Anthony Hopkins has made a career of playing complicated men, but his new memoir suggests his most fascinating character might be himself. In a recent conversation with The New York Times, the Oscar-winner spoke ahead of the book's November release and reflected on the struggles and revelations that shaped his life. We Did OK, Kid finds the 87-year-old writing with striking honesty about his difficult childhood in Wales, his battle with alcoholism, and the spiritual awakening that changed everything. Labeled a "dummy" in school, he recalls being bullied by teachers and classmates until, at 17, he resolved to prove them wrong. Hopkins says he coped by retreating inward, a habit he suggests helped form both his self-containment and his acting style.
Hopkins frames his career not as the product of ambition but as a string of fortunate turns, from his first major film role alongside Katharine Hepburn in the 1968 drama The Lion In Winter to the decades of acclaim that followed. He credits luck and persistence more than planning, shrugging off the idea that his work carries profound meaning. "There are no big deals," he says of life. Even as the memoir addresses painful subjects—his estrangement from his only child, his reputation for emotional distance—Hopkins resists self-pity. He rejects labels, calling himself solitary, and says he's content with a small circle that rarely extends beyond his family.
Hopkins also recounts the morning in 1975 when, after years of heavy drinking, a voice inside him said his drinking was "over," which was the moment he believes his real life began. He calls this moment a turning point driven by a force he chooses to call God—which he said is a simple word for something he can't fully explain. Now, approaching 88, Hopkins says he wakes up grateful for another day, views life as a mysterious and improbable gift, and sees no point in dwelling on resentment or legacy. "Everything I sought and yearned for found me," he says. "I didn't find it. It came to me."
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