Press Archive for 2023

From Fan to Co-Star, Matthew Goode Overcame His Nerves Working with Anthony Hopkins – Collider 28th December 2023

BY CHRISTINA RADISH

The ‘Freud’s Last Session’ actor also talks about why challenging conversations are important.

THE BIG PICTURE

  • Matthew Goode talks about working with Anthony Hopkins in “Freud’s Last Session” and how inspiring Hopkins is as an actor.
  • Goode shares his nerves and challenges while working with Hopkins, but also expresses pride in the film.
  • “Freud’s Last Session” represents a conversation that is needed in the world today, where people can talk intelligently and have intellectual debates.

From director Matthew Brown, who co-wrote the script with playwright Mark St. Germain(adapting his own stage play), Freud’s Last Session tells a fictional tale about what a meeting of the minds might have been like between Sigmund Freud (Anthony Hopkins), the father of psychoanalysis, and author C.S. Lewis (Matthew Goode), at a time when war was raging around them. The two men clash and challenge each other as they debate their views, but their mutual respect allows them to listen and understand their different beliefs about life, death, love, faith and science in a way we could all learn from.

During this interview with Collider, Goode talked about being a lifelong fan of co-star Hopkins, the first time he saw the Academy Award winner act in a movie, how he got over his own nerves the first day on set, why the added flashbacks were a useful tool for the story, how he approached bringing out C.S. Lewis’ humanity, who he talks to when he wants to have a challenging conversation, and why he thinks world leaders could learn something from being open to conversations about differing viewpoints and listening to each other.

Freuds Last Session Film Poster

The movie’s story sees Freud invite iconic author C.S. Lewis to debate the existence of God. And his unique relationship with his daughter, and Lewis’ unconventional relationship with his best friend’s mother.

Release DateJanuary 12, 2024
DirectorMatt Brown
CastAnthony Hopkins , Matthew Goode , Liv Lisa Fries , Jodi Balfour
RatingPG-13
Runtime108 minutes
Main GenreDrama
WritersMatt Brown , Mark St. Germain
Distributor(s)Sony Pictures Classics

Matthew Goode Says You Should Work With Your Hero, If It’s Anthony Hopkins

Matthew Goode as author C.S. Lewis and Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Sigmund Freud in Freud's Last Session
Image via Sony Pictures Classics

MATTHEW GOODE: I’ll tell you how it happened. My agent suddenly started repping Anthony, or Tony. I can’t call him Anthony. And I was like, “Get out of town. That’s amazing.” And then, he goes, “He’s circling a script that you are kind of right for, but it’s unlikely you’ll get it.” And I was like, “Well, thanks very much.” And this kept going on for another couple of months until I finally got to read the script, and then I really wanted to do it. They finally made up their mind, and it was a delicious prospect, Anthony being one of my all-time heroes. Sometimes you should work with your heroes. Also, the elephant in the room was that he had already played C.S. Lewis in one of my favorite films (Shadowlands). It was quite a worry, but he’s such a brilliant character. There’s so much wonderful research that you can do, and I did because I didn’t want to let anybody down and I’m quite thorough when I put that stuff together. The book [C.S. Lewis] wrote in 1955, Surprised by Joy, was the one that really, when he talks about his early life, was of the utmost help. And then, you have to throw it all out the window. You’ve got the script, which we both learned and knew all of before we started. That helped us make it flesh.

GOODE: It’s a funny one. I actually haven’t seen the final version. I saw an early cut. I can always close my eyes and ears. I don’t love it, but I’m really proud of this. It wasn’t easy. We didn’t have much time. We only had six weeks for the entire film. I’m the luckiest actor in the world. I don’t think many people have three weeks when they just have Tony Hopkins to themselves. It was difficult to make into a screenplay from the play. I thought (writer/director) Matt [Brown] did a brilliant job. And it’s not just Tony and I, it’s Liv [Lisa Fries] and all the other actors and all the technicians and the crew. So, although it’s uncomfortable to watch yourself, there’s the pride of us all coming together, executing what we needed to under pressure, and the conceit works.

GOODE: Yeah, it was not an easy thing. When Matt built the screenplay, the flashbacks were very useful tools. He was aware that we needed to get out of the room a little bit. Maybe we could have held it up by just being in that room, but it certainly would have been a bit more of a challenge.

What was the first thing that you saw Anthony Hopkins in that made you want to know who he was and that made you want to seek out other work of his that you could watch?

GOODE: I saw The Lion in Winter when I was very young, which is ironic because we shot [Freud’s Last Session] in Dublin at Ardmore Studios. I remember watching that with my mum when I was about six or seven. It was the same film that was my introduction to [Peter] O’Toole. And then, there was a BBC drama about Donald Campbell (Across the Lake). I’ve seen everything he’s done now, but those were probably the two earliest.

Matthew Goode as author C.S. Lewis in Freud's Last Session
Image via Sony Pictures Classics

You’re an actor and you know what you’re doing, but it must feel different when you’re working with somebody like Anthony Hopkins. Do the nerves go away once you start shooting the first scene, or are there always a bit of nerves there, throughout?

GOODE: There are several different types of nerves. There are your nerves about the project and if it will work out or not. Those are always there. And then, there were the nerves of meeting Tony for the first time. I met him on the phone and we had a lovely chat for about 45 minutes prior to me getting there, but we weren’t rehearsing. Some people spend a couple of weeks before. Tony doesn’t love it. I don’t particularly love it. I like rehearsing on camera, so it was really wonderful. Tony made me feel so at ease, very quickly. He could be really intimidating if he wants to, but as we can see from his acting, he’s so generous and giving.He’s also a brilliant composer and he composed some of the music for the film. That’s how generous he is. He gave it to the film for free. He donated it, the benevolent man that he is. He’s just exactly what you would want him to be.

GOODE: Well, 50% of any performance you give is what you’re getting from the other person. You can work harder and raise your level. His level has been at such a great height for such a long time. He’s 86 and still knocking it out of the park, which is very inspiring for us all, if I’m honest.

Is there a time, early in your career, that you were very nervous about starting the first day on set? How did you get past that feeling?

GOODE: It’s a funny thing, I was trained for the stage. We didn’t have camera phones and all that jazz then. That’s how old I am. I’m 45, I’ll be 46 next year. When you’re trained for the stage and you’re trained to do long form, you’re trained to do plays. You’re trained to do something that’s gonna take two or three hours. Being on camera felt like a different kind of acting. It’s like working out a code, in a way. It’s a different kind of truth. You’re not attacking the whole film in one go, thankfully, because that would be a challenge. I know some people have done that, and that’s extraordinary. It’s bite size. It could be over in 30 seconds, and then you get to go again. And so, I’m always nervous, and then you just settle in.

Matthew Goode Likes to Immerse Himself in Research Before His First Day on Set

Matthew Goode as author C.S. Lewis in Freud's Last Session
Image via Sony Pictures Classics

When you play someone like C.S. Lewis, are you always thinking about playing C.S. Lewis, or do you approach it more from the layers of all the things that make up the man that you’re playing and how that shapes him, rather than thinking about his famous name?

GOODE: There are two schools of thought on that. If you’re lazy and you don’t think about it and you just say the words, if the script is good enough, we’ll believe you. I prefer all the research and going through all the layers of the onion. You find out everything, and then you’ve got to throw it away and just bring the humanity. I also spend a lot of time visualizing, as well. If I’m working at C.S. Lewis, I’m looking at pictures of Magdalene College, so that if he talks about his school, those are the pictures in your mind. That actually just makes it easier to do the job for me. I’m being a bit facetious. It’s just in there and you don’t have to try to bring it up. It’s difficult talking about acting. I don’t particularly like talking about acting, I just like doing it.

GOODE: I find it exactly that. I don’t care that he’s a famous person, at all. I care about how the film is received after I’ve done my job, but at the time, the only thing I’m really thinking about is, “I just want to get this man’s humanity onto the screen.” That’s my job. Tony’s gonna bring his thing, and we’re gonna do our thing together. Hopefully, the whole thing will sort itself out.

Matthew Goode is Proud of All His Past Projects, But Wants to Look Forward

Matthew Goode as C.S. Lewis in Freud's Last Session
Image via Sony Pictures Classics

Now that you have this wide and varied collection of work that you’ve done, if someone watches this movie who has never seen anything else that you’ve done and they want to look at your previous work, what should they watch first and why?

In this film, Freud and Lewis are two men who have a similar level of intellect in common, which leads to interesting conversations because they really challenge each other. Is there someone in your own life that always challenges you in conversations and that you always look forward to talking to again?

GOODE: Yeah. My wife is the person who challenges me the most. She isn’t challenging. She’ll call me on things, and I’m like, “Okay, that’s interesting.” She’s wonderful. My friends James and Adam and Ken are pretty incredible. They keep me grounded. We try not to chat about religion too much, but it comes into everything in some way. So, I’ve got my people, for sure.

GOODE: Judging by his books, I think that Lewis might have talked more. I think he could talk at great length, so he’d probably have a couple of big speeches in there. His faith was challenged every single day, so it was a struggle that he fought with. As a person, he was very understanding and very compassionate, and I think Freud was, too. It would have been a very interesting conversation that they would have had. It just shows the kind of conversations that we need in the greater world now. We need leaders who actually have written a book and know a bit about philosophy. If we can’t talk intelligently, then we’re gonna fight. We’ve got two fights going on right now, in Gaza and Ukraine. So, I just think now is the time for great oratory and great intellectual debate, and we need the right people in charge.

GOODE: Yes, listening is key.

Freud’s Last Session is in theaters now.

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‘Freud’s Last Session’: AFI Fest Review – Screen Daily – 28th October 2023

BY TIM GRIERSON

Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Goode anchor this suprisingly muted meeting of minds between Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis

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[SOURCE: SONY PICTURES CLASSICS]

‘FREUD’S LAST SESSION’

Dir: Matthew Brown. Ireland/UK. 2023. 122mins

How best to navigate life: through reason or faith? Freud’s Last Session features two worthy combatants facing off on the issue in 1939 but, despite its thoughtful ruminations and supple performances, this period drama fails to produce the expected intellectual fireworks. Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Goode are commendable in their roles as, respectively, psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud and author C.S. Lewis, their debate over the existence of God juxtaposed with the Nazis’ troubling invasion of Poland. Unfortunately, the tasteful approach ends up being a hindrance: director and co-writer Matthew Brown allows the story to be so stately and reserved that the two men’s passion for their competing worldviews doesn’t fully register.

Set for release in the US on December 22 through Sony Pictures Classics, Freud’s Last Session hopes its AFI Fest world premiere will help pave the way for serious awards-season consideration. The film, based on Mark St. Germain’s 2009 play, posits the possibility of a meeting between the famed neurologist and the acclaimed author that may have never occurred, a premise that should intrigue older arthouse crowds. But tempered reviews may impact long-term prospects.

In September 1939 in London, the aged, ailing Freud (Hopkins) welcomes to his home Lewis (Goode), curious why this seemingly bright Oxford professor believes in God. A former atheist turned Christian whose heralded Chronicles Of Narnia novels would not be published until about a decade later, Lewis is excited for the opportunity to show Freud that true believers are not, as Freud puts it, imbeciles. But as the two men spend the day arguing their cases, they occasionally learn more about each other, with flashbacks offering insights into their past.

Brown (The Man Who Knew Infinity) co-wrote the screenplay with St. Germain, collaborating with production designer Luciana Arrighi and cinematographer Ben Smithard to craft a handsome, inviting film. Hopkins has the right weathered look for Freud, who is battling oral cancer, the Oscar-winner giving the iconic doctor a feisty, belittling attitude as he toys with the slightly intimidated younger man. Modest but refusing to back down, Lewis is soft-spoken and unguarded – although Goode relishes the moments his character effectively counter-punches, temporarily knocking the arrogant Freud back on his heels.

But Freud’s Last Session is more than a showdown between the neurologist and the professor. Both men are struggling with complicated relationships with women close to them. For Freud, it’s with his beloved daughter Anna (Liv Lisa Fries), a brilliant psychoanalyst who is closeted, afraid of what her father might think of her sexuality — even though she happily caters to his every whim, constantly seeking his approval. Meanwhile, Lewis has for years been involved with Janie (Orla Brady), the mother of his best friend who died beside him on the battlefield during the Great War. There is a gentle irony that, for all of Freud and Lewis’ deeply-considered philosophical positions, they experience the same difficulties in their personal life as anyone else, these women exposing their flawed humanity.

That gentleness hints at the picture’s larger problem, however, with Brown crafting a tidy prestige drama that refuses to go very deep or take many chances. A smattering of flashbacks triggered by Freud and Lewis’ conversation help open up the story beyond the doctor’s cosy cottage, but these key glimpses inside their lives are not especially revealing. Likewise, for as much as the two men talk, the dialogue rarely crackles, which is surprising as they are arguing about one of the core questions that has gripped humanity for centuries. Hopkins’ playful surliness and Goode’s debonair wit make for some fun sparring, but anyone invested in the issues Freud’s Last Session purports to explore will come away disappointed, the characters rarely drawing blood.

As the protagonists debate, the drumbeat of war grows louder in the distance: Germany has moved into Poland, with England fearful of what may come next. Freud and his family are Jewish, and escaped Vienna because of Hitler – but this real and present danger feels oddly muted, presented as a harrowing backdrop yet unsatisfyingly dramatised. Whether it’s the encroaching Nazis or this imagined showdown between two towering minds, Freud’s Last Session has the potential to be explosive but, not unlike Lewis, it’s a little too polite, a little too reticent. The film ends on a nicely ambiguous note, suggesting that existence cannot be fully understood through either belief in God or surety in logic. But by not engaging with either position with much vigour, Brown leaves both sides of the argument wanting.

Production companies: Last Session, Subotica

International sales: WestEnd Films, info@westendfilms.com

Producers: Alan Greisman, Hannah Leader, Tristan Orpen Lynch, Rick Nicita, Robert Stillman, Meg Thomson

Screenplay: Mark St. Germain and Matthew Brown, based on the play by Mark St. Germain

Cinematography: Ben Smithard

Production design: Luciana Arrighi

Editing: Paul Tothill

Music: Coby Brown

Main cast: Anthony Hopkins, Matthew Goode, Liv Lisa Fries, Jodi Balfour, Jeremy Northam, Orla Brady, Stephen Campbell Moore, Padraic Delaney, Tarek Bishara

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‘Freud’s Last Session’ Review: Ace Turns by Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Goode Are Undercut by Subplot Overload – Hollywood Reporter – 28th October 2023

Matthew Brown’s film, which had its world premiere at AFI Fest, is an adaptation of an off-Broadway play centering on an imagined exchange between Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis.

BY STEPHEN FARBER

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[Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Goode in ‘Freud’s Last Session’ SONY PICTURES CLASSICS / COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION]

Bigger and longer are not always better. Case in point: Freud’s Last Session, the lavish film based on a modest off-Broadway play that captivated theater audiences a decade ago. Playwright Mark St. Germain worked with director Matthew Brown (The Man Who Knew Infinity) to reshape his two-character drama about an imaginary conversation between Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis as they debate the existence of God. That provocative exchange is still in the movie, and it sometimes crackles, thanks to the performances of Matthew Goode as Lewis and, especially, Anthony Hopkins as Freud. But the heart of the story is constantly undermined by a surfeit of asides about Lewis’ experiences in the First World War, Freud’s highly charged relationship with his daughter Anna, and several other subplots.

The main culprit here may be the current fashion for time-fractured, nonlinear narratives. It is rare these days to see a movie that unfolds in strict chronological order. Sometimes the nonlinear template can work effectively, as in Christopher Nolan’s scintillating Oppenheimer (though not in all of Nolan’s movies). But the vogue has definitely run wild and can weaken what might have been compelling stories if told in a more straightforward manner.

Freud’s Last Session

THE BOTTOM LINE

The conversations scintillate, the flashbacks irritate.

Venue: AFI Fest

Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Matthew Goode, Liv Lisa Fries

Director: Matthew Brown

Screenwriters: Mark St. Germain, Matthew Brown

2 hours 1 minute

The main story takes place in September of 1939, just after Hitler has invaded Poland and set Europe at war. Freud arrived in London a year earlier, after the Nazis marched into Vienna. Lewis is an Oxford don who has not yet written his beloved Narnia books, but who has recently embraced Christianity after years as a nonbeliever. He admires Freud’s work and relishes the idea of engaging in a debate about religion with the brilliant psychoanalyst. Freud’s skepticism about religion has been well documented in writings like The Future of an Illusion, but Lewis, realizing that Freud is dying of cancer, suspects the doctor might be receptive to contemplating the idea of an afterlife.

It is understandable that Brown wanted to move the action outside Freud’s study, and a scene in which an air raid drives Freud and Lewis, along with many other Londoners, to take refuge in a church (suitably ironic) is a valuable addition to the story. Less valuable are a rash of flashbacks. Some show Freud as a child with his weak-willed father. Many others show Lewis’ convoluted history, beginning with the death of his mother when he was a child, going on to his travails during World War I and a bizarre interlude involving his romance with the mother (Orla Brady) of a comrade who was killed in battle.

There are also scenes portraying Lewis’ friendship with Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien (Stephen Campbell Moore). A few of these sequences would perhaps be interesting in a biographical film about Lewis, but they seem rushed and perfunctory here and have very little bearing on the philosophical dialogue between Lewis and Freud that is the heart of the story.

Some of the subplots involving Freud are more compelling, particularly when they touch on his relationship with his daughter Anna (vibrantly played by Liv Lisa Fries), who went on to become a renowned child analyst in the years after Freud’s death. But even here, the film includes a number of tantalizing tidbits without doing them full justice.

At one point Freud tells Lewis that he psychoanalyzed Anna himself, something that would today be considered an outrageous breach of professional ethics. The issue is raised and then dropped. We also learn of Anna’s lesbian relationship with a fellow analyst, Dorothy Burlingham (Jodi Balfour), which her father has trouble accepting. In one scene Freud reveals surprising tolerance toward male homosexuality but expresses his disapproval of lesbianism. This probably reflects sexist prejudices rampant at the time, but the subject is left unresolved.

All these asides detract from the intriguing battle of words between the intellectuals. But even acknowledging and regretting the conceptual misjudgments that mar the film, there are moments to enjoy. The conversations between the doctor and the don remain stimulating, and the two central performances add to the electricity.

Goode has inhabited a range of roles in such films as Downton Abbey, The Imitation Game, Match Point and The Lookout (in which he made a scary villain). Here, he’s convincing as an intellectual who clearly admires Freud and sincerely wants to help him find consolation. Hopkins is superb. He chooses to play the part without an Austrian accent, but he perfectly captures the doctor’s mental vigor as well as his physical frailty. Hopkins has had a pretty amazing late-career resurgence, and this performance can be added to that list of achievements. It’s unfortunate that Brown keeps cutting away from the analyst to all those extraneous minor characters.

Another plus is that this film is exceptionally well made. The cinematography by Ben Smithard (who photographed Hopkins’ recent movies with director Florian Zeller, The Father and The Son) and the production design by Luciana Arrighi (who worked on two earlier Hopkins movies, Howards End and The Remains of the Day) help to bring the past alive. Coby Brown’s score is subtle and haunting. And for those in search of an intriguing companion piece, check out Shadowlands (a superior movie) to see Hopkins as C.S. Lewis at another period in the famous author’s life.

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“FREUD’S LAST SESSION” Review – Next Best Picture – 28th October 2023

By Tom O’Brien

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THE STORY – Tells of a meeting between C. S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud and the debate on God that follows, and discussions of the nature of their relationships with other people such as Freud’s daughter.

THE CAST – Anthony Hopkins, Matthew Goode & Liv Lisa Fries

THE TEAM – Matt Brown (Director) & Mark St. Germain (Writer)

THE RUNNING TIME – 118 Minutes

For those authors who delight in tossing historical facts to the wind, writing about imagined meetings between great figures from history must seem like catnip. You can make up anything about such a get-together and defend it by saying, “Well, it could have happened.” That temptation occurs with screenwriters as well, resulting in such memorable, if fictitious, meetings as those between two great Indian leaders in “RRR” and two popes in, well…”The Two Popes.” There’s even a consultation between a fictional character (Sherlock Holmes) and a real-life psychiatrist (Sigmund Freud) in the memorable “The Seven-Per-Cent Solution,” which may serve as the peak of literary speculation.

Freud again figures in the latest “What if?” mashup, Matthew Brown’s film adaptation of “Freud’s Last Session,” the 2009 stage play by Mark St. Germain that posited a possibly fictional meeting between confirmed atheist Freud (Anthony Hopkins) and famed Oxford professor and recent Christian convert C.S. Lewis (Matthew Goode) in 1939 London. The meeting takes place on September 3, just two days before Hitler was to invade Poland, triggering the start of World War II, and Londoners are in a panic as Lewis arrives at Freud’s home late (as his host rudely points out).

Freud has sought the meeting to confront Lewis over his new-found belief in God, maybe seeking amusement or an intellectual battle of wits. Or perhaps, given the fact that Freud is in the late stages of inoperable oral cancer, he is looking to be convinced that he is wrong about the afterlife and there is indeed a divine plan after his imminent death. Even as other topics are broached — families, the war, the power of music, and, of course, sex — the specter of death seems to hang over every conversation as an almost looming presence. It’s as if Freud knows that the clock is ticking, and he has only a short amount of time left to get the answers that will help to put his mind at ease.

This is pretty heady material for mass audience entertainment, one that could only work with actors as skilled as Hopkins and Goode. In many ways, Lewis, with his defense of God’s mercy (even as he is suffering from PTSD from WWI), is the more challenging role. An unassuming man, Goode’s Lewis is immediately questioned by his intellectual host, and it’s a joy to see Goode marshaling his strength to go toe-to-toe with the great Freud (and, by extension, the great Hopkins, as well).

One might think that Freud is just the kind of “great man” character that is totally in Hopkins’ wheelhouse, and in one sense, it is — one man who has earned authority and respect portraying another. But Hopkins reveals a vulnerability to Freud that may be unexpected but very welcome. Yes, his Freud is in complete control of his intellectual powers, but his body is forsaking him, with his ultimate fate soon to be determined by factors totally out of his control. That he is being portrayed by an actor like Hopkins — who, despite his current remarkable Oscar-winning renaissance, is nonetheless in the twilight of his career — brings an added poignancy to his portrayal that can’t be measured.

If only the film around them was up to the quality of its stars. When adapting a two-character, one-set play to the screen, director Brown and playwright St. Germain, who joined forces on the film’s screenplay, have understandably chosen to make the story more cinematic by creating additional storylines for characters who are merely mentioned in the play. The codependent relationship between Freud and his psychoanalyst daughter Anna (Liv Lisa Fries), for example, may be crucial to his character. Still, the film creates an elaborate work life for Anna, as well as including her real-life romantic relationship with a female colleague (Jodi Balfour) that is intriguing but whose story value may not justify its length. Similarly, the backstory of Lewis’ long-standing relationship with the mother of a dead Army buddy may be an interesting factoid, but it keeps us from getting back to the place where we really want to be — with Freud and Lewis going at it.

Still, the opportunity to see actors of this quality flex with roles this complex should not be taken lightly. Even if the vehicle that delivers them to us can be wobbly at times, their remarkable work will be the elements for which “Freud’s Last Session” will be remembered for some time to come.

RECAP

THE GOOD – Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Goode are in top form in this imagined meeting between a dying Sigmund Freud and the writer C.S. Lewis, where they battle over the existence of God and the promise of an afterlife.

THE BAD – If only the film around them was up to the quality of its stars. Lengthy sidebar stories about characters who are merely mentioned in the original play lack the dramatic punch of the central narrative and become mere distractions instead.

THE OSCAR PROSPECTS – Best Actor & Best Adapted Screenplay

THE FINAL SCORE – 6/10

 

AFI Film Festival Debuts Instant Classic ‘Freud’s Last Session’ – Telly Visions – 28th October 2023

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[Anthony Hopkins as Sigmund Freud and Matthew Goode as C.S. Lewis in ‘Freud’s Last Session’ Sony Pictures Classic]

By Ani Bundel

Anthony Hopkins is making a play for the Oscars this year in One Life, where he plays real-life “British Schindler” Sir Nicholas Winton, who saved the lives of 669 Jewish children during World War II. It’s perfect Oscar bait — real-life hero, biopic, period piece, tear-jerker, war drama. But current events have a way of accidentally derailing even the most foolproof schemes, and it’s always good to have a backup plan. Lucky for Hopkins, he has a second, far less controversial Best Actor performance in his back pocket in the historical fiction two-hander Freud’s Last Session.

The film is essentially a filmed version of the 2009 stage play of the same name by Mark St. Germain (Becoming Dr. Ruth). St. Germain’s play is adapted from Armand Nicholi‘s 2002 novel The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex, and the Meaning of Life. I feel compelled to note this is the second adaptation; PBS’ WGBH did a four-part series in 2004 where Peter Eyre (The Remains of the Day) and Simon Jones (The Gilded Age) starred as Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis. That one is sadly lost to history and the collapse of the DVD market. Freud’s Last Session, on the other hand, should not be.

Hopkins plays the titular doctor and co-stars alongside Matthew Goode (Downton Abbey), who plays the famous creator of Narnia, C.S. Lewis. There are a few token appearances outside of their discussions in Freud’s office, including a bonus Stephen Campbell Moore (The Confessions of Frannie Langton) going ham as Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien. But most of the film focuses on the conversations between these two great minds as they debate the meaning of life, the universe, and everything.

To be clear, these meetings did not happen; Nicholi was a clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and his book was based on his earlier lectures from the 1960s, themselves a thought exercise of what such meetings would have been like. The stage play erases some of that contest, and the movie, which St. Germain adapted from his own stage play, more of it, mostly out of necessity. These conversations are set in the days right after Germany’s invasion of Poland that began World War II, as Britain and France’s declaration of war made things seem hopeless once more, and end with Freud’s real-life physician-assisted suicide on September 23, 1939.

But just because the conversations themselves didn’t actually happen between these real-life events doesn’t detract from the actual idea of them, nor the philosophy they contain. Moreover, some of the discussions, which in 2009 felt a world away after the election of Barack Obama, are far more immediate now in the face of rising nationalism around the globe, war in Europe, and our own government struggling to function. Freud and Lewis would still be having these arguments if they were alive today, and it packs a punch.

Of course, most of that is due to Hopkins and Goode. Hopkins already had a triumph of this nature just before the pandemic hit with Jonathan Pryce (The Crown) and The Two Popes, another historical fiction drama of imagined conversations of philosophical ideas, this time between (then) living popes Benedict (Hopkins) and Francis (Pryce). But that’s expected when you get two old legends, point the camera at them, and say, “Go.” It’s not an insult to Goode to say it’s a pleasant surprise to see him match Hopkins beat for beat. It merely seals his future knighthood.

Freud’s Last Session will continue to play in small theaters in Los Angeles post-AFI, with a limited opening to follow. It will go into wide release (or at least as wide as any Sony Pictures Classic film gets) on Friday, December 22, 2023

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‘Freud’s Last Session’ Review: Anthony Hopkins And Matthew Goode Deliver Sterling Performances In Intelligent And Heady Drama – AFI Film Fest – Deadline – 27th October 2023

By Pete Hammond

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[Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Goode in ‘Freud’s Last Session’

Sony Pictures Classics]

On the heels of the wonderful 2019 The Two Popes, in which Anthony Hopkins starred as Pope Benedict XVI in an imagined conversation with Jonathan Pryce’s future Pope Francis, Hopkins is once again involved in the same kind of cinematic historical fictional meeting as founder of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud, who is engaged in a private debate with The Chronicles of Narnia author and theologian C.S. Lewis (played by Matthew Goode) on the existence of God. As with The Two Popes, there is no proof whatsoever that any meeting ever took place, but it clearly provides lots of material to wrap your head around. That is exactly what Mark St. Germain did in creating his 2009 play Freud’s Last Session, which was built on the 1967 Harvard lectures of Dr. Armond M. Nicholi Jr in his presentation “The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex, and the Meaning of Life.”

Now St. Germain has adapted his play to the screen in collaboration with director Matthew Brown, who has the task of opening up a largely talky and intellectual exercise to make it all work as a movie rather than a filmed stage play. Thus we have flashbacks to sequences of war, love, family conflict, etc., but still at its heart are the words, and if you are game for it there is much to chew on here, especially as it relates not just to the period in 1939 the story takes place — three weeks before Freud’s suicide at age 83 — but also eerily to right now in a world scarily divided where people choose sides in their dug-in beliefs and refuse to really communicate with those with whom they disagree. It is also a period where the winds of war are brewing (Hitler has invaded Poland, Britain has declared war on Germany), and other depressing signs that the world is falling apart.

Freud’s Last Session has its world premiere today at AFI Fest.

Against this background we are invited to this meeting of these brilliant minds as they gather to talk about their core religious belief: the scientist Freud, a confirmed non-believer in God, versus the writer and theologian Lewis taking a more hopeful and spiritual approach completely at odds with his host. Brown weaves in images of the forests running through Lewis’ mind, as well as Freud’s studies into darker visions and dream imagery.

We learn about each man through their lived experiences. There is Freud’s childhood, life in Vienna, and difficult relationship with daughter Anna (an excellent Liv Lisa Fries), who actually followed dad into the family business but quietly has taken up with Dorothy Burlingham (a fine Jodi Balfour) in a romantic relationship that managed to span 40 years after her father’s death, even as it was repressed during his lifetime due to his stringent beliefs on the order of male and female couplings.

As for Lewis, there are protracted flashbacks to his time on the battlefield in World War I and friendship with best friend Paddy Moore. They make a vow that whichever one of them makes it out alive they must go back and make sure the single parent of each is taken care of. Paddy dies during the war, and Lewis more than lives up to that vow, rather shockingly entering into a complicated sexual partnership with Paddy’s mom, Janie Moore (Star Trek’s Orla Brady). His close friendship with other literary giants is explored via his membership in The Inklings. There are other excursions, but the film always returns to the centerpiece of its idea of an open dialogue between two very disparate men, one of whom knows he is about to die (Freud actually suffered from painful jaw cancer).

What makes this an event for serious (and you better be in this instance) filmgoers are the performances, particularly Hopkins who has always added a entertaining, often playful tone to his portrayal of real figures in our history (well maybe not Nixon). Here he seems to relish digging into all the nooks and crannies of Freud (previously played most memorably but quite differently by a late-career Montgomery Clift in John Huston’s flawed 1962 drama Freud). As in his most recent Oscar-winning performance in The Father, this portrait of a man with a still vital mind in his final days is riveting to watch as it builds to a crescendo.

Hopkins is once again, you guessed it, awards worthy. What a complete pleasure it continues to be to watch this great actor at the top of his game. Goode is equally fine, even with the less showy role as he perfectly balances Hopkins as well as Moore, his frustrated lover.

Brown (The Man Who Knew Infinity) does his darnedest to make this all visually interesting and succeeds to a decent extent in doing so, a difficult task in an enterprise focused on words and ideas. Those filmgoers who are up to submitting to this fascinating fictional meeting will find much to think about.

Producers are Alan Griesman, Hannah Leader, Tristan Orpen Lynch, Rick Nicita, Robert Stillman and Meg Thomson.

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‘Freud’s Last Session’ Review: Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Goode out analyze each other in dense drama – The Wrap – 27th October

Director Matthew Brown tells a unique blend of fantasy and reality

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[“Freud’s Last Session” (Credit: Sony Pictures Classics)]

By Kristen Lopez

Hollywood has tried for decades to make psychoanalysis compelling for the layman, whether that’s David Cronenberg’s “A Dangerous Method” to Bill Condon’s “Kinsey.” Director Matthew Brown (“The Man Who Knew Infinity”) is the latest to look at the density of psychology, philosophy and existentialism with his quasi-historical drama “Freud’s Last Session.”

The film tells the story of a fictional meeting between Sigmund Freud (Anthony Hopkins) and author C.S. Lewis (Matthew Goode). Freud is suffering from oral cancer while Lewis has embraced a newfound love for Christianity. The pair meet in the hopes of crafting some type of relationship and spend the day going back and forth on the everything from God to the meaning of life.

It’s a fairly simple premise that holds promise: what would the greatest psychoanalyst and the most pronounced theologian have to talk about? The answer is enough to fill a two hour movie though it’s light on the whys of it all. Lewis shows up on Freud’s doorstep, a young Oxford don who’s recently written a book, but it’s unclear why a clearly sick Freud would make time for him. It’s one of many moments of “a-ha” the movie plays on, knowing that the audience is aware that C.S. Lewis would eventually become a big deal so why wouldn’t Freud want to meet him.

There’s a lot of commonality with Brown’s previous film, the fascinating 2015 feature “The Man Who Knew Infinity.” Like that movie, “Freud’s Last Session” deals with a lot of complex topics and doesn’t exactly simplify things for the audience. It’s akin to watching a play, with the two actors verbally dueling for much of the runtime. That being said, if you hold little interest in psychology or religion, you’ll feel as if you’re watching teeth being pulled (though at one point that actually happen in the movie….).

The film is really a two-hander between Goode and Hopkins, with each actor in fine form though no doubt they’ve been better in other things. Hopkins could make hay out of anything and here he’s a formidable presence as the curmudgeonly Freud. For all the pain the man was enduring at the time — sparking a dependence on morphine that is followed throughout — Hopkins always balances that out with humor, pointing out the contradictions of Lewis’ commitment to God. At one point, Freud’s amiable mien slips, as he reveals a key reason he’s an atheist and Hopkins conveys such pain, power and resilience.

But Goode matches Hopkins pound for pound. His C.S. Lewis is quiet and meek, almost afraid to celebrate his newfound love of religion. It’s certainly driven a wedge between Lewis and his live-in lover, Janie (Orla Brady). A flashback reveals much about their relationship that, at times, is far more compelling than the dynamic between Freud and Lewis. It’s a similar sentiment when seeing the scenes of Freud’s daughter, Anna (Liv Lisa Fries), who struggles with her sexuality as well as codependency on her dad that’s very, shall we say, Freudian.

It’s strange though that the central narrative of “Freud’s Last Session” is, in fact, the least compelling element of the movie. It’s probably because Brown and screenwriter Mark St. Germain don’t delve when they should. Too often things are hinted at and never outright said. A sequence of Anna and Sigmund engaged in an analysis session — wherein she’s telling him about her sexual fantasies — verges on the inappropriate yet never puts that in proper context. Not to mention the overabundance on flashbacks often leave the viewer confused about what point in time they’re in.

“Freud’s Last Session” will certainly find its fans, and the actors are all superlative. But the whole affair feels a bit too dense to enthrall and the script never dives deep enough into these characters’ psyche to tell us something new or particularly unique. As Hopkins’ Freud says, he’s a flawed human and that’s what the movie focuses on: our human tendency to contradict our own belief systems time and again. Whether that’s for you is all up to your own interpretation.

Sony Pictures Classic will release “Freud’s Last Session” on December 22.

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At 45, Matthew Goode is the new face of Hackett London as part of the fall-winter 2023 collection of the British house founded in 1979. A first for the actor, known for his role in The Crown , and who plays perfectly reflect the values ​​of the English gentleman as imagined for nearly 45 years by Hackett’s founder and artistic director, Jeremy Hackett. Alongside his compatriot F1 driver Jenson Button, it is in the heart of the green Scottish countryside that the two men were immortalized. The perfect opportunity to question Matthew Goode about his new role as muse, his natural elegance and his little everyday stylistic habits.

When and how did your dialogue with Hackett begin?
It started in 2008, just after I finished a particularly famous novel by Evelyn Waugh about the 1920s. I can’t really talk about it, but that’s how it all started and I was thrilled. I met Jeremy ( Hackett, editor’s note) , who was incredibly kind. The fact that it has come full circle and I can work with Hackett again is a real joy, because I didn’t think they would want to do it now that I’m a little older. Maybe ageism is disappearing anyway.

What was your relationship with Hackett before taking on this role as muse?
I used to wear Hackett when I was young and in my twenties, so it was a business that worked. I used to wear their products, so again, it’s so nice when someone invites you to do something you’re already doing anyway.

Well that would be my morning suit, it never fails. We’ve been to a lot of weddings, as well as my own, and people always comment on my suit and tell me I look smart, so that’s always nice. But in the future I will buy suits from Hackett, as I have a few that are looking a bit shabby.

Do you prepare your appearance for auditions? Should it be the character or the “real you”?
Sometimes I tried to suggest certain things, but if you’re playing a man in the military, I don’t really have any useful clothes in my wardrobe. But there are certain ways to dress and others to dress better. I even put on a shirt and tie as needed.

How would you describe your style?
I would say my style is pretty casual. I’m now 45 and a father of three , so when I need to look stylish, I am. I wear chinos and jeans, but I like to be comfortable, so I wear them with sweaters and the occasional jacket . Somewhere between geeky and practical.

Who is your role model in terms of style?
My role model is still William Gilchrist, who is the smartest man I have ever met in my life. He is something of a fashion pirate and I bow to his sensitivity.

How do you dress at home?
I spend most of my time reading and walking the dog when the kids are at school. So I’m quite relaxed. Unless I’m going out with my wife for the evening, in which case I don’t want to embarrass her, so I dress more smartly with a jacket or something, or maybe even a suit.

How do you dress in the evening?
I like to wear a suit if we’re going to the theater or elsewhere, but most of the time I dress as comfortably as possible, and that depends on the season. Now that we’re heading into winter soon, I’m going to break out the corduroys and cashmere sweaters.

Which character would you like to play just for looks?
If you play a cavalry officer, you will wear a stylish uniform and a large sword. It would be a lot of fun.

Besides you, who is the actor with the most style?
Eddie Redmayne has to be in the top tier.

What is your first fashion memory?
My earliest fashion memories are always the clothes we wore on Christmas Day . So I wouldn’t wear them another day. I remember having a few shirts that I kept as clean as possible and only wore on Christmas Day. One of them was pink, white and gray, with a geometric pattern. It’s one of my earliest memories. I’m not sure I would wear it today.

What clothes will you save from a fire?
If I had the chance to go back and save something, I guess I would save the suit I got married in, a Hackett morning suit, which I’m obviously very attached to.

The item of clothing or accessory you’ve owned the longest?
As for clothes, there are a few pairs of shoes that I’ve had for fifteen to twenty years. It’s usually the clothes you wear the least often that last the longest. So I have shoes that can only be worn with tuxedos and are particularly shiny.

The piece you regret buying or wearing?
This has never happened to me.

The next item of clothing or accessory you would like to treat yourself to?
I’m going to Hackett’s to buy a new costume for a premiere that might be happening soon. And then, I love this time of year because I have the opportunity to renew my sweaters and buy different types. Our house is quite old and cold, so we need extra layers.

Will we see you at the next Paris Fashion Week ?
We never know. I think that it is possible. I love Paris, and if I can’t go there because of work (the next year is going to be pretty busy), then I’ll be lucky.

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Matthew Goode: outdoors in Scotland, the best ‘crisis trip’ to Barbados and love of tailored suits  Conde Nast Traveller – Spain. 25th October 2023  [English Translation]

BY CLARA LAGUNA 

We spoke exclusively with the British actor, who stars alongside Formula 1 champion Jenson Button in Hackett’s new campaign.

We sensed that Matthew Goode would have a refined British humor and we have recently been able to confirm that we were right. Having triumphed with successful series such as Downtown Abbey and The Crown, blockbusters such as The Kingsman and It Had to Be You and cult films such as Match Point and Stoker has not affected the open and affable character of the actor, who now stars alongside the champion from the world of Formula 1, Jenson Button, Hackett London’s new autumn-winter 2023 campaign. With this excuse, we were lucky enough to chat with him for a long time via video call, in which he seemed very friendly, happy to answer any type of question with all kinds of detail. The first and inevitable one was about his signing by the brand and the experience during the bucolic photo session. “It was fun. I had already worked with Hackett years ago, 14 or 15 if I’m not mistaken, and it was wonderful to be asked to come back. Working with them is synonymous with enjoying nature, this is part of their identity.”

The actor tells Condé Nast Traveler that, when he returned to the Sloane Square headquarters in London, part of the team was still the same as when he had been there more than a decade ago. “I felt like I was coming home. I’ve grown up with them, sartorially, over the years. I still keep the hangers of the suits I’ve had custom made. And the good thing is that, although the silhouettes have varied somewhat over the years, there are never drastic changes. Of course, fabrics have improved and it is now easier to travel with a suit. There are even water-repellent ones,” Goode highlights, and insists that it is a good investment to go for the personalized range. “They have the same Savile Row craftsmanship, history and a pretty affordable price.”

The location of the campaign images, which we can already enjoy on billboards and in magazines, is the Glen of the Quair Water area, about 5 kilometers southwest of Innerleithen, in the Scottish Borders council. “It is a beautiful place, simply God’s Land in Scotland. And I had never met Jenson before, who turned out to be incredibly funny and kind. To tell you the truth, I was feeling a little intimidated, we’re talking about a world champion, extraordinarily recognizable, and I was thinking ‘God, he probably doesn’t even know who I am.’ Which is right. But yeah, it’s a lot of fun. Too handsome for my taste, but he’s really, really down to earth. A great guy”.

The part of Scotland that the actor likes the most is “the one from Wellpark to St. Andrews (because of my passion for golf, obviously), although the landscapes further north on the Isle of Skye and its surroundings are simply stunning.” . Incredible.” Among his favorite hotels, he recommends Gleneagles (“It has excellent golf courses”) and The Fife Arms, to discover the Cairngorms and the Highlands.

For Hackett’s campaign he shared moments of fishing and card games with Jenson, in a photo session, carried out by Charlie Gray in collaboration with the Dentsu Creative Spain agency, full of anecdotes: “We had a great day and it was wonderful to meet up with him again. The glorious Charlie Gray. Sometimes photographers go unnoticed, but we would be nothing without them. I worked with him many years ago, so he encouraged me quickly and gave me great confidence. The best thing is that not only is he as professional as a pine tree, he’s also incredibly funny. “I loved seeing that his career has flourished over the years.”

If Hitchcock said that there was nothing worse than filming with animals and children, Goode confirms it. At least the first part. “They put huge birds of prey on our arms, with a very sharp beak, quite close to our eyes. I had dealt with hawks before, so in theory I should have felt a little more comfortable. But it wasn’t to be, and Jenson isn’t particularly comfortable around horses either. So, despite our experience in other types of sporting adventures, we were both a little… uneasy. Otherwise, it was great. Really, very fun. And I think the campaign conveys it.” They still have some photos pending for the next campaign, so Goode confesses that he is looking forward to meeting the athlete again “in a nice hotel and in a bar, so he can tell me how this racing season has gone in the United States.”

“Geek, golfer, fisherman, father of three.” With those words Matthew Goode defines his style, “more conservative than Hackett would like,” he jokes, “although little by little they are introducing me to the 21st century.” The brand, focused on traditional tailoring with contemporary touches – its new collection opts for functional pine green and brown colors, wool coats, premium knitwear and Italian corduroy pants and pure cotton velvet – fits well with its love of outdoor sports.

For the protagonist of Al Sur de Granada, posing for a fashion shoot is nothing new and, in fact, he feels quite comfortable in that position without having to invent a character. “In these cases it is better to be yourself. Every time we promote a film some work of this type comes up, and I always think that you have to keep a very open mind. Sometimes they want to dress you up like an alien, but overall it’s entertaining. In any case, it’s better than working in a coal mine. “I feel grateful and with humility I recognize that I am not being Meryl Streep, but I am not doing it wrong.” Devoting himself to film and television requires him to travel the world, so we are intrigued to know what his discoveries have been around the planet. “Wow, all over the world? I’m not that much of a traveler… My wife is much more so, because she used to work in the fashion industry. I usually travel for work and, every time I arrive in a city, I am much more worried about the character than anything else although, obviously, on my days off I can discover lovely restaurants and bookstores. But I feel safer traveling with my wife.”

Goode dreams of traveling with her to Hawaii – “For God’s sake, it’s about time I started learning surfing, and I know it would be great for our kids. I’ve had friends who have been and had a great time. I would also like to visit some fly fishing areas with my great friend Burn Gorman. Or Ted Hughes territory in Devon. Or the Highlands. A bit of salmon fishing. My wife would love to go to Thailand. I’ve never been on a safari. I have the I intend to work hard over the next year and then hopefully enjoy some family trips, because we’re starting to lose friends. I don’t want to end on a negative note, but you have to work hard to live life. Maybe I haven’t been spontaneous enough, So I’m going to try to be.”

 The trip of your life? “Marriage”. But if I had to remember a particularly important trip, it would be that “crisis vacation in a wonderful place: Barbados.” He was working in Los Angeles, during the pandemic, when mobility regulations in the United States were very difficult. “It looked like I wouldn’t be able to see my family during that period and suddenly my film company gave me 12 days off, which I took advantage of to meet them in Barbados. We spent ten glorious days at the Sandy Lane Hotel. They couldn’t have been nicer to us. It has a little bit of everything: we had fantastic weather, a wonderful beach – we are very beach people –, you can play tennis and the food is wonderful. Oh, and there is a Green Monkey golf course, if you have never played I recommend it, it is tremendously fun.”

From Spain, where he had one of his first jobs, the actor fondly remembers discovering the wines of Márques de Riscal. “It was in 2001, I remember it was very hot, but I loved these wines, really amazing.” He enjoys traveling alone to places like India – “There is a cultural exchange and you learn about yourself, it is good to be alone in different environments.” And, although he would not exactly define himself as a foodie, he has been becoming more daring, gastronomically speaking, thanks to the advice of his wife, undoubtedly his best life partner. “It has made me grow in many ways. She is much more daring than me, thank God.”  

Finally, we want to know more about your native Exeter. Matthew grew up in a small village on the outskirts and advises us to visit Topsham: “It’s very quaint and pretty, with all kinds of Dutch architecture and about ten pubs. In Exeter itself you should not miss the cathedral, very beautiful. And if you like fishing, there is a nice place with ponds on the outskirts near Farringdon. I spent a lot of time there when I was a kid.”

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Freud’s Last Session FIRST LOOK: Sir Anthony Hopkins transforms into neurologist Sigmund as he’s pictured on Ireland film set – Mail Online – 17th April 2023 [Extracts]

By CALLUM WELLS FOR MAIL ONLINE

Sir Anthony Hopkins transformed into Sigmund Freud as he was seen for the first time shooting his upcoming film, Freud’s Last Session.

The actor, 85, was dressed in a khaki coat and a brown trilby hat as he got to work on the Ireland film set last month alongside 30 extras.

Donning Freud’s trademark round-rimmed glasses, he was joined by former Downton Abbey star Matthew Goode, 45, who plays Narnia author C.S Lewis.

The leading men were seen walking into a church while carrying gas masks.

It is thought the pair will discuss the existence of God in the latter years of the doctor’s life on the brink of World War II.

In-action: Sir Anthony Hopkins transformed into Sigmund Freud as he was seen for the first time shooting his upcoming film, Freud's Last Session
Real deal: Freud is photographed shortly before his death in 1939

In-action: Sir Anthony Hopkins transformed into Sigmund Freud as he was seen for the first time shooting his upcoming film, Freud’s Last Session

Starring role: The actor, 85, was dressed in a khaki coat and a brown trilby hat as he got to work on the Ireland film set last month alongside 30 extras

Starring role: The actor, 85, was dressed in a khaki coat and a brown trilby hat as he got to work on the Ireland film set last month alongside 30 extras

Based on Mark St. Germain’s acclaimed 2010 play of ideas, the exciting new movie was filming at Ardmore Studios in Bray, Co. Wicklow.

Its IMDb description reads: ‘Set on the eve of WWII and towards the end of his life, Freud’s Last Session sees Freud (Hopkins) invite iconic author C.S. Lewis for a debate over the existence of God.

‘Exploring Freud’s unique relationship with his lesbian daughter Anna and Lewis’ unconventional romance with his best friend’s mother, the film interweaves past, present and fantasy, bursting from the confines of Freud’s study on a dynamic journey.’

Anthony may be 84 but he’s showing no signs of slowing down.

Legendary: He donned Freud’s trademark round-rimmed glasses

Talented: Anthony may be 84 but he's showing no signs of slowing down

What a pair! He was joined by former Downton Abbey star Matthew Goode, 45, who plays Narnia author C.S Lewis

What a pair! He was joined by former Downton Abbey star Matthew Goode, 45, who plays Narnia author C.S Lewis

Busy bees: The leading men were seen walking into a church while carrying gas masks
Good watch: It is thought the pair will discuss the existence of God in the latter years of the doctor's life on the brink of World War II

 

Suave: Matthew looked dapper in a navy suit

Good watch: It is thought the pair will discuss the existence of God in the latter years of the doctor’s life on the brink of World War II

Coming soon: Based on Mark St. Germain's acclaimed 2010 play of ideas, the exciting new movie was filming at Ardmore Studios in Bray, Co. Wicklow

Coming soon: Based on Mark St. Germain’s acclaimed 2010 play of ideas, the exciting new movie was filming at Ardmore Studios in Bray, Co. Wicklow

For full article – dailymail.co.uk

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Anthony Hopkins’ look in Freud’s Last Session unveiled – FIRST LOOK – Daily Express – 15th April 2023

Anthony Hopkins was suited and booted in this adaptation of a stage show.

By CALLUM CRUMLISH
Anthony Hopkins is taking on the real-life role of psychiatrist Sigmund Freud in a new drama from Sony Picture. The movie, Freud’s Last Session, follows the famed neurologist sitting down with CS Lewis to debate God, faith, and the hidden depths of their lives. Hopkins was pictured in Ireland alongside co-star Matthew Goode, who is playing the aforementioned author.

Freud's Last Session anthony hopkins

After spotting the photographer, the Hannibal Lecter actor doffed his cap at his audience.

He could be seen alongside Goode, who is taking on the monumental role of Lewis, who is best known for penning The Chronicles of Narnia series.

The pair of British actors could be seen carrying out their scene while walking into a church, while carrying gas masks in their hands.

Anthony Hopkins, 85, tips his hat as he joins set for new Sigmund Freud film – Daily Star – 15th April 2023

Hollywood legend Anthony Hopkins and Downton Abbey star Matthew Goode were spotted filming their upcoming psychological thriller in the heart of Ireland over the weekend

Hollywood icon Anthony Hopkins was spotted filming in Ireland

Anthony Hopkins seen as Sigmund Freud for the first time in new film with Downton star – Daily Mirror – 15th April 2023

Sir Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Goode have been pictured filming their new movie, Freud’s Last Session, which sees the actors play Sigmund Freud and C.S Lewis

Sir Anthony Hopkins on set as Sigmund Freud

Sir Anthony Hopkins on set as Sigmund Freud (Image: Mark Doyle / SplashNews.com)

Sir Anthony Hopkins has been pictured for the first time as Sigmund Freud while filming scenes in Ireland.

The two-time Oscars winner, 85, plays the founder of psychoanalysis opposite Downton Abbey star Matthew Goode, 45, who portrays The Chronicles of Narnia author C.S Lewis in the upcoming film Freud’s Last Session.

The actors were pictured filming a scene which saw them walk into a church carrying gas masks in their hands, accompanied by about 30 extras on set.

Sir Anthony wore a grey coat, a brown trilby hat and Freud’s trademark round-rimmed glasses. Goode donned a navy overcoat and maroon tie.

The Silence of the Lambs star tipped his hat when he noticed the photographer’s camera.

Sir Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Goode as Sigmund Freud and C.S Lewis

Sir Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Goode as Sigmund Freud and C.S Lewis

(Image:Mark Doyle / SplashNews.com)

The movie, directed by Matthew Brown, is based on Mark St German’s 2010 play of the same name and is set just before the Second World War.

The Austrian pioneer invites Lewis, a Christian, to discuss God and faith, with the film delving into Freud’s relationship with his daughter Anna, and Lewis’ with his best friend’s mother.

Sir Anthony tips his hat to the photographer

Sir Anthony tips his hat to the photographer

(Image:Mark Doyle / SplashNews.com)

The film’s cast also includes Liv Lisa Fries as Freud’s daughter, The Crown star Jodi Balfour, Stephen Campbell Moore, Gosford Park actor Jeremy Northam and Rose Plays Julie star Orla Brady.

In 2021, Sir Anthony said he had no plans to retire, telling Saga magazine that he enjoys working, adding: “I enjoy getting out of the house and doing something different. I enjoy the novelty of it… I love the activity.”

Downton Abbey star Matthew Goode pictured on set in Ireland

Downton Abbey star Matthew Goode pictured on set in Ireland (Image:Mark Doyle / SplashNews.com)

Anthony Hopkins

Sir Anthony looked in good spirits while filming

(Image:Mark Doyle / SplashNews.com)

He went on: “My wife, Stella, worries about my health and once said, ‘Do you want to keep going until you drop dead?’ I replied, ‘I guess so, unless my health gives out first’. And she said, ‘Well, that’s good if it’s really what you want to do’. And it is. Acting is my passion.”

The Father actor came close to retiring in the past, first in 1998, and in 2011, before his role as Odin in Marvel blockbuster Thor.

 

Downton Abbey star Matthew Goode’s next project sounds amazing – details – Hello Magazine – 23rd March 2023

By Emily Griffiths

We can’t wait to see what the Downton Abbey star is in next

Downton Abbey star Matthew Goode has his pick of the projects, and so we have to admit that we are very excited about his upcoming movie! The actor, who has also starred in A Discovery of Witches and The Good Wife, is set to star opposite Anthony Hopkins in a historical film – and plays a very famous author…

The actor is set to play CS Lewis in the new adaptation, which was originally a play. The IMDB synopsis reads: “Set on the eve of WWII and towards the end of his life, Freud’s Last Session sees Freud (Hopkins) invite iconic author C.S. Lewis for a debate over the existence of God.

“Exploring Freud’s unique relationship with his lesbian daughter Anna and Lewis’ unconventional romance with his best friend’s mother, the film interweaves past, present and fantasy, bursting from the confines of Freud’s study on a dynamic journey.”

Director Matt Brown spoke about the project, saying: “We are so excited to have Sony Pictures Classics on board our film. They have a long history of supporting independent filmmakers’ visions and offering audiences dynamic stories told from a global perspective. I am thrilled to be working with them on FREUD’S LAST SESSION from such an early stage.”

In a statement, Sony Pictures Classics bosses added: “Another fabulous role for Anthony Hopkins as Freud in London during WW2 locking horns with C.S. Lewis (Matthew Goode). The talented Matt Brown has surrounded himself with the best design team and cinematographer working today. Freud’s Last Session promises to be a major movie. It is also great to be back in business with our friends at Westend.”

Despite being a fan favourite on Downton Abbey, the star didn’t reprise his role as Henry Talbot in the sequel, A New Era. Hugh Dancy hinted about his absence ahead of the film’s release back in 2022. In an interview with This Morning, he chatted about his character, a love interest for Lady Mary, with Phillip Schofield adding: “Is her husband still away?” to which Hugh quipped: “Her husband is still away, yes. Which helps when you’re making a film!”

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Oscars 2024: First Blind Predictions Include Biopics, Musicals and Return of the Streamers – Variety – 17th March 2023 [Extract]

By Clayton Davis

What better way to officially close the door on an exhausting awards season than to look ahead –blindly — to what studios and production companies could bring to the screen in 2023.

As Variety‘s awards coverage transitions into the Emmy season, this annual tradition (albeit highly inaccurate due to release shifts and other varying factors) creates some fun and wonder as Cannes looms two months away.

Actor in a Supporting Role

Colman Domingo
“The Color Purple” (Warner Bros.)
Samuel L. Jackson ***
“The Piano Lesson” (Netflix)
Brian Tyree Henry
“Flint Strong” (Amazon/MGM)
Wagner Moura
“Civil War” (A24)
Jesse Plemons
“Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films)

Alternates: Willem Dafoe, “Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures); Matthew Goode, “Freud’s Last Session” (Sony Pictures Classics); Corey Hawkins, “The Color Purple” (Warner Bros.); Ryan Gosling, “Barbie” (Warner Bros.); Barry Keoghan, “Saltburn” (Amazon Studios)

Oscars category page with rankings>>> coming later in 2023

Link to full article here