Sir Anthony Hopkins: Learning lines keeps my brain going

Sir Anthony Hopkins thinks "learning lines keeps [his] brain going".

The 83-year-old actor plays a dementia patient in the acclaimed drama film 'The Father', and he admits that it's made him more determined to keep his brain active.

He said: "I read a lot and I paint and I play the piano, I play five times a week and and I am not a concert painist, but it's good exercise and I also memorise scripts."

The acclaimed actor admits that his work actually helps him with his memory.

He told Sorted magazine: "Being an actor is useful as you have to learn the script, that's the one discipline I do preach to younger actors and I say that often to young kids who want to improvize.

"I think learning lines keeps my brain going."

Earlier this year, Anthony described acting as a "paid hobby".

The award-winning star loves his job but he doesn't allow himself to get carried away by his own fame and success.

He explained: "I’m not a method actor. I can’t sit in the corner thinking I’m a plant or anything like that.

"I get a cup of tea or a cup of coffee and say, ‘Good morning’. Some people want to make a big deal of it. I can’t. I’ve got a life of my own and acting to me is a hobby, a paid hobby, but I enjoy it."

The Hollywood star previously warned young actors that being rich and famous isn't as great as it's perceived to be.

Anthony thinks young people have a distorted impression of life in the movie business.

He said: "You know, I meet young people, and they want to act and they want to be famous, and I tell them, when you get to the top of the tree, there’s nothing up there. Most of this is nonsense, most of this is a lie. Accept life as it is. Just be grateful to be alive."