Stella Hopkins is founder of Margam Fine Art, Margam Films, and the CEO of all things “Anthony Hopkins”. Stella is also a writer, director, and producer. (IndieWire recently announced the Gravitas Ventures – December 4, 2020 release of her new film “Elyse”) Stella, together with her team at Margam Fine Art, launched the Anthony Hopkins Collection; AH Eau de Parfum benefiting NO KID HUNGRY.
Stella, Harte International Galleries and our team work with you every day managing Tony’s art – the prints, the framing, the shipping, the exhibitions and I’m exhausted. Then I find out, during all this – you’ve written a movie called “Elyse”, produced it and directed it – and now I find out that you and Tony have started a fragrance line called “AH Eau de Parfum” to support the charity, NO KID HUNGRY- how is all this possible? How do you possibly get all this done?
Ha ha. Tony and I are both highly driven people. We simply can’t sit still. We love to work, and we are conscious of the people in our lives that we employ, so we have to stay busy. We plant seeds of goodness where we can. We even rescued a kitten during this quarantine – we love animals. We help where we can.
So really, I do work with you every day – and you never told me about this movie – “Elyse”. Tell me about that and how did you find the time?
Well, just because you’re working on a movie doesn’t mean it’s going to come to production, filming or distribution. I guess I was keeping it a secret until I could see if it would come to fruition. The film aims to convey my deep personal understanding of the devastation a family endures when a loved one is painfully afflicted with a mental disorder. It’s a subject that’s very important to me and I’m very proud of the result.
Is Tony in the movie?
Yes! Tony plays the role of Chief Psychiatrist, Dr. Lewis. My best friend, Lisa Pepper plays the title character, Elyse. Aaron Tucker and Tara Arroyave, both Margam executives, co-produce alongside me and both have leading roles.
Congratulations, Stella. You’re amazing. On that note, you and Tony have just released a fragrance line – Anthony Hopkins “AH Eau de Parfum and Home Fragrance Candle and Diffuser Collection” – how did you fit this in?
This uniquely personal brand is inspired by Tony’s art, music, and his life in cinema. It’s an incredible opportunity for him to connect with an audience in an entirely different way. I enjoyed observing him create the symbiotic relationship between fragrance and art. Partnering with NO KID HUNGRY the national campaign dedicated to ending childhood hunger in America, seemed timely during this unprecedented pandemic.
Of course, I would notice, a key element of the branding is Tony’s self-portrait, the same self portrait that Harte International Galleries offers.
Yes. We hold the original painting at our home and Harte International Galleries offers a special limited, hand-signed edition of that original entitled, “Tony – a Self Portrait”. This painting resonated with the brand design team along with the other paintings we highlighted.
So, one last thing, how do you really do it all?
We wake up every morning recognizing how blessed we are to be alive and healthy. We care for our loved ones and we strive to appreciate everyone around us. Like Tony says, “We’re all fighting a great battle.” And, we don’t think of our projects as work. It’s not work when you love what you do.
I know it’s true. Thank you for this opportunity and tell me one more thing, when will we have another record-setting Anthony Hopkins art exhibition?
Tony loves the art exhibit events with Harte International Galleries, and we enjoy meeting the collectors. We’re praying for this pandemic to be over so we can resume our lives. I’m optimistic we will see everyone again in 2021.
