Story By Eirik Knutzen    
Photography By Jeff Dunas

You have made a number of cross-country treks in the U.S. by car in recent years-do you still do that?
Yes, I do. The last trip was with my wife in March when we drove about 3,000 miles through a half-dozen states including New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming.

Why did you do so many solo driving trips through the U.S.
over the years?
I just enjoy the adventure of getting in the car and taking off to places where I have never been before. Often, I only have vague ideas of where I'm going and frequently change direction. I remember going down to Dallas back in 1996. I spent a couple of days there, then thought it was time to move on. So I turned left, drove through the Central Plains and wound up in Seattle. Then the I-5 through the center of California going home. I think the whole trip took about 10 days. I don't have any grand plan for exploring America, but there are places I eventually want to see. I've been to Yellowstone, for example, but have yet to visit Yosemite. It's definitely on my list. More than anything, I just get in the car and go.

Are you ever recognized out there in the hinterlands or do you change your appearance or accent in any way?
No, I just lead a normal life. When I walk into a coffee shop in a small town somewhere, a few people usually come up to me and say, "What are you doing here?" My standard response is, "What are you doing here?" They say they live there and I tell them I'm just passing through. And now I'm just having a cup of coffee. I stay in motels by the road like everybody else. No, I don't see any need to disguise myself. I live a normal life.

Do you ever use your title, Sir Anthony?
No, never.

Why not?
I don't need it. I prefer being called Anthony. Anthony Hopkins.

Could you imagine doing anything else for a living?
No, not really. I've done everything I set out to do in my life. If I work again, fine. If I don't, I don't particularly care. But I do take every job seriously. I will travel to many places to do publicity for "The Human Stain."

What do you do for fun and relaxation?
I have gone back to study classical music and playing the piano. I have a partner for writing film music. I've done some of that before, but it's my main interest now. Film music is different from anything else in composing-it doesn't need structure and I'm very good at improvising music. What I've got to do now is go back and introduce some discipline and orchestration to my work. So I'm studying, going back to the basics.

Did you study music formally earlier on in life?
Yes, I did as a very young boy-about six years of age. I learned how to read music, but along the way branched off into acting. And after all these years, about 60, I've come back full circle. I think now is the time to start to make up for all those years. I'm thinking about doing it professionally, but we're not talking about on the concert stage.

Could you see yourself pull out of acting entirely to pursue
a music career?
No, quite frankly. Acting was the first thing I did that made me feel as though I had accomplished something, but I've never regarded it as some highfalutin art. It's something I've always regarded as a job and never got carried away with.