[Source: BBC]
Catherine Zeta-Jones has joined compatriot Sir Anthony Hopkins in starring in a new film based on a Dylan Thomas short story.
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.
New pictures show Zeta-Jones as an as-yet unnamed character.
Earlier this month, 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.
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.
He died in 1953 aged 39.
Speaking to Deadline about the project, Sir Anthony said: “This is a powerful and profoundly beautiful story, one that allows me to return to my Welsh roots while exploring the remarkable vision and prose of Dylan Thomas.”
The film’s director DJ Caruso called it “one of the great honours of my directorial life” to bring Thomas’ story to life alongside Sir Anthony.
The project’s script, which began production in Wales this month, was written by Ken Aguado.
A Visit to Grandpa’s, first published in 1938, tells the story of a young boy expecting to be bored when visiting his grandfather in the Carmarthenshire countryside, but instead finds himself enthralled by the adventure – notably as the villagers become concerned about his grandfather going to Llanstephan “with his waistcoat on”.
The short story made its way into Thomas’ best-known collection of short stories, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog, which was published in 1940.
Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan – born Robert Allen Zimmerman – took his stage name from Thomas, while former US president Jimmy Carter had a life-long passion for his work.
Taylor Swift also name-dropped the poet in her 2024 album, The Tortured Poets Department.
