Sir Anthony Hopkins blasts his own role in Marvel’s Thor movies as ‘pointless acting’

Esteemed actor Sir Anthony Hopkins didn’t sound impressed with his own efforts in the Thor films (Picture: Getty/Rex)

Sir Anthony Hopkins has spoken rather dismissively of his performances (or lack thereof) in Marvel films, saying it’s ‘pointless acting’.

The heavyweight Oscar-winner, 85, first joined the MCU in 2011 when he was cast as Norse god Odin in Thor, opposite Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston.

He then reprised the role in 2013 sequel Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok in 2017.

However, it sounds like he didn’t necessarily pour his heart and soul into his acting.

As part of a wide-ranging piece on how the MCU ‘swallowed Hollywood’, he told the New Yorker: ‘They put me in armour; they shoved a beard on me. Sit on the throne, shout a bit.’

‘If you’re sitting in front of a green screen, it’s pointless acting it,’ he added.

He appeared as Odin, father of Thor, in three films for Marvel (Picture: JAY MAIDMENT/Marvel)

However, he sounded less than enthused over the green screen element (Picture: Marvel/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock)

For the original Thor film, Sir Anthony worked alongside Sir Kenneth Branagh, whom he actually said encouraged him to keep acting at a time when he was considering retiring.

‘Branagh gave me back the chops to work. I was gonna give it up, really. But you see, he won’t let you do that,’ he wrote in the 2021 book The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making Of The Marvel Cinematic Universe.

‘Working with Ken was quite an injection of new energy into my life. He seems to have that same infectious quality on everybody in the crew,’ the actor added.

Sir Anthony has since gone on to win his second Oscar, in 2021 (Picture: Getty)

‘His enthusiasm, his attitude, is so positive, that he brings out the best in everybody.’

Since his appearances in the MCU, the Meet Joe Black star has gone on to become the oldest-ever person to win an Academy Award for acting, with his second win playing a man with dementia in The Father.

He was 83 at the time of his triumph in March 2021.

Sir Anthony previously won for his iconic portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs in 1992, and has also been nominated a further four times.

In December, he shared an emotional reflection on reaching 47 years of sobriety and offering his wish to instil hope in younger generations, urging them to ‘get help’ if they need it.

‘I am a recovering alcoholic and to you out there, I know there are people struggling, in this day and age of cancel and hatred and non-compromise, children being bullied, I say this: be kind to yourself. Be kind.

‘Stay out of the circle of toxicity with people if they offend you. Live your life, be proud of your life,’ he told his fans in the message.

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We won’t expect him to return anytime soon then.