Sir Anthony Hopkins almost resigned from The Wolfman after movie bosses ordered him to shave off his beard.

The actor decided to grow out his facial hair to play Sir John Talbot, the father of the title character played by Benicio del Toro, but Universal executives wanted him clean-shaven for the film.

The 72 year old then threatened to walk off set, prompting producers to give in to his demand.

He says, "They wanted me to shave it off because studio policy is not to have facial hair, which is crazy when you're doing a film in 19th-century England about a wolfman.

"I said, 'Well, the beard stays or I go.' It got to that point."