"The Seekers" (1954) was partly shot in New Zealand and cast Hawkins in a rare romantic role. "My film wives to date usually stay home and knit, or else have conveniently died before the film starts," he said. It was followed by "The Prisoner" (1955), an unconventional drama, playing the shrewd interrogator in an authoritarian country who gets a respected priest (played by Alec Guinness) to discredit himself. None of these films was commercially successful but Hawkins was still voted the fifth biggest star at the British box office for 1954, and the most popular British one. "It's an enviable position, I know", said Hawkins. "But I have to be more careful now about the parts I choose, and it's hard not to offend people. Everyone thinks his own script is the best."