Kerry Washington reveals Anthony Hopkins urged her to 'relax' during their first movie shoot

Kerry Washington has revealed Anthony Hopkins urged her to "relax" in his presence when they first worked together.

During an interview with W Magazine, the 46-year-old actress shared that the last time she was starstruck was when she met the Silence of the Lambs star on the set of the 2002 movie Bad Company.

"The last time I was really starstruck was when I had the chance to work with Anthony Hopkins many, many years ago," the Django Unchained actress told the publication. "I remember watching him do a scene, and my jaw must have been just open, gazing at his talent, because he said to me, 'Oh, relax.' He was like, 'You'll get there one day, I've been doing this longer than you've been alive.'"

The Emmy winner added of the Welsh actor, "He was so generous and kind."

In Bad Company, Hopkins starred alongside Chris Rock, while Washington portrayed Rock's onscreen girlfriend Julie. Shortly after, Washington appeared as a supporting character in the 2003 drama The Human Stain, which starred Hopkins, Nicole Kidman and Gary Sinise.

Elsewhere in the interview, Washington divulged that her favourite TV shows as a child included Beverly Hills, 90210 and China Beach.

"I loved watching television with my mom," she said. "We watched a combination of shows that my friends were watching, like 90210, and shows that her friends were watching, like China Beach and Moonlighting. It was a great way for us to talk to each other about what was going on in our lives without having to always be so direct about it."