Sir Anthony Hopkins has said he feels a 'wonderful peacefulness' about the prospect of death, saying it is simply 'inevitable' that life eventually comes to an end.
Speaking to the Mirror ahead of the release of his new film The Father, 82-year-old Hopkins discussed how he feels about the 'freedom' of understanding the 'reality' of death.
He said: "Your life is terminal. It's a terminal condition, you're not going to get off the planet alive.
"With that reality there's a tremendous freedom, a wonderful peacefulness about it."
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Hopkins recalled the experience of his own mother dying, adding: "I remember when my mother was dying, she'd just had enough.
"She was 89 and wanted to go. It's a sad subject still, but that's the inevitable."
It's a topic Hopkins also touches upon in his new film, which follows an aging Welshman as he deals with his progressing memory loss, while his daughter (Olivia Colman) loses patience with him.
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His performance in the movie has been hailed one of the greatest of his career, having been heaped with praise from critics across the board.
Reviewing the film, which is due out in the UK in January, Slash Film writer Jason Gorber wrote: "I can admit that this may be Anthony Hopkins' definitive role.
"His portrayal mixes bewilderment with a fierce, proud sense of certitude is Lear-like in its sophistication without ever a hint of overplaying to the back of the theatre."
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Gorber added: "The film leaves its mark by making us, briefly, consider not only our own mortality but our impending doom, for those lucky enough to make it that far along the race. Forget the local tragedy of his one family, this is a horror that may befit us all unless the end comes even sooner."
Guardian reviewer Benjamin Lee also said the film boasts a 'devastating lead performance' from Hopkins, writing: "It's astounding, heartbreaking work, watching him try to rationally explain to himself and those around him what he's experiencing."
Lee added: "It's breathtaking to watch him here but also incredibly harrowing."
After premiering at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, it's set for release in the United States on 18 December, and in the United Kingdom on 8 January 2021.
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