Two times Academy Award-winner for Best Actor Sir Anthony Hopkins has opened up about a moment of clarity nearly 50 years ago, that led him to sobriety and reshaped his understanding of faith — an experience he now attributes to God.
In an interview with The New York Times ahead of the release of his memoir, We Did OK, Kid, the 87-year-old Welshman recalled the events of December 29, 1975, when he was driving drunk in California and suddenly, in that moment of clarity, realised he was a danger to others.
“I came to my senses and said to an ex-agent of mine at this party in Beverly Hills, I need help,” the actor recounted, noting that he checked the time and it was exactly the eleventh hour.
In more recent years, Sir Anthony has publicly described his condition at the time as “disgusted, busted and not to be trusted,” so he went to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and met a woman who asked him, “Why don’t you just trust in God?”
SIR ANTHONY HOPKINS’ “EPIPHANY”
What happened next, he remembered, felt like an “epiphany.”
“Some deep, powerful thought or voice spoke to me from inside and said: ‘It’s all over. Now you can start living. And it has all been for a purpose, so don’t forget one moment of it.”
The actor described the voice as “vocal, male, reasonable, like a radio voice,” adding that his desire to drink left him almost instantly.
He’s been sober ever since.
WHY HE INITIALLY DIDN’T SHARE HIS “EPIPHANY”
The veteran actor who starred in hit movies such as The Silence of the Lambs and The Remains of the Day, said he was initially hesitant to talk about the experience because he didn’t want to seem “preachy.”
“I don’t have any theories except divinity or that power that we all possess inside us that creates us from birth — a life force — whatever it is. It’s a consciousness, I believe.”
Sir Anthony said a second experience in the late 1970s reinforced his belief.
ACTOR TOLD PRIEST HE BELIEVED HE HAD FOUND GOD
While driving in Los Angeles, he felt compelled to stop at a Catholic church, where he told a priest that he believed he had found God.
“What happened that morning — I knew that was a power way beyond my understanding,” he reflected.
“Not up there in the clouds, but in here. I chose to call it God. I didn’t know what else to call it.”
“NONE OF IT WAS A MISTAKE. IT WAS ALL DESTINY”
In a 2018 appearance at the University of California, Los Angeles UCLA, Sir Anthony shared how, before becoming sober, he was “very difficult to work with” due to being “hungover.”
“I believe that we are capable of so much,” he told the students.
“From my own life, I still cannot believe that my life is what it is because I should have died in Wales, drunk or something like that”
“We can talk ourselves into death or we can talk ourselves into the best life we’ve ever lived.”
“None of it was a mistake. It was all a destiny.”
WHAT IS REVEALED IN HIS MEMOIR
In “We Did OK, Kid” which will be published on Tuesday, the 87-year-old shares the details of his rough school days in Wales, his seemingly miraculous victory over his drinking problem, his painful estrangement from his only child and his slow and steady rise to Hollywood success.
The New York Times reports: “The book reveals a somewhat reticent and solitary man, but one who isn’t content to merely recount the events of his years, the what happened and when. “
“He has given great thought to the big questions — the why of it all, and what it all means.”
“Yet, even at this late stage, Sir Anthony remains mystified by the sheer luck and improbability of the dream he calls life.”
ACTOR’S ADVICE: “DON’T RUN AFTER MONEY OR SUCCESS”
In recent years, Hopkins has appeared in several faith-related films, including “Freud’s Last Session,” which explores an imagined conversation between Sigmund Freud, an atheist, and Christian author C.S. Lewis.
He was also in the Netflix film Mary and starred as Pope Benedict in The Two Popes.
In his 2018 address at UCLA, the actor warned the audience against running after money or success.
“If you chase the money, it’s not going to work. And if you chase success, it’s not going to work.”
“ACCEPT LIFE AS IT IS. JUST BE GRATEFUL TO BE ALIVE.”
“You just have to chase whatever you want to be, but live it as if it is happening now.”
“Act as if you’re already there, and it’ll fall into place.”
“I tell them, when you get to the top of the tree, there’s nothing up there.”
“Most of this is nonsense, most of this is a lie.”
“Accept life as it is. Just be grateful to be alive.”
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