Angela Bassett responds to Anthony Hopkins’ criticism of Marvel green-screen acting: “I’m sorry for him”

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star Angela Bassett has said she is “sorry for” Anthony Hopkins after he spoke negatively about his time acting in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Speaking to The New Yorker in 2021, Hopkins criticised the experience of working in front of a green screen, and once wrote “No acting required” on the front of his script for Thor.

The Silence Of The Lambs star played Odin in three MCU films: 2011’s Thor, 2013’s Thor: The Dark World, and 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok.

“On Thor, you have Chris Hemsworth – who looks like Thor – and a director like Kenneth Branagh, who is so certain of what he wants,” the actor explained.

“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.”

In a recent interview with The New Yorker, Bassett shared her sympathies with Hopkins, noting that her experience in the MCU had been very different to his.

“Well, here’s the thing. It was there,” Bassett said, referring to practical/physical sets that were used for Wakanda Forever.

“The throne room was there, the floor of red clay, the elevation with the Dora Milaje flanking around, the grand doors that they walk through,” she continued. “So maybe you don’t see the world of Wakanda, but we had that.

“When Shuri and I went out into the wild, we had trees and bushes and water for yards and yards and yards, and Namor came up out of the water and flew to us. We had the entire ship, and the attention to detail inside of it was just magnificent. So I had it much better than Anthony Hopkins.

“I’m sorry for him,” she added.

In a four-star review of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, NME wrote: “What really makes the film stand out is its mature atmosphere. This is about grief, more so than any other Marvel movie, and the legacy one leaves behind. “To me – he was everything. My T’Challa,” says Nakia, in a heartfelt moment that doubtless reflects the way many felt about Chadwick Boseman. The film finishes with a dedication to him – although maybe there was no need. Wakanda Forever is, itself, a fitting tribute to him.”

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