Anthony Hopkins

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Just when we think we’ve seen it all from Anthony Hopkins after his days as a cannibalistic killer in “The Silence of the Lambs,” he is about to show a new side of himself — or several sides — in his trippy new film “Slipstream,” which the actor stars in and directs. He also wrote the unusual script and composed the music for the movie. Hopkins, 69, recently sat down with LifetimeTV.com to talk his passion for this project and what really went on behind the scenes.

What inspired you to do this movie?

My wife suggested it. She said, “Why don’t you write a script for yourself instead of doing other people’s?” Being lazy by nature, I said, “No.” But I opened up the computer, and I started it … I was quite organized with it, and then it started writing itself.

I’m interested in the dreamlike quality of our lives. For me, the movie is a metaphor for life … I sense that life is just a mystery. For me, God is time, and we’re just atoms. I believe everything is illusory. Time is the greatest mystery of all. We’re dreaming all the time.

Anything from your real life end up in this film?

When I came to America in 1973, I was in Los Angeles and I saw a shootout. I saw a cop kill someone who had a knife. They told me to get back, and as I walked back, someone asked me, “Are you British?” I said, “Yes. And he said, “Welcome to America.” That’s why that line — “Welcome to America” — is in the movie. That was my first impression of America: the chaos and the extraordinary power that’s unleashed in the country. It’s fascinating.

How do you get into character as an actor?

You can’t. Because it’s obviously you. Acting is just a form of relaxation, because you know it so well. And trusting that the instinct — subconscious mind or whatever you want to call it — will take over. It’s like getting into a new car: It can take some time to adjust, but you’ve learned to do things like second nature. We pay attention but we’re also aware that there’s an audience. We all role-play. We all have masks.

How were your costars in this film?

Christian Slater knocked two days off the schedule because he was so adept and terrific. He just knocked it out of the ballpark. It’s an extraordinary performance. Same thing with John Turturro. Camryn Manheim was wonderful. Michael Clarke Duncan took me completely by surprise. He was so good one time that I forgot my lines. S. Epatha Merkerson was terrific. I wish I could’ve used her laugh throughout the entire movie.

What about having your wife, Stella Arroyave, as a costar?

She was terrific. I’m so proud of her. The first scene we did was the morgue scene, and she was nervous. We were in a real morgue, and I played a trick on her. I told the camera to roll but I told her that it was just a rehearsal.

Why does this movie seem focused on the desert?

I always wanted to do a film in the desert because I love that film “Blood Simple.” The desert can be the most terrifying place but also the most beautiful place. There’s something really extraordinary about it.

There are some bizarre characters in the movie, like the Dolly Parton look-alike. Did you try to get the real Dolly Parton to appear?

I sent her the script, because I wrote the part for her, but she was busy and couldn’t do it. And my wife said, “You know, you should get a Dolly Parton lookalike.” And this lovely lady named Charlene showed up late one night in Dolly Parton’s red velvet dress and in a Dolly Parton wig. And we just called her character the name “Dolly Parton Look-alike” because that’s the way the subconscious operates.

Tell us about composing the music for this movie.

There’s a scene at the end [in a café] with Lisa Pepper, who plays Tracy, that has a guitar piece that I wrote three years ago. That was the first piece of music I wrote for the movie. It took me about three or four minutes to put together. So I took the recording to the desert and played it for the actors to get them in the mood. They said I should put more of my music in the movie. So I went into a studio in Venice … and we put it all together. I even went to NBC Studios and conducted the orchestra.

What do you think about the state of Hollywood and moviemaking?

There’s still a lot of inventiveness, but you get a bit tired of the same old thing. How many gangster stories or love stories can you see? But [with “Slipstream”], I just wanted to do something really provocative and daring, and maybe annoy people.