Students generally warm to Man/Woman of the Year selection

The morning the selections were announced, the Gazette surveyed a dozen students at random to get their thoughts on the Hasty Pudding Man and Woman of the Year. Here is a sampling of their comments.

Winthrop Ruml ’04

“I think these are both good choices, but I think the male choice is stronger than the female choice because he’s more established. I like Anthony Hopkins very much because he’s old. A lot of actors these days are younger so it’s nice to have an older actor, and he has a new movie coming out soon, the sequel to ‘Silence of the Lambs.’ We’re all looking forward to that.”

Dorian Abbot ’04

“Drew Barrymore is pretty cool, I guess. Anthony Hopkins is awesome. There’s a new movie out with him, right? I’m excited about that. I’ll go watch it.”

Emily Jin ’01

“I’d say that Anthony Hopkins seems like an excellent choice. He’s made a pretty big impact, I think, on the entertainment industry and as an actor I think he really has a certain quality about him that makes him seem respectable and noteworthy. I personally love Drew Barrymore, but I don’t know if she necessarily fits the type of woman that is usually chosen for the Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year in the sense that she’s not as established as a long-standing actress. I don’t know if that’s why they chose her or if they’re just running out of people to nominate, but I definitely will be glad to see her here.”

Lucas Nivon ’01

“Drew Barrymore is very popular among young people my age so she’s the perfect choice for Woman of the Year. I really only know Anthony Hopkins from ‘Silence of the Lambs.’ That was a great film. That’s a really good selection. I like the idea of honoring the tradition of great performances in films.”

Enrique Roy ’04

“I like Drew Barrymore and I know the girls like Anthony Hopkins … I like Sean Connery myself. I would nominate him.”

David Smith ’04

“I don’t know if I expected Drew Barrymore [to win] since I haven’t heard all that much about her in terms of what she’s done besides a few regrettable flicks. She wouldn’t be one of my first choices, but Anthony Hopkins, I know he’s coming out with that new movie ‘Hannibal.’ I haven’t heard a great deal about him either but Hasty Pudding usually puts a lot of thought behind what they do, so I’m sure they have their reasons.”

Nancy Benson-Nicol (Proctor)

“I think they’re good selections. I think they’re both prominent somehow in the entertainment industry. I saw ‘Charlie’s Angels,’ and I thought it was funny. I got a hoot out of it. I’m overall happy about both picks … [Regarding Barrymore], it’s nice to see them recognize a relatively young person in the industry. Whether she’s accrued enough respect and honor and paid her dues I guess that’s the question, but if the Hasty Pudding has decided to move into a new direction in recognizing new performers, then more power to them.”

– Compiled by Doug Gavel
Photos by Kris Snibbe