Angela Bassett ‘sorry for’ Anthony Hopkins after actor criticises Marvel green screen experience

Angela Bassett has said she is “sorry for” Anthony Hopkins after he spoke negatively of his time acting within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Specifically, Hopkins had criticised the experience of acting in front of a green screen, and once wrote “No acting required” on the front of his script for Thor.

The Remains of the Day star portrayed Thor’s father Odin in three films throughout the MCU: 2011’s Thor, 2013’s Thor: The Dark World and 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok.

Speaking to The New Yorker in 2021, Hopkins explained:“On Thor, you have Chris Hemsworth – who looks like Thor – and a director like Kenneth Branagh, who is so certain of what he wants.

“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.”

Bassett, who was recently nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in the 2022 MCU blockbuster Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, was asked about Hopkins’s comments in an interview with The New Yorker.

“Well, here’s the thing. It was there,” Bassett said, referring to the extensive physical sets that she filmed most of her scenes on.

“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.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is available to stream on Disney Plus now.