Interview by Gary Geyer

Let Life In: Sir Anthony, you say, you are living your life exactly as you want to. What kinds of things are you into? Do you have a passion?

Anthony Hopkins: “I’m into relaxation now. Passion is a killer — Oh God, yes — and it implies intensity and pomposity. I don’t have intensity about anything really.

Let Life In: Sounds exciting.

A.H.: “Actually, I get bored easily. I’ve got the attention span of a hummingbird. Probably that new fangled A.D.D. I have no consistency at all. I used to think it was a curse. I’d plan to do things. You know, ‘Tomorrow I’ll spend 45 minutes in the gym.’ But I’d look at the alarm clock and [he makes a snoring sound] go back to sleep.”

Let Life In: When you are not filming, how do you spend your free time?

A.H.: “I do nothing at all. I go for a coffee or jump in the pool. It’s quite a blessing. The freedom to do what I want to do.” “I don’t cook. I can’t boil an egg, make a cup of tea, so I go out and have breakfast with a couple of the guys. We meet at various coffee shops and eat pancakes or whatever.”

Let Life In: I don’t believe you. You must do something.

A.H.: “I do read a little. I’m addicted to books. I read five at a time.”

Let Life In: What Kind of books do you read?

A.H.: “Right now I’m reading August 1914, by Soljzenitzein. I’ve been fascinated by Russia since I was kid. I was a budding young Marxist as a boy. I used to read Trotsky’s Russian Revolution.”

Let Life In: Anything else?

A.H.: “Seven Lessons from Chaos. It’s a long essay on the nature of life and chaos. Ahhh, not heavy stuff” [he says with a smile].

Let Life In: Yes, I can see that.

A.H.: “I find by reading, it opens my mind up. Things flow in and out of it. I don’t have any passions. I enjoy astronomy, reading physics. I read a wonderful book called, The Hologram of the Universe. The whole universe is one big dream, a hologram. I’m interested in that, nothing spooky. Little bits of psychology, Jungian synchronicity.”

“I’m not into the paranormal or anything. I like the occasional biographies. I’m interested in the American presidents. I’ve read books about Eisenhower, Truman, Kennedy, Roosevelt, several on Nixon. It takes me a long time.”

Let Life In: We’ve read that you make about 20 million a movie. What do you do with it all?

A.H.: “I don’t have expensive tastes. “I drive a half-gas, half-electric car. A Prius, I think it’s called. I don’t even know what I’ve got,” [he laughs] “It’s my microscopic whatever to the energy crisis. Or I’ll walk. I don’t have fast cars.”

“I’ve got a lovely piano [a Steinway] that cost a bit of cash. I don’t collect paintings. I’ve got some things that are OK, but they’re not masterpieces. They’re probably junk actually. One or two nice pieces of furniture but they’re probably worm eaten.”

Let life In: Is there any place you’d rather be?

A.H.: “I love California. It’s so sunny and free. I’m really a beach bum, you know.

Let Life In: I don’t want to sound pretentious, but how would you describe your philosophy of life?

A.H.: “Life is chaos. Embrace the chaos, the disorder and have some fun with it. You have to live a long time to get to that place of being –that’s my philosophy. <<