Legendary actor Sir Anthony Hopkins is celebrating 45 years of sobriety with a New Year’s video message posted for his fans online. On Tuesday, the 82-year-old took to Instagram to mark the occasion, looking back at his road to recovery nearly five decades later. In the hope that his story may help inspire others who’ve struggled with addiction, Hopkins explains in the video how he came to stop drinking and how he found a new lease on life.
“Hello everyone. Good morning. Well, New Year is coming. It’s been a tough year, full of grief and sadness for many, many, many people. But 45 years ago today, I had a wakeup call. I was heading toward disaster, drinking myself to death. I’m not preaching, but, I got a message. A little thought that said, ‘Do you want to live or die?’ I said, ‘I want to live.’ And suddenly, the relief came, and my life has been amazing.”
Though 2020 has been a particularly difficult year for most of us, Hopkins is remaining optimistic about 2021 turning out much better, as he goes on to add:
“I have my off days and sometimes little bits of doubt and all that, but all in all, I say hang in there. Today is the tomorrow you were so worried about yesterday. You young people, don’t give up. Just keep in there, just keep fighting. Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid. That sustained me through my life. That’s all I’ve got to say. Happy New Year, this is going to be the best year. Thank you.”
Indeed, Hopkins has achieved wonderful things since putting down the bottle in 1975. After starring in movies like The Elephant Man and The Bounty, Hopkins was cast in one of his most well-known roles in 1991 as Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs. Some of his other most celebrated roles to come in the following years include performances in Dracula, The Mask of Zorro, Nixon, Hitchcock, Amistad, and Meet Joe Black. Hopkins has also appeared in two Thor movies as the Norse God Odin.
More recently, Hopkins has starred on the sci-fi drama series Westworld on HBO as Robert Ford, a role that earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his performance. Last year, he also starred as Pope Benedict XVI alongside Jonathan Pryce as Pope Francis in the acclaimed movie The Two Popes. This role would put Hopkins up for acting awards at the Oscars, Golden Globes, and British Academy Awards. The veteran actor might now be in his 80s, but clearly, Hopkins has still got it.
Going from addiction to nearly five full decades sober is an amazing accomplishment, and if that helps to inspire others find their own way, that makes it all the better. That Hopkins is so optimistic about things turning around for everyone next year is also a nice touch. Here’s to many more years of sobriety for Hopkins. The video of Hopkins’ New Year’s message was posted by Anthony Hopkins on Instagram.