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Celyn Jones says working with Hopkins and Zeta-Jones was 'peak Welshness'

Celyn Jones described working with Sir Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones on A Visit to Grampa's as a 'homecoming' and said he reached 'peak Welshness'.

·3 min read
Celyn Jones wearing a grey blazer and a white shirt. He is standing in front of a dark blue screen. He has short dark hair and a short beard.

Celyn Jones said it felt like a "homecoming" to work on the film adaptation of A Visit to Grampa's, describing the experience as a "culture moment". He said he reached "peak Welshness" while working alongside Sir Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones on the upcoming film based on the Dylan Thomas short story.

"I think I reached peak Welshness when I was singing Myfanwy, while Tony [Hopkins] played the piano and Catherine Zeta-Jones served the drinks,"
he told Lucy Owen on Radio Wales.

"I just needed Charlotte Church to call the bingo and I've gone full score Welsh."

Sir Anthony Hopkins stars in the Dylan Thomas short story which was filmed in Dolgellau.

Sir Anthony Hopkins with a grey beard. He wears a dark coat, woollen brown hat and a beige shirt with a blue stripes.
Image caption, Sir Anthony Hopkins stars in the Dylan Thomas short story which was filmed in Dolgellau

A Visit To Grandpa's follows a young boy sent to spend a summer full of adventure with his eccentric grandfather on a Welsh farm.

Speaking about Sir Anthony, who plays Grampa, Jones said Hopkins "was on everyone Facebook's feed in Dolgellau" after stopping to take pictures and giving people his time.

"It was a total pleasure, a total egoless experience for me where I just thought I don't care if I was just a disembodied arm in this film. Just being near him was great and he was great,"
he said.

In April, hundreds of people gathered in Dolgellau, Gwynedd, to watch filming, while Sir Anthony has also recited a Thomas poem as an apparent nod to the film.

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New pictures were released in April showing Zeta-Jones' as-yet unnamed character alongside Hopkins.

Dylan Thomas is arguably Wales' most celebrated writer and poet. Born in Swansea in 1914, his most notable works include Under Milk Wood and the poem Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night.

What other film is Celyn Jones appearing in?

Jones also stars in the upcoming film On the Sea, which is set in a remote north Wales fishing community and was filmed on Anglesey.

Daniel wears a blue cap and blue jacket with blue, red and green stripes on his arms. He rests his head on Jack's shoulder. Jack rests his hand on Daniel's head and his face in his head. Jack wears a blue wool hat and blue waterproof coat.
Image caption, Jones also stars in upcoming film On the Sea

The story follows Jack, played by Barry Ward, a middle-aged man who lives a traditional life with his wife and son centred around fishing and the church.

Jack then starts to question his sexuality after carefree Daniel, played by Lorne MacFadyen, arrives in the village.

MacFadyen said that while it was a story you hear often, it is rarely seen on screen.

"I think it's a really fascinating character study for Jack. He's lived his life as a married straight man all the way up to his middle age. Suddenly these other feelings start to rise to the surface that he can't deny.

"My character has been very comfortable by contrast all his life with his sexuality. I think people will be surprised by the certain novelty of these characters, and the very touching relationship that they develop very quickly,"
he said.

Jones plays Jack's brother Dyfan, with whom he runs a mussel family business. He said he learned how to hand rake mussels during filming, although admitted they were unusable by the end of the day.

This article was sourced from bbc

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