Welsh town transformed into film set for Sir Anthony Hopkins movie
A Welsh town has been transformed into a film set for a new movie starring Sir Anthony Hopkins based on a Dylan Thomas short story.
The 88-year-old Welsh star takes the lead role in ‘A Visit To Grandpa’s’, which follows the quirky adventures of a young boy and his eccentric grandfather across one summer.
There was certainly no shortage of fans of the Oscar-winning actor who turned out for a glimpse of one of Wales’ favourite songs – as hundreds descended on the Welsh town.
According to deputy mayor Nia Wyn Evans the actor’s appearance created “a lot of excitement and a sense of pride”.
Speaking to BBC Wales, she added: “We’re used to having a lot of people around the town, but obviously we’re not used to having a production team changing our little town into a Hollywood scene.
“It was a very special experience for the whole community. He was there to have a chat with them and he just made people feel special,” she added. He came across as a very down-to-earth man who appreciated the beauty of our town.
“He had the time to talk to people which we were really pleased with – they would have been distraught if he wouldn’t have.”
The film, which also features fellow Welsh stars Newport-born Peaky Blinders star Aimee-Ffion Edwards as well as Dr Who’s Aneurin Barnard, is described the film’s producers as ‘a whimsical, heart-stirring tale based on Dylan Thomas’s classic short story’.
The movie’s synopsis reads: When a lonely boy is sent to spend the summer with his wildly eccentric grandfather in the countryside, he expects boredom but finds magic instead. Grandpa is nothing like he imagined: impulsive, outrageous, and full of mysterious stories that blur fact and fantasy. As the days stretch on, mischief turns to meaning, and their unexpected bond becomes a lifeline for them both. With Hopkins set to deliver a career- defining performance, this is a funny and deeply moving journey through memory, imagination and the strange magic of family.
No release date has yet been set for the film, which is directed by DJ Caruso who called it “one of the great honours of my directorial life” to bring Dylan Thomas’ story to life alongside Sir Anthony Hopkins.
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