Anthony Hopkins Says Young Actors Should Stop This Trend

One of the greatest actors of all time is offering some constructive criticism to newer artists in the profession, and it's advice young actors would be well served to follow.

During an appearance at the 2025 Red Sea Film Festival in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, 87-year-old Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins spoke on one quality that he doesn't care to see in today's actors.

"Young actors tend to mumble," Hopkins said, according to Variety. "I know they’re trying to do Marlon Brando, but Brando was the greatest technician of all. He understood everything. He was a very smart man, and he knew how to do it."

Hopkins took things one step further, saying that he told one actor they wouldn't last in Hollywood if they continued to mumble through their lines. "Your part in this film is to tell a story," Hopkins said he told the young actor.

Hopkins Reflects on a Legendary Career

As for his own career, Hopkins acknowledged his age but reflected on his successes and triumphs over the last several decades. The 87-year-old said that he's "exceptionally lucky, [has a] fortunate life, and I’m getting old now but I’m still here."

Last year, Hopkins told the Associated Press that acting has become "easier" to him as he's aged.

"As you get older you have a little more knowledge of life. When you’re young you think you know a thing or two, but you don’t," he said at the time. "When you get to my age, you know a couple of tricks for a living."

Hopkins said that the "trick" he uses now is simply "just learn the lines, show up and try to be real."

Hopkins' Career Accolades and Future Projects

Hopkins has been recognized as a two-time Academy Award winner, first for his iconic role as Hannibal Lecter in "Silence of the Lambs," and then for his role as an older man with dementia in "The Father."

He's also won two Primetime Emmy Awards, four BAFTA awards and he has received the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award for his theatre work - given to those who excel on London's version of Broadway.

Hopkins has most recently appeared in both parts of Zack Snyder's "Rebel Moon" series, as well as the biblical epic "Mary." He starred opposite Bill Skarsgard in 2025's "Locked," a film about a man who is locked inside an SUV and is tormented by the vehicle's owner.

Future projects for Hopkins include a film about Alfieri, Bindo and Carlo Maserati, the famous brothers who established the Maserati car brand. He's also set to appear in the horror film "Eyes in the Trees," as well as Guy Ritchie's upcoming film "Wife & Dog."