Oscar-winning actor Anthony Hopkins visits Ireland

Sarah Slater

Oscar-winning actor Anthony Hopkins is currently visiting Ireland.

Hopkins is best known for his role as serial killer Hannibal Lector in The Silence of the Lambs for which he won his first Academy Award in 1991.

The six-time Oscar-nominated actor posted a photo to his official Twitter account saying: “Happy Friday. Enjoying the chilly weather in Ireland.”

Happy Friday 🍀
Enjoying the chilly weather in Ireland.😎 pic.twitter.com/ZGO6rCrBWh

— AHopkins.eth (@AnthonyHopkins) March 3, 2023

Wearing a navy blue peaked cap and with a smile on his face, he did not reveal where in Ireland he was visiting or whether it was for a work project.

However, the Irish Times reports that Hopkins is starring as Sigmund Freud in a major new feature film being recorded in Ireland.

The London home of Freud, the Austrian founder of psychoanalysis, is being re-created at Ardmore Studios in Bray, Co Wicklow, according to the Irish Times. For the exterior shots, the film's producers have found streets in Dublin that closely resemble Hampstead in north London, where Freud lived and worked.

The last-known time Hopkins visited Ireland was in 2021 when he spent several weeks travelling around the country.

The 85-year-old actor and director also starred as Benedict XVI in the Netflix film The Two Popes in 2019, detailing the friendship between Benedict and the current Pope Francis. Hopkins earned his fifth Oscar nomination for the performance.

He garnered further acclaim in 2020 – including his second Academy Award – for his portrayal of a man struggling with dementia in The Father.

Last year the Welsh man appeared in several movies, including Armageddon Time, a coming-of-age tale that addresses issues of bigotry and privilege.