Meeting Sir Anthony Hopkins

I didn’t know that Anthony Hopkins was not only a great composer but a great pianist as well. Not in the professional-concert-artist kind of way, but he certainly commands the instrument well enough to let his sensitivity shine through his fingers.

I discovered that, like many other things, on Instagram.

Yes, Sir Hopkins is a prolific content creator on social media. And fortunately so.

Many of the little pearls of wisdom he shares as videos have gone viral all over the internet. He continues to be an inspiring and motivating figure, shining brightly wherever he goes or whatever platform he uses, be it on screen, on sound, or digital media.

And that was the case yesterday. A fortunate day for me, since I was by his side for a brief moment.

It’s funny though, that brief moments are the ones that shine in our memory for the remainder of our life.

I was performing yesterday for the Joy Awards in Riyadh, a sort of Oscars in the Arab world, only that the awards are not limited to cinema but are open to all the arts, including music and dance. It’s the most important event in the Arab countries.

Sir Anthony Hopkins was among the many illustrious personalities who received an award yesterday evening. Among them, I also met Kevin Costner, Eva Longoria, Jean Reno, and even the pianist Lang Lang who was surprised to meet me at this event in such an unusual country.

I fall too short for words when I say that I greatly admire all of these personalities. They delivered beautiful and powerful speeches and performances.

But Mr. Hopkins, he’s one of a kind.

He’s one of those souls that once you meet, you see there’s something not quite normal about them. Something extraordinary as if their senses would be more developed than those of the rest of us, being able to perceive your thoughts and feelings just by looking at you.

When he walked backstage where I was waiting for my turn to go on stage, everybody in the room fell into a state of silent admiration and appreciation. It was so strong, that he had to stop in his steps, look at all of us without any of us having said a word, and with a gesture of heartfelt gratitude, he said: “Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.” 

This brief moment, plus me shaking his hand and clumsily voicing some words of appreciation, is something I will never forget.

Have a great day,

Claudio.

P.D. This is the video I saw of Anthony Hopkins playing the piano, click here.