NONE of the grisly goings-on in Hannibal, the sequel to The Silence Of The Lambs, come as much of a shock as the behaviour of one of our most acclaimed actor knights at this precise moment.

Sir Anthony Hopkins, the man who made a meal out of playing Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter and won an Oscar for his troubles, is doing an impression - and a very good one at that - of madcap comedian and magician Tommy Cooper.

"Jus' like that," he goes, imitating Cooper's catchphrase. And his act doesn't stop there as he tells of a man who said he felt homesick. "But you are home," said his wife. "And I'm sick of it," replied her husband. Hopkins lacks only Cooper's fez and a few magic props to complete his impression. If the producers of TV's Stars In Their Eyes ever decide to make a programme in which celebrities pose as famous comics, Hopkins should be top of the list.

His impromptu comic turn is a response to being asked what makes him laugh. He mentions Morecambe and Wise, Kenneth Williams in the Carry On comedies, Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy, as well as Cooper. "I like watching the ridiculous," says Hopkins.

Seeing him do Tommy Cooper makes you wish he'd take more comedy roles on screen. Perhaps that will happen as the 63-year-old Welsh actor enters a new phase in his life and career. Rumours of his retirement have been greatly exaggerated. While he says more than once that he likes being a "beach bum" - a reference to his current Californian lifestyle - he has no intention of giving up acting. The success of Hannibal, whose 19 million dollar opening day at US cinemas signalled the arrival of a blockbuster, means he'll be in even great demand by Hollywood producers.

"I didn't say I would retire," he maintains. "I said to another actor one day in Rome on the set of Titus, which was a bit of a hard film to make, 'I want a break after this, I'll retire'. I meant it as a joke and then next day someone from the British press came to me and said, 'I understand you're retiring'. I should have kept my mouth shut."

He did take time off after completing Titus. He did interrupt his year's leave of absence after accepting a small part in Mission: Impossible 2, which involved just ten days filming in Australia. "That was very nice, very pleasant. Afterwards I went back to LA and watered the flowers in the garden, walked on the beach, drove to the mountains. Then I came back and did Hannibal," he says.

"Something did happen to me in that year. I relaxed and realised what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I had physical tests which showed I'm in good shape. Then I did Hannibal. I was in good shape for it and psychologically right for it."

The ten-year gap between The Silence Of The Lambs - one of a handful of movies to win a clean sweep at the Oscars for best picture, actor, actress, director and screenplay - was caused by the wait for author Thomas Harris to write the sequel to his original novel. The troublesome pre-production period saw original co-star Jodie Foster, director Jonathan Demme and screenwriter Ted Tally passing on the follow-up.

Hopkins stuck with the project (presumably a rumoured ten million dollar pay cheque was part of the incentive) and though initially disappointed by the departure of the original team, was delighted to welcome North-East born Ridley Scott as director and new leading lady Julianne Moore, who fills Foster's shoes as Lecter's old sparring partner, FBI agent Clarice Starling.

He seems not to mind being associated with a character as nasty as Lecter, a man who literally eats people alive. After The Silence Of the Lambs, people would ask him to do Hannibal's famous fava beans and Chianti speech, and he'd duly oblige.

He's thought about why people like such a reprehensible character. He worries about getting "too heavy" about it, but says: "We all like the bogey man and are fascinated by the dark characters in literature, like the Phantom of the Opera and Richard III. Clarice is a warrior in the wonderful form of a female which makes it very erotic and challenging.

"Hannibal's the Phantom and the Beast - and she takes him on."

The film doesn't allow Hopkins room for any Tommy Cooper impersonations but does let him show off his skills as a pianist and composer. For a scene in which Lecter is seen tinkling the ivories, the actor was allowed to play a piece of music he composed himself.

His musical skills may play a bigger role in his life in the future. "I'm being encouraged to write more," he says.

"I'm not going to get self-important about it but I can write and make up some nice tunes. I have a friend who's going to teach me harmony and orchestrate them.

"I don't know how much I'm going to do because I like walking on the beach too much. I hate computers but have a synthesiser and spend time, until two in the morning sometimes, writing music. I wrote the music for August, a film I directed, and then composer George Fenton orchestrated it. It's just a hobby but maybe one day you'll see me playing in Carnegie Hall."

Where you won't see Hopkins is on stage. His career began in the theatre and he enjoyed those times but treading the boards no longer holds any appeal for him. He feels he lacks the discipline and tenacity although admires wonderful actors like Judi Dench and Ian McKellen who can do it.

"I don't have the character. I'm a bit of a philistine. I like being a beach bum. I'm not going out night after night and Wednesday afternoons to do a play in the Waterloo Road. It sends me into depression. I would rather spare myself that depth of despair when you have to do another performance King Lear and think, 'what am I doing with my life?'."

Then he adds yet again that he'd rather be a beach bum. Having become a US citizen last year - a decision that was criticised in his Welsh homeland - he's in the right place to enjoy that lifestyle. And the banker's son who decided to be an actor after wandering into a YMCA amateur theatrical production appreciates his luck, good fortune or whatever people want to call it.

"Things have happened beyond my wildest dreams," he says. "Years ago I met Richard Burton in my home town of Port Talbot and afterwards he passed by in his car with his wife and I thought, 'I want to get out and become like him'.

"Not get out of Wales because I love Wales, but because I was so limited as a child at school, so bereft and lonely because I wasn't very bright. I thought becoming an actor would do the trick for me, although it's not quite like that.

"Now I have dual citizenship and just happen to live in America. But it's been a terrific life and I've done everything I've needed to do."

* There are special Valentine's Day previews of Hannibal (18) in cinemas on Wednesday. The film goes on general release on Friday