Former Honorary Mayor Anthony Hopkins Stars in ‘Armageddon Time’

By LILY TINOCO | Reporter

Palisadian Anthony Hopkins—a former honorary mayor—will star alongside Anne Hathaway and Jeremy Strong in the period drama “Armageddon Time.”

From filmmaker James Gray, “Armageddon Time” travels to Queens in the 1980s to explore a time of sociopolitical change, coming of age and more.

The film follows sixth-grader Paul Graff (Banks Repeta), who dreams of becoming an artist, but bears witness to complex issues.

“At the same time that Paul builds a friendship with classmate Johnny, who’s mercilessly targeted by their racist teacher, he finds himself increasingly at odds with his parents, for whom financial success and assimilation are key to the family’s Jewish-American identity,” according to a synopsis by Film at Lincoln Center.

Paul finds solace in his grandfather—played by Hopkins—whose life experiences lend a hand to the conflicts around him.

“Armageddon Time” is described as a “deeply personal” story on the “strength of family, the complexity of friendship and the generational pursuit of the American Dream,” according to the film’s website.

It was announced in 2019 that Gray would be writing and directing the film, one heavily based on his upbringing in New York. The film reveals each character’s real life flaws and mistakes, including his own—portrayed by the character Paul. Gray said he hopes “Armageddon Time” commemorates the people he based each character on, as a great number of them are no longer alive to see it.

“Of course I wanted to memorialize them,” Gray said in an interview with Indiewire. “I wanted to say that despite all their flaws—and they had many—there was beauty in them to me.”

The film premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival on May 19 and earned itself a seven-minute standing ovation from the crowd.

The film went on to the New York Film Festival to be played October 12, 13 and 14. Gray expressed gratitude for the opportunity to share his work with his hometown.

“There’s something about showing films there that makes it a little extra special,” he said to Indiewire. “It’s very moving to me.”

Focus Features will release “Armageddon Time” in select theaters Friday, October 28, and all theaters Friday, November 4. The film is rated R for language and drug use involving minors, with a runtime of one hour and 55 minutes.