Anthony Hopkins reflected on the moment he recognized he was an alcoholic while discussing his upcoming memoir on The New York Times podcast The Interview<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\u201cI realized that I could have killed somebody \u2014 or myself,\u201d he recalled of the life-changing moment<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
The actor\u2019s memoir, We Did OK, Kid, will be published on Nov. 4<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Anthony Hopkins<\/a> is reflecting on a major turning point in his life.<\/p>\n While discussing his upcoming memoir, We Did OK, Kid<\/a>, during the Oct. 25 episode of The New York Times<\/a> podcast The Interview<\/a>, the Academy Award winner, 87, recounted the exact moment he realized he was an alcoholic.<\/p>\n \u201cI was drunk and driving my car here in California in a blackout, no clue where I was going, when I realized that I could have killed somebody \u2014 or myself, which I didn\u2019t care about,\u201d he told the outlet. \u201cI came to my senses and said to an ex-agent of mine at this party in Beverly Hills, \u2018I need help.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n He continued, \u201cIt was 11 o\u2019clock precisely \u2014 I looked at my watch \u2014 and this is the spooky part: Some deep, powerful thought or voice spoke to me from inside and said: \u2018It\u2019s all over. Now you can start living. And it has all been for a purpose, so don\u2019t forget one moment of it.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n Greg Doherty\/Getty Anthony Hopkins<\/p>\n The Silence of the Lambs star went on to recall that the voice \u2014 which he described as “vocal, male, reasonable, like a radio voice” \u2014 completely removed his desire to drink.<\/p>\n \u201cThe craving to drink was taken from me, or left.\u00a0Now I don\u2019t have any theories except divinity or that power that we all possess inside us that creates us from birth, life force, whatever it is,\u201d Hopkins said. \u201cIt\u2019s a consciousness, I believe. That\u2019s all I know.\u201d<\/p>\n Reflecting on his struggles with alcohol, Hopkins said that after enduring a “lonely” childhood and surviving “those bullies,” he drank to “nullify that discomfort or whatever it was in me, because it made me feel big.”<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n “You know, booze is terrific because it makes you instantly feel in a different space,” he explained. “Actors in those days \u2014 Peter O\u2019Toole, Richard Burton, all of them \u2014 I remember those drinking sessions, thinking: ‘This is the life. We\u2019re rebels, we\u2019re outsiders, we can celebrate.’ And at the back of the mind is:\u00a0‘It\u2019ll kill you as well.’ Those guys I worked with have all gone.”<\/p>\n As for himself, Hopkins said he feels grateful that he’s “still here.”<\/p>\n Jeff Kravitz\/FilmMagic<\/p>\n Anthony Hopkins<\/p>\n \u201cThere are monstrous difficulties in life and you take notice of them. But finally, approaching 88 years of age, I wake up in the morning going: ‘I\u2019m still here. How?\u2019 \u201d the Remains of the Day star pondered. \u201cI don\u2019t know. But whatever\u2019s keeping me here, thank you very much! Much obliged!\u201d<\/p>\n Last December, the Hannibal actor celebrated a significant milestone: 49 years of sobriety<\/a>. \u201cForty-nine years ago today, I stopped,\u201d Hopkins said in a Dec. 29 Instagram<\/a> video. \u201cAnd I was having such fun. But then I realized I was in big, big trouble because I couldn\u2019t remember anything and I was driving a car drunk out of my skull.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen on that fatal day, I realized I needed help. So I got it,\u201d he continued. “I phoned up a group of people like me \u2014 alcoholic. And that was it. Sober. I\u2019ve had more fun these 49 years than ever.”<\/p>\n Hopkins’ memoir, We Did OK, Kid, will be published on Nov. 4.<\/p>\n Read the original article on People<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Greg](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1517a17903d655a3627cf6dffee57606.jpeg\"\/)
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