“Unflinching.” — Bloomberg News “[Hopkins has] given great thought to the big questions—the
why of it all and what it all means.” —David Marchese The New York Times Academy
Award–winning actor Sir Anthony Hopkins delves into his illustrious film and theater career
difficult childhood and path to sobriety in his honest moving and long-awaited memoir.
Born and raised in Port Talbot—a small Welsh steelworks town—amid war and depression Sir
Anthony Hopkins grew up around men who were tough to say the least and eschewed all forms of
emotional vulnerability in favor of alcoholism and brutality. A struggling student in school
he was deemed by his peers his parents and other adults as a failure with no future ahead of
him. But on a fateful Saturday night the disregarded Welsh boy watched the 1948 adaptation of
Hamlet sparking a passion for acting that would lead him on a path that no one could have
predicted. With candor and a voice that is both arresting and vulnerable Sir Anthony
recounts his various career milestones and provides a once-in-a-lifetime look into the
brilliance behind some of his most iconic roles. His performance as Iago gets him admitted into
the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and places him under the wing of Laurence
Olivier. He meets Richard Burton by chance as a young boy in his art teacher’s apartment and
later backstage before a performance of Equus as an established actor meeting his hero. His
iconic portrayal of Hannibal Lecter was informed by the creepy performance of Bela Lugosi in
Dracula and the razor-sharp precision of his acting teacher. He pulls raw emotion from the
stoicism of his father and grandfather for an unforgettable performance in King Lear . Sir
Anthony also takes a deeply honest look at the low points in his personal life. His addiction
cost him his first marriage his relationship with his only child and nearly his life—the
latter ultimately propelling him toward sobriety a commitment he has maintained for nearly
half a century. He constantly battles against the desire to move through life alone and avoid
connection for fear of getting hurt—much like the men in his family—and as the years go by he
deals with questions of mortality getting ready to discover what his father called The Big
Secret. Featuring a special collection of personal photographs throughout We Did OK Kid is
a raw and passionate memoir from a complex iconic man who has inspired audiences with
remarkable performances for over sixty years.
