One of the more intriguing things about Anthony Hopkins -- despite all his success and knighthood -- is that you get the feeling he's not really interested in reaping the benefits of stardom. That deep down, he's a classic workaholic who does the job for the sheer love of it and the trappings don't matter. (He once said in an interview that he doesn't understand fine dining and prefers grilled-cheese sandwiches at home.)
His best roles ("The Remains of the Day," "The Silence of the Lambs," "Hannibal") reflect this streak in him; after all, what's Dr. Lecter if not a man who insisted on honing and perfecting his chosen craft (murder and cannibalism, but still!), and is blind to all other concerns?
Hopkins' latest is "The World's Fastest Indian" ("Sekai Saisoku no Indian" in Japan) in which he stars as New Zealand's real-life motorbike legend Burt Munro. Burt was a man obsessed with speed, but this was back in the early 1960s in Invercargill, New Zealand, where speed meant tinkering for years over the engine of a rickety, ancient Indian Scout and then roaring down to the local beach.