The “weird” 2011 movie Anthony Hopkins didn’t want to make: “I was a little reluctant”

Anthony Hopkins initially felt reluctant to take a role in the supernatural horror film The Rite, saying he did not want to play another “weird” character. After reading the script and meeting director Mikael Håfström, he became intrigued by Father Lucas, an experienced exorcist whose own doubts are tested by frightening events.

Released in 2011, the film drew poor reviews from critics but found an audience among horror fans, earning almost $100 million at the box office. Hopkins had already played unsettling characters in films including The Silence of the Lambs, Magic and Audrey Rose; after The Rite, he largely moved away from horror for years, before appearing in the 2025 thriller Locked.