Los Angeles (AFP)

Convincing a legend like Anthony Hopkins to star in his film is no small feat for a director, especially if he is taking his first steps in cinema.

But French author Florian Zeller was so motivated that he changed his character's first name and date of birth to those of the star.

And Anthony Hopkins ended up agreeing to play "The Father", a film adaptation of the hit play of the same name which won Florian Zeller a Molière in 2014 and a host of other awards abroad.

"I really wrote the screenplay for him. He was the one I wanted and dreamed of," the director told AFP.

"Until someone comes and says it's not possible, that means it is possible."

In addition to the British actor, Florian Zeller has also embarked on the adventure of an Oscar-winning star like him in the person of Olivia Colman, who plays the daughter of Anthony Hopkins in this drama plunging into the heart of dementia and its many facets .

The film, which occasionally flirts with the thriller and the horror film, takes viewers on a bewildering journey inside the sinking mind of Anthony Hopkins.

Family members become unrecognizable as strangers inexplicably appear in his London apartment, which itself seems to transform before the character's eyes, and those of the viewer.

Anthony Hopkins "is well known for the roles where he controls everything", notes Florian Zeller.

"I thought it would be great to see this same person losing control, a way of giving up what we know about him, that face of Hannibal Lecter", the chilling serial killer of "Silence of the Lambs ".

- "We were all crying" -

The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last week after receiving rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival last January.

It is due to hit screens in December.

The Oscars will not be awarded until next April but many already consider that this performance in "The Father" will give Anthony Hopkins his sixth nomination.

Paranoia, anger, despair then emotional collapse: the actor explores an astonishing palette of emotions as the mental state of his character deteriorates.

"He's the master of innuendo. I've always admired the way he uses words to create danger and anxiety," Zeller said.

Aged 82, Anthony Hopkins explained that he drew on his own mortality for this intense role.

"Anthony is a very instinctive actor. In a way, he uses his instincts more than anything else, and very often the first take was the best," continues the director.

"It has a magical side ... We all cried on set."

"The Father" was inspired in Florian Zeller by his grandmother, to whom he was very close and who began to suffer from dementia when he was fifteen.

"With what we know right now because of the virus, our grandfathers, our fathers, our grandmothers so vulnerable; I think we are all very connected and worried about this fragility of life", says the author.

His film, however, is far from dark.

Hopkins gives his mischievous character bursts of humor and charm, as when he shamelessly flirts with young Laura (Imogen Poots), the latest of his unfortunate caregivers.

Music also plays a central role in "The Father".

Florian Zeller managed to convince Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi to write the soundtrack for the film.

And when Anthony Hopkins spoke of his love for "Les Pêcheurs de Perles" by Georges Bizet, Zeller incorporated an aria from that opera into the script.

"I made his dream come true because he made mine come true", smiles Florian Zeller.

© 2020 AFP