61 years on, Hopkins goes back to his old classroom
SIR ANTHONY HOPKINS has paid a surprise visit to students at the college where he began his own training.
The Hollywood A-lister dropped in to the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, 61 years to the day after he started his training in October 1955.
The Oscar-winning star from Port Talbot, currently starring in hit new US TV drama Westworld, was with his antiques dealer wife Stella Arroyave.
Sir Anthony, who’s in the UK filming his role in the latest Transformers film, was shown around the college’s new facilities, including the Richard Burton Theatre.
During his visit on Monday he also met designers, stage management, music and acting students and listened to jazz rehearsals in the Dora Stoutzker Hall.
He then joined a read through of Chekhov’s Three Sisters, which the Richard Burton Company is performing later this month.
Sir Anthony played Andrey in a 1970 BBC production and he gave the student cast unique insight into the play. Student Joe WiltshireSmith, from Bridgend, said :“I’ve had Sir Anthony’s autograph on my bedroom wall since I was 13. Suddenly he’s there in front of me in a Monday morning rehearsal, and I’m doing a improvised scene where he’s playing Natasha to my Andrey. It was mindboggling, incredibly inspiring and I’ll never forget it.”