Welsh actor Anthony Hopkins marked 49 years of sobriety on Sunday, just two days before celebrating his 87th birthday.
“Forty-nine years ago today, I stopped [drinking], and I was having such fun, but then I realized I was in big, big trouble because I couldn’t remember anything, and I was driving a car drunk out of my skull,” Hopkins said.
“Then, on that fateful day, I realized I needed help, so I got it. I phoned up a group of people like me—alcoholic—and that was it. It was over.”
The “Silence of the Lambs” star said he has had “more fun these 49 years than ever,” and encouraged anyone struggling with alcoholism to seek the necessary support.
“If you do have a problem—having fun is wonderful, having a drink is fine—but if you are having a problem with the booze, there is help. It’s not a terrible deal, it’s a condition ... get some help. There’s plenty of help around,” Hopkins said.
Touching on his own decision to seek help, the actor said he was surprised to learn how many others struggle with alcohol dependence.
“One thing I didn’t realize [was] that I was not unique. There are thousands of people around like me.”
“I’m going to be 87 in two days time. So I’m celebrating my long life—unexpectedly long life,” Hopkins said.
‘Celebrate Yourself’
Hopkins, who landed his breakthrough role in the 1968 historical drama “The Lion in Winter,” regularly shares uplifting messages on his sobriety anniversary to those struggling with alcoholism.Marking 48 years of sobriety on Dec. 29, 2023, the actor took to Instagram to tell his fans and followers that his life changed the day he decided to stop drinking.
Hopkins offered similar words of encouragement the previous year.
“I say to this: Be kind to yourself. Be kind. Stay out of the circle of toxicity with people if they offend you. Live your life. Be proud of your life.”
The “Hannibal” star recalled that 47 years earlier, he had been in a “desperate situation in despair” and likely didn’t have much longer to live.
“I just happened to acknowledge one day that there was something really wrong with me. But I didn’t realize that it was a kind of condition—mental, physical, emotional condition called alcoholism or addiction,” he recounted.
Hopkins urged anyone struggling with substance abuse to seek help.
“There are 12-step programs all over the world. Every city, every small city, every community—12-step programs that can help you identify what you are. It doesn’t cost a thing, but it will give you a whole new life,” he said.
“All I can say is I have the best life I can even imagine ... so wherever you are, get help. Don’t be ashamed. Be proud of yourself. Whatever you do, don’t let anyone put you down ... celebrate yourself, as I do myself.”
After getting sober in 1975, Hopkins later played the villainous role of Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the 1991 psychological thriller “The Silence of the Lambs.” For his performance in the film, he took home the Oscar for “Best Actor” at the 1992 Academy Awards.
Hopkins went on to star in “Legends of the Fall” (1994), “Hannibal” (2001), “Red Dragon” (2002), and “Fracture” (2007), among other blockbuster films.
In 2021, Hopkins earned his second “Best Actor” Oscar for his performance in the 2020 film “The Father,” in which he portrayed an elderly man living with dementia. The actor, who was 83 at the time, made Oscar history as the oldest person to win an award in an acting category.
Hopkins is now slated to star in the David Yarovesky-directed thriller “Locked” and the forthcoming biographical sports drama film “Maserati: The Brothers,” both of which are expected to hit theaters in 2025.
