Urman? And what else might change in the showrunner's fifties, sixties, and beyond? 'I was extremely lucky they wanted Matty to be in her seventies, because they could have easily gone with the great-great granddaughter of Andy Griffith's Matlock,' said Bates. 'But Jennie really puts her soul into things. I've always felt that who you are as an artist has to be informed by who you are as a human being, and she's this stellar human being who has really put her heart inside this character.' 'Matlock' lets Bates repurpose erasure as a kind of narrative cloaking device. While Matty hunts for clues and argues cases, Bates covertly thumbs through the psychological layers of a woman on a well-meaning revenge mission. On TV shows, it's common for directors to set 'tone meetings' to decide the look, feel, and flavor for each episode. With 'Matlock,' Urman gave Bates a specific mood to hit in every scene. That's 'deeper than stage directions,' said Bates, who added, 'You don't want to play the character. You want to be the character so that you can play with the other actor.' Bates combed through pages and pages of 'Matlock' to find what she calls 'essential storytelling architecture.' Trained in the Sanford Meisner method of acting — and not afraid to throw that terminology around! — Bates prepares solo by combining heavy line repetition with deep character work. (For annotations, shes uses the Scriptation app, but said her process used to involve stacks of paper, colored pens, and a three-hole-punch.) Devouring that same material in a group, Bates said, has produced a new technique. As suggested by actor David Del Rio (aka first-year associate Billy Martinez), the main collaborative engine for 'Matlock' grew out of the spare time that gets wasted on some sets. After checking their marks and moving to allow the cameras to get in position, actors often go back to their trailers. 'With the Del Rio method, we take that time to go and all sit down in another room and say, 'OK, I don't understand this case,'' said Bates. ''What's happening here?' 'Can you explain that case to me?' 'What's going on with you and I here?' 'Where are we?' 'What's the tone of this?' That gives us a way to really be firm and understand what's happening in each scene.' This isn't the first time Bates has leaned into the expertise and advice of other actors. One of the first big instances came with her bittersweet comedy performance in 'Fried Green Tomatoes' — a memory with lessons Bates says she recognizes now but that wishes she had learned then. 'I wish I had a chance to go back and redo Evelyn Couch,' she said. Post-Oscars for 'Misery,' Bates was in Japan when she got the script from director John Avnet. 'I thought, 'Oh, this is fabulous! I want to do it,'' said Bates. 'But when I got back home, my head was spinning. He was asking me about wigs and costumes and this and that, and I thought, 'Holy crap.' I was used to doing theater where you have weeks to prepare.' On set, 42-year-old Bates found herself overwhelmed by the frantic pace of shooting and said she was unsure how to bring the sympathetic role of Evelyn to life. That's when she went to talk to her senior co-star, the zesty Jessica Tandy, who at 74 was two years younger than Bates is now. 'I knocked on Jessica's trailer door and she said, 'Ah, you've come to see the Wise Woman,'' said Bates. Tandy pushed her junior castmate to refocus on her acting skills and told her to 'go do three plays on Broadway.' An accomplished stage performer, who had just left New York, Bates realized years later that Tandy was pushing her to embrace the same ethos titans like Hopkins are sharing with her now. 'The English actors and the British actors and the Australian actors make it look so easy. Even when they're young, they train in the theater,' said Bates. 'That rehearsal time has to be part of who you are as an actor, and I don't think I did it long enough in New York to have had that under my belt. At the time we did 'Fried Green Tomatoes,' I certainly was nowhere near the level of Jessica.' Bates still loves that movie and says she'll end up watching scene after scene if she catches 'Fried Green Tomatoes' on TV. She's especially fond of the menopause moment, when Evelyn says, 'I'm too old to be young and I'm too young to be old.' And yet, looking back, the 'Matlock' star says she can't help but see the film as an uncracked case. 'I was always running to catch up, and I think it shows on screen,' said Bates, adding that she also wished she had done more to support Mary-Louise Parker and Mary Stuart Masterson on the press tour. Bates said they were frequently sidelined in coverage by the attention on her and Tandy — despite the two Oscar winners repeatedly insisting, 'It's their story.' Once again, Bates used the word 'effortless.' These days, the ferociously kind talent is fast to compliment CBS, cast, and crew but continues to demand more from herself as an actor and public representative who is ready to fight for 'Matlock.' 'I kind of rake myself over the coals when I shouldn't, but I do feel a tremendous responsibility,' Bates said. 'Last season, I asked somebody, 'How long have you been doing this?' And one guy would say, 'Oh, I've been doing this for 35 years.' 'Oh, I've been doing this for 20 years.' You start adding that up, and there's hours and hours and hours of experience of all these people there.' She continued, 'So, you respect that. You respect each human being and what they bring to the table. That's what I walk onto set with — the respect for the experience that everybody has brought to create this show. It truly fills me with joy to be around such people.' Happy to discuss cliffhangers but overjoyed to pick apart character choices, Bates said 'Matlock' still feels 'like serendipity.' It's also become her second home in Hollywood — the first Bates says she's had since falling for Rob Reiner's team on 'Misery.' The actor lives near the CBS backlot in Los Angeles, where Matty Matlock will spend Season 2 living in a studio version of New York, while Bates continues to embrace real wisdom. 'You've got to know your stuff so you can make it look easy,' she said. 'Then, you can fly.' Best of IndieWire All 12 Wes Anderson Movies, Ranked, from 'Bottle Rocket' to 'The Phoenician Scheme' Nightmare Film Shoots: The 38 Most Grueling Films Ever Made, from 'Deliverance' to 'The Wages of Fear' Quentin Tarantino's Favorite Movies: 65 Films the Director Wants You to See
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Al Pacino becomes first film star to meet Pope Leo XIV
Al Pacino has become the first major celebrity to have an official audience with the newly elected pope. The actor, 85, met the pontiff at the Vatican on Monday. He is currently in Italy shooting a film about car moguls the Maserati brothers. After the pair's introduction, the film's producer, Andrea Iervolino, wrote: 'We are honoured to announce that this morning His Holiness Pope Leo XIV received in a private audience at the Holy See a delegation from the film Maserati: The Brothers, including Oscar winner actor Al Pacino and the film's producer Andrea Iervolino. 'The meeting was a moment of profound spiritual and cultural inspiration, centred around shared values that lie at the heart of both the Catholic church and the film: family unity, love, compassion and the importance of contributing to the common good.' The statement continued: 'These values, which Pope Leo XIV has consistently emphasised in his recent messages to the world, resonate deeply with the story of the Maserati brothers: a family whose legacy was built not only on innovation and excellence but on profound mutual respect, solidarity and a shared vision.' A photograph shared with Variety shows Iervolino presenting the pontiff with a commemorative model car in a glass case, as Pacino looks on. In the film, Pacino plays businessman Vincenzo Vaccaro, an early investor in the company. Also starring are Anthony Hopkins, Andy Garcia and Jessica Alba. Pacino was raised Catholic by his Italian parents in 1940s New York but his faith was tested when he was revived by paramedics while suffering from Covid in 2020. 'I believe I experienced death that day,' wrote Pacino in his 2024 memoir, Sonny Boy. 'I returned, and I can tell you there was nothing out there. It's over. You're here, then you're not.' On Sunday, the pope addressed the crowd by video at the White Sox ballpark in Chicago at a mass in his honour. Born in Illinois and a longtime resident of Chicago, the pope is known to be a fan of the baseball team.
Buzz Feed
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
27 Of The Nicest Celebrities According To Pilots
Recently, I came across a pilot's forum and a thread on it asking about the nicest celebrities pilots have flown. Some of these make a ton of sense (looking at you, Julie Andrews), but some were a delightful surprise. "Anthony Hopkins. Flew him back from LA. A delight and absolute gentleman." — olster "Gordon Ramsay, recently. Utterly lovely and charming, 'Please call me Gordon.' Just wanted a bottle of water and slept for the entire flight." — galanjal "Celine Dion, when I was flying private. Completely lovely – even offered to take us to dinner, but we had to return to base." — toratoratora "Anne Bancroft and Mel Brooks. He was hilarious, but she was really quiet, almost shy!" — Extrolleydolly "The only one that really impressed me and should impress every pilot here was Sen. John Glenn. He came up after a very rough flight. We were the last plane into KCLT as the others started going around after us. He shook both of our hands, and he was flying coach." — skyhighfallguy "Forest Whitaker. Super nice guy! He signed my passenger manifest." — nick_m_007 "Robert De Niro. Very pleasant, funny, and friendly. He was wearing a wig as a disguise." — HEMS driver "Tom Cruise. Splendid fellow. Asked politely if he might come to the flight deck before departure, whereupon he asked some questions and we chatted about his new P51. Obviously, he stayed on with Cameron Diaz for some photos. Salzburg to Seville for the filming of Knight and Day." — blue up "Denzel Washington. Very friendly and chatty. We had a good chin wag in the galley." — Tray Surfer "Amy Winehouse. Met her a couple of times. The last time she got off, and was lovely (obviously had been at the cooking sherry), and wanted to know how my day was, and what I was doing after work." — EKA380LHR "Prince William, a few years ago. Absolutely delightful, very down-to-earth." — bunnygirl "Sade. Lovely, charming woman. Had time to chat with the crew and gave tickets to all of us on the flight, including backstage passes, plus meet and greet photos. She even invited the flight deck (us) to her concert and made sure her assistants looked after our tickets." — NG_Kaptain "Michael Caine. Such a LOVELY man! Flew him to Venice for the film festival, and he came into the galley and had a chat with us and was just so lovely." — jumpseatR4 "Julie Andrews. Wonderful, warm, and friendly." — vctenderness "Zac Efron. Engaging, personable, and signed an autograph. Those eyes do glimmer so much more in real life. True gentleman!" — mjo84 "Gerard Butler. Had the pleasure of meeting him on a Virgin Atlantic flight to LAX last month. What a nice man. He was very friendly and chatty. A real pleasure to talk with." — Lucky747 "Grace Jones. I met her in the Senator Lounge at FRA. She asked me if I knew how to use the massage chairs, as I was just about to get on one. I didn't realize who she was until I heard the lady with her address her as 'Grace', then the penny dropped. I offered her the first use of the massager, and she declined. She is charm personified, very dignified and quiet. She must have been in her mid-fifties then; she looked about 40." — Capetonian "Eric Clapton. A legend and a hell of a nice guy. He gave the entire crew comps for them and their family to his concert." — joeflyguy "Kelly Rowland. Was lovely. She slept for a lot of the flight as she had flown in from LAX, and we were taking her on to her final destination, but she happily posed for pictures with the crew. Very down-to-earth and stunningly beautiful." — glider12000 "Tina Turner. LHR–LAX in first class. She sat on the floor for several hours playing with a baby also traveling in first class. Charming and entirely without airs and graces." — Flightwatch "Olivia Newton-John. I have taken her between LAX–SYD a couple of times. So pleasant, friendly, and polite." — Grove "Michael Douglas. A true 'A' lister. Absolutely charming, shook everybody's hand, and thanked us after the flight." — bunkrest "Sean Connery. Top bloke. Sat in the cockpit for nearly the whole flight and chatted about anything from politics to football. Really nice." — Abusing_the_sky "Kate Hudson. Quiet, initiated conversation, showed a genuine interest in our lives, and felt more like a good friend than a passenger. She was even joking/teasing me about a very attractive bloke behind the curtain in economy." — ozangel "Jack Johnson was onboard one of my short sectors between Sydney and the Gold Coast. He was a very pleasant guy, smooth voice, beautiful tanned skin, and also had his wife/girlfriend with him as well as his cute little son." — TeamJQboy "I met Ricky Martin in our training centre. He was there to do some filming in a flight simulator for a TV show. He was lovely, posed for photos, and was very chatty. Shame I got really nervous and could not think of a single thing to say to him." — ezpz Finally, "Robin Williams. The most down-to-earth, sweetest guy. No entourage for him, boards quietly and low-profiles it. Very funny and will laugh at your own jokes." — Dea Certe
Digital Trends
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
3 underrated Amazon Prime Video movies you should watch this weekend (June 13-15)
If you ever find yourself scrolling through Amazon Prime Video and looking for a movie worth watching, you might be at odds with the algorithm. Perhaps the recommended movies are ones you've already seen, or maybe they are of no interest to you. If you're looking for something new to check out, then we've got you covered. We've pulled together three movies that are all worth your time. Recommended Videos We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+. Nixon (1995) This extended look at the life and legacy of Richard Nixon surpasses three hours but earns every minute of that running time. Using a nonlinear narrative, Nixon is focused on the Watergate scandal, but it's also an examination of the man in the years leading up to it. Anthony Hopkins delivers a towering central performance as a man so warped by his own insecurities that, even as he ascends to the highest office in the land, he finds himself just as small and petulant as he always has been. You can watch Nixon on Amazon Prime Video. Mother (2009) No, not the Jennifer Lawrence movie. A decade before Parasite stormed all the way to a Best Picture win, Bong Joon-ho directed this thriller, which follows a poor mother living in a small South Korean town with her mentally challenged son. When her son is accused of a heinous crime, she goes to extraordinary lengths to prove that he is innocent. Convinced that the police are inclined to investigate her son, we see how he was accused and everything she's willing to do to prevent an arrest. You can watch Mother on Amazon Prime Video. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) One of the great thrillers of the 1970s, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three follows a group of criminals who hijack a New York City subway car and hold the passengers for ransom. It's up to a member of the New York transit police to negotiate with the criminals, who have several cards up their sleeves to ensure that they get away clean. The movie is tense throughout and builds to a remarkable climax and closing button. Featuring an all-star cast anchored by the great Walter Matthau, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three holds up better than many movies made today. You can watch The Taking of Pelham One Two Three on Amazon Prime Video.
West Australian
24-05-2025
- West Australian
Charm, peace & movie stars at lakeside Locarno
'Buona sera,' says the smiling receptionist, wishing me a good evening, as I check in, showing her my passport and reminding myself that I'm not in Italy, but Switzerland. The Hotel Belvedere Locarno will be my base for savouring Ticino, the only Swiss canton that has Italian as its sole official language. I've only been here a matter of minutes but there's already a lot to like about this hotel, from the magnolia tree flourishing beautifully by the entrance to the artworks adorning the gardens and public areas. With 90 south-facing rooms and suites, all with views of Lake Maggiore, this hotel has (four) star appeal. It's the partner hotel for the Locarno International Film Festival, an event founded in 1946 and each August drawing actors and fashion icons to this beguiling lakeside resort town. Posters of past editions of the festival line the hotel's corridors, while black-and-white photographs of previous festival attendees — among them Harrison Ford, Anthony Hopkins and Daniel Craig — grace the bar. Other, more classical paintings and sculptures pepper the interiors and grounds of a hillside hotel that has been welcoming guests since the late 1800s but has a history long predating that, with the location home to a noble family in the 15th century. Also around this time, the sanctuary of Madonna del Sasso was built on a crag high above the hotel and remains an important site of Catholic pilgrimage. Its wedding cake-like features are visible from the hotel's gorgeously-manicured gardens and you can reach it — in about 20 minutes — on a path that ascends beside the Belvedere or more quickly on a funicular that stops outside the hotel and connects the sanctuary with central Locarno. Public and shuttle buses also wind down to the town's historic core and the lake, but you can walk down in about 10 minutes (and up again to the hotel in about 15). This I do several times during my four-night stay at the Belvedere. Whether I'm out hiking in the glorious valleys above Locarno, boarding boat rides on Lake Maggiore, strolling through the historic city of Lugano, or day-tripping to the Piedmont region of Italy (a scenic train journey from Locarno), I'm happy to have a pleasant, comfortable base to return to. I start my mornings in the hotel's sleek Fontana restaurant with a cappuccino or two and a good buffet breakfast, filling up on fruits, cereals, pastries, cold cuts and cheeses (and usually adding cooked-to-order eggs with smoked salmon or spiced chipolatas). I look out to the patio where water bubbles from a fountain erected in 1815. I dine at Fontana one evening too, enjoying the Italian-Ticinese cuisine — puff pastry with robiola cheese and asparagus, creamed pea risotto with burrata cream, lamb shank confit, and mascarpone and pistachio parfait — with red wine made with the merlot grapes that dominate this canton's vineyards. Tasting menus are from CHF125 ($237) with a la carte dishes (CHF26-58, $49-$109) also available. Most of my fellow guests are from the French and German-speaking cantons of Switzerland, and several staff are conversant in all these languages as well as English. Other pleasing aspects of the Belvedere include the spa and solarium which has a pool and jacuzzi free for guests to use (you can also book paid-for massages and other treatments). Pilates and yoga classes are held in the garden, which has tidy lawns, loungers, giant chess, ping pong tables and even a sandy beach volley court. The Belvedere toasted its 125-year anniversary in 2017 and has undergone numerous renovations over the decades, including to its rooms, which range from 17sqm Comfort Chics to two-bedroom suites, and are spread between the hotel's original mansion and its newer annexes. My 21sqm Superior Chic room is in the Casa Luna block. It has a contemporary style with timber flooring and a large ensuite with a double vanity sink and walk-in shower with camellia-scented lotions. One daily late-afternoon ritual I enjoy is making an espresso with my in-room coffee machine and sipping it on my room's covered outside balcony. I relax, ponder my day so far and take in the views over Locarno and Lake Maggiore. It's late March, snow still caps the peaks above the water, but it's mild, the sun is out, the sky is blue and — between the northern spring and autumn especially — I'd definitely recommend this hotel, Locarno and Ticino to you. + Steve McKenna was a guest of Ticino Tourism and Switzerland Tourism. They have not influenced this story, or read it before publication. fact file + Expect to pay from around CHF267 ($507) for a room at Hotel Belvedere Locarno. Overnight guests receive a free Ticino Ticket, which allows for complimentary travel on public transport around the canton for the duration of your stay. To book a room see + For more information on planning a trip in Ticino and across Switzerland, see and
