Much like game of thrones before it, HBO's Westworld is an elaborate, epic puzzle box of a production that serves in the end as an excuse to explore something much smaller and much more important: Character. This is why despite the sweeping vistas, what holds everything else up are the conversations, how they're written and how they're acted. Today, I want to take a look at one conversation featuring the great Anthony Hopkins. Specifically, I want to examine how Hopkins acts the scene, how he elevates every line of dialogue to a hypnotically interesting level. You imagine I've gone mad, do you? Lost my way? We're simply concerned about the extent of the changes you're making. We want to protect your legacy. My legacy? Okay, the background of the scene is that Theresa Cullen, an operations manager of the Westworld theme park is trying to stop - or at least stall - the creation of Robert Ford, Anthony Hopkins' new storyline for the guests, a storyline that is generally wreaking chaos on things to the point of worrying the parks financiers. It's clear that Theresa feels that Ford's undertaking is just too risky, but instead of forthrightly telling him so, she puts things in euphemistic terms. We want to protect your legacy. My legacy? Okay, that pause is fully 7 seconds long and it is amazing. After reacting in disbelief at such a shameless euphemism, Hopkins, in silence, cycles through a few emotions. First, disbelief. Then a consideration of the words for a split second at their face value. Maybe he should safeguard his legacy. Maybe he shouldn't be so ambitious at his age. Then a smile and the scene will feature several shades of smile this one is kind, as kind as can be in the face of what he considers to be an attack, one that insults his intelligence. As he looks down and chuckles, the smile seems to acquire some suppressed anger. He can only bear to look at her in quick glances as he composes himself, then he fires back an antagonistic remark. You don't like this place very much. Do you? I've seen many of you come and go over the years. And I can tell the ones who enjoy the time here the ones who don't. What's impressive here is how Hopkins breaks down the dialogue as written. In interviews, Hopkins has described how he reads scripts 200 times or so to the point where the dialogue is lodged in his brain, then he steps away, lets it gestate in his mind, and when he arrives on set he relaxes himself and "let the part play through you." By having such a command over the words, Hopkins is able to modulate the tempo of their delivery to get the most out of it. This sentence, for example, is sped through. "I've seen many of you come and go over the years." As is the first part of the next sentence until a pause after "who" drawing out the word "enjoy" which falls right back into a speedy delivery almost slipping over the words, until the final two which, coupled with eye contact, slow down to function as an accusation. I've seen many of you come and go over the years. And I can tell the ones who enjoy the time here the ones who don't. I admire it. The audacity of it. Oh... A small interjection. But see how he opens up like a flower from the hunched position, how he releases a little tension to receive the compliment. Great touch. I came here once as a child with my parents. I think we even sat at this table. When I started working here, I realized this place wasn't something I would enjoy. Ah! And then we get a second interjection when his suspicions are confirmed followed by hunching again, and a deflated neck. Then, from this position, Hopkins launches into his key speech. In the beginning I imagined things would be perfectly balanced. Even had a bet with my partner, Arnold, to that effect He made a hundred hopeful storylines. Of course, almost no one took us up on them. I lost the bet. Arnold always held a somewhat dim view of people. He preferred the hosts. He begged me not to let you people in. The money men. Delos. Okay, we're about to learn that this whole meeting is a threat set up by Hopkins. And to signal that, Hopkins incrementally dials up the menace across three terms that specify who he's threatening. "You people." "Money men." "Delos." Listen to it again. He begged me not to let you people in. The money men. Delos. I told him it'd be fine. That you didn't understand what you were paying for. It's not a business venture, not a theme park, but an entire world. We designed every inch of it, every blade of grass. In here we were gods, and you were merely our guests. Watching this the first time it was here that it struck me. How crucial Ford's personality is to the functioning of the series. I mean, Westworld is, in many ways, a ridiculous idea both as a theme park and as a TV show. To work, the conceit had to be mapped, reflected, justified in the complex desires and ambitions of its creators. The writers have achieved that in Ford, But it's Hopkins who really brings these things to life. And how did that work out for Arnold? Oh, sadly, he lost his perspective. He went Mad. I haven't, as you well know, I have always seen things very clearly. The threat now explicit, Hopkins colors the rest of the scene with a sinister glee. This is the table I sat at with my parents. We know everything about our guests, don't we? As we know everything about our employees. From here on out he presses his advantage, not with force, but with comfort, with a smile. No longer needing to convince Teresa of his dominance, Hopkins dances into different attitudes for a couple of seconds before falling back into that smile. Like right here, where he's matter-of-fact. We know everything about our guests, don't we? As we know everything about our employees. Or here where he's concerned. I do hope you will be careful with Bernard. Or here where he's genuinely caring as his eyes wander off for a moment too. He has a- a sensitive disposition. The producers of this show are smart to keep the camera fixed on Hopkins' face. His ability, learned across many decades, to convey such a web of feeling and suggest such a universe of feeling within about a character we know little about expands the entire show's range and strengthens its persuasive power as a piece of art. That's what a great actor can do. He can give words and images or a short scene like this a volcanic energy with a quiet look. In Anthony Hopkins' hands, in his eyes, Westworld isn't just a reflection of its creators personality, It's a self-portrait. You can tell the board that my narrative will be completed on time, and it won't be a retrospective as I'm sure you have all feared. I'm not the sentimental type. Hey, everybody there is a new nerdwriter video every Wednesday, so if you click right there you'll subscribe to this channel and get all the videos. Sorry I've been so irregular with my posting recently. I've been in Italy. It's been crazy. But also been writing a couple speeches for the Singapore writers festival which I'll be at in a couple weeks. Um, and so that's been taking a lot of my time. I have to shout out a channel that I really love called Wisecrack. Uh, they do video essays like me 8-bit Philosophy, earthling cinema, stuff like that. They just did something on Bojack Horseman, which is a show I love and the video was great too, so I'll link that below. Check that out. Thanks guys for watching. I'll see everybody next Wednesday hopefully!
This video reminded me of the "analysis"-mode.
I think what's really elevated the show for me has been the performances of a couple really key actors. I think this show could have come off as cliche or hammy, I don't think it's totally found its stride yet also, but Hopkins and I think more importantly, Evan Rachel Wood, have brought so much personality and quality to the show.
I especially enjoyed the insight into how Sir Anthony prepares for a scene.
I love the slow transformation of Ford from caring grandfather to manipulative chessmaster. Hopkins has played it so well, not to mention the writers.
One thing I wish he had mentioned is the retrograde realization that happens when Ford confirms that this is the exact table she ate at as a child. That moment shows that Ford was in control the entire time, that he knew exactly why Cullen was there.
Once your understand that, the previous few minutes of dialogue and acting get recontextualized as suspect. All of the emotion he displayed, all of his reactions could have been false or feigned. They also could have been real. Because of his well played secrecy, you just have no idea.
His speech leading up to that moment is increasingly sinister, culminating in the frozen waiter, an unsettling gesture and demonstration of power, displayed at the same time he is describing that power. After that moment, he goes back to being a charming old man who is concerned with the wellbeing of the people in his employ. Yet with the information we have learned, any displays of congeniality, both past and future, will be tainted with the knowledge that Ford always has secrets that he will only reveal when he desires it.
This is a lot better than the usual tinfoil "theories" populating this sub...
After seeing the Ed Harris and Anthony Hopkins scene last episode, I was curious if they've ever been in a movie together. And I discovered that IMDB has a search tool for exactly this purpose.
Let's not forget Abernathy.
That guy makes great videos
What does "Delos" mean in this context?