LAURA LINNEY - LINNEY: HOPKINS WAS A JOY

Oscar-nominated actress Laura Linney has revealed her excitement at working with Sir Anthony Hopkins on her latest film.

Discussing her upcoming movie City of the Final Destination, a Merchant-Ivory production, Linney described working with Sir Anthony as "wonderful".

"You know, he's a legend. To watch someone like that work after years and years of experience and see how they approach things, how they pace themselves through the day… he's a master so, it was a joy," she told reporters at the gala screening for her new film The Savages.

In the Tamara Jenkins production, which received its UK premiere at the Times BFI 51st London Film Festival this week, Linney plays a frustrated playwright forced into temping who has to reunite with her estranged brother (Philip Seymour Hoffman) when their father contracts dementia.

Yet despite the serious subject matter, Linney credits the movie's strong sense of humour to Jenkins' superb script.

"It was in perfect condition before we started, which is very rare and very unusual," the Love, Actually actress explained.

"The three characters who we travel with throughout the script were so beautifully drawn with so much to play. It had enormous potential for overall storytelling. It was a combination of things but more than anything, it was the script."

The Savages opens in the UK on January 25th, 2008.