‘Those About to Die' director recalls first ‘nervous' meeting with Anthony Hopkins

Those About to Die director Roland Emmerich has revealed that meeting Hollywood icon Anthony Hopkins made him very nervous.

The German filmmaker co-directed the series with Marco Kreuzpaintner for Prime Video. 

In the show, Hopkins plays the ailing Emperor Vespasian in first century CE Rome who has to choose whether to pass the throne to his warrior son Titus (Tom Hughes) or his politician son Domitian (Jojo Macari). The plot is further thickened with Iwan Rheon’s power-hungry bookie Tenax looking to solidify his position in elite society.

Emmerich, who’s worked with Mel Gibson, Will Smith and Jake Gyllenhaal, told Forbes: “I was more nervous meeting him than when I met Mel Gibson.”

“He was a total darling and very cooperative and super easy to deal with,” he added of the two-time Oscar winner.

The Peacock show premiered on Prime Video on July 20 and has received mostly good reviews from critics and fans. The show is based on Daniel P. Mannix's 1958 novel, which was also the inspiration for the 2000 Gladiator film starring Russell Crowe as gladiator Maximus.