World News – GB – Jonathan Pryce of the two popes over his ‘rivalry’ with Anthony Hopkins

The new Prince Phillip in The Crown defeated his co-star Anthony Hopkins to Best Actor Bafta Cymru for the Netflix movie

Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce has warned theaters and the production industry in Wales are too important to fall victim to the coronavirus pandemic

Speaking after winning Bafta Cymru for Best Actor for his role as Pope Francis in Netflix’s The Two Popes, Pryce said he hoped the arts industry outside of London would benefit from the help of the government after being closed earlier this year

The Flintshire-born actor, who is a veteran of regional theaters like Everyman in Liverpool and who has won two Tony Awards and an Olivier for his work on stage, also revealed his close relationship with the co -star of the two popes Anthony Hopkins, who was also shortlisted for best actor at the Bafta Cymru 2020 ceremony

Pryce, who is set to star as The Duke of Edinburgh in Netflix’s last two series of The Crown, said: “I grew up to love Tony very much and I learned to respect his work and we created some rivalry because there wasn’t really any between us

« I was number one on the call sheet and he was number two And every morning I saw him and he said ‘hello number one’ and I said ‘hello number two’ and he had even had big signs made for his trailer saying he was really number one and that upstart should have been number two « 

The Pirates of the Caribbean actor said he would call Hopkins from Port Talbot to tell him he had beaten him for the price

« We had a lot of fun Sometimes you can’t be as good as the person you’re working with and what the other person gives you and we get along really well together And I won I’ll call him, don’t worry « 

He also revealed that the couple had a fake rivalry to be from North and South Wales

« Of course there is a difference between us as we have constantly reflected on whether he is from South Wales which is much lower than North Wales

« We talked about growing up in Wales, I knew his story and I think he might know mine. It was always fascinating because he was an only child, I was not a only child, and he had a very different kind of life, but our background was not too different « 

Turning to the plight of the arts and theater, the 73-year-old actor, who became TV fan-favorite villain in 2016 when he played the High Sparrow in Game of Thrones, said he hoped that Welsh industry could succeed in assistance

« We have to have financial help from the government just to make things turn, » he said « So that buildings do not fall into disrepair and people do not lose their livelihoods and not leaving the profession It may sound silly but we are still in our infancy

« We weren’t able to play but production is restarting We found a way around this problem The theater starts in London and some outside London »

He said the process was going to be slow, but the focus of the aid should be extended beyond the West End

« The process is going to be slow, but we certainly need government funding to keep it going

« There was a big producer who said it was a waste of money outside of London – he was a billionaire producer – the West End needed all the money because it’s there that tourists go and that the money is made

« But these are the theaters outside of London The production in Wales is very important There is a whole new industry there and it is important to get help for that »

He added: « I am absolutely delighted to receive this [award] tonight It was a surprise because I had completely forgotten about the ceremony »

Other winners at the 29th ceremony were His Dark Materials which received three awards, including Best Actress for Ruth Wilson, In My Skin received two awards, with Director: Fiction going to Lucy Forbes and Writer at Kayleigh Llewellyn, former Bafta Breakthrough participant

You can catch the Bafta Cymru 2020 virtual rewards on the Bafta YouTube channel

Jonathan Pryce, Ruth Wilson, British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA Cymru, Anthony Hopkins, Wales