Anthony Hopkins marked nearly five decades of sobriety via social media on Sunday, delighting his fans with a story of what led him to turn his life around.
The two-time Oscar winner, who will turn 87 on Tuesday, said the instagram that an incident in 1975 convinced him to stop drinking, noting: “Forty-nine years ago today I stopped drinking.”
The iconic Welsh actor admitted he was “having a lot of fun” until he “realized” he was “in big, big trouble” because he “couldn’t remember anything” and was “driving a car drunk as hell.”
Hopkins, known for playing the role of Dr. Hannibal Lecter in multiple films, said the near-tragedy led him to seek support to deal with his alcohol addiction.
“Then on that fateful day, I realized I needed help, so I got it,” the Nixon actor said. ‘I called a group of people like me on the phone: alcoholics. And that was it: sober. Anyway, these 49 years I’ve had more fun than ever.’
Hopkins told his more than 5.3 million followers that help is available for those who seek it.
Anthony Hopkins, 86, marked nearly five decades of sobriety via social media on Sunday, delighting his fans with a story of what led him to turn his life around.
“If you have a problem, having fun is wonderful, having a drink is fine, but if you have a problem with alcohol, there is help,” Hopkins said. “It’s not something terrible; it’s a condition. If you’re allergic to alcohol, get help, there’s a lot of help available.”
‘One thing I didn’t realize was that I wasn’t the only one. There are thousands of people like me; Anyway, I got sober and, although it sounds like a boring word, I’ve had a wonderful life.’
And he added: They still employ me, they still give me work. I will be 87 years old in two days.
The actor captioned the clip: “One day at a time.” 49 years. Life is in session.
Hopkins concluded by saying, “So I’m celebrating my long life, an unexpectedly long life.”
He added: “So if you have a problem, you know where to go.” Call any intergroup, 12-step program, whatever you can do, because it’s deadly, and with that, happy new year!’
Hopkins has had a busy year professionally, amid a number of professional endeavors.
He provided the voice of Jimmy in the Zack Snyder film Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver, which debuted on Netflix in April; and played the role of Vespasian in the 10-episode Peacock series Those About to Die, which debuted in July.
The actor was photographed in 1975, the year in which he said he faced his alcoholism problems.
Hopkins told his more than 5.3 million followers that help is available for those who seek it.
Earlier this month, he played the role of Herod in the Netflix drama Mary, alongside Noa Cohen.
Hopkins won his first Academy Award for his performance as Lecter in 1991’s The Silence of the Lambs.
The film also won Best Picture, Best Actress for Jodie Foster, and Best Director for the late Jonathan Demme, among other honors, at the 1992 Oscars.
He reprized the role in 2001’s Hannibal alongside Julianne Moore, and in 2002’s Red Dragon alongside Edward Norton.
Hopkins won his second Best Actor Oscar for 2021’s The Father, opposite filmmaker Florian Zeller’s Olivia Colman.