The legendary actor Shares insights about His battle with drinking, Temper issues, Oscar wins and 50 years of Sobriety

'How's the climate where you are?' asks the acclaimed actor as we start our virtual conversation. Despite living in the Golden State for decades, elements of his Welsh background remain evident in his distinctive, musical voice - maybe a little hoarser than it once was. The night has fallen in the British capital but the sun is shining in Los Angeles, and the actor appears equally bright in disposition and clothing, wearing a colorful top. 'I moved here 50 years ago. Somebody said: 'Are you {selling out|compromising your values?' I responded: 'No, I just like the climate and {to get a suntan|want some sunshine.' But I like Los Angeles. I've had a great life here.'

Recent Challenges and Personal Loss

Life hasn't been completely wonderful recently, in truth. In January this year, Hopkins' house in the coastal neighborhood was consumed by raging fires. 'It was a bit of a calamity,' he says, with surprisingly lighthearted tone. 'We're thankful that everyone survived, and we got our cats and our small household {into the clear|to safety.' He had been away at the moment; he and his wife, Stella were in the Middle Eastern country, where he was presenting a musical performance of his own music performed by the prestigious musical ensemble. They're now in a rented house in the adjacent area of Brentwood. 'We lost all our possessions, but you think: 'Oh well, {at least we are alive|we still have our lives.' I feel sorry for the thousands of people who have been really affected. Individuals who had reached way past retirement age, and had worked hard over the years and now … {nothing|have nothing left.'

Continuing Career and Current Endeavors

Hopkins will be eighty-eight this winter, but clearly doesn't view himself as ready to retire. As a two-time Oscar-winner, a British knight, a prominent cultural figure and one of the most revered actors living today, he has an embarrassment of laurels to rest on, but there's still plenty on his schedule. He's just completed a film with Guy Ritchie, for whom he has a recent appreciation - 'He's precise in what he {wants to see|expects to achieve' - and he's coming back to Britain soon, he mentions, to make a fresh film with the acclaimed director, then an additional project in Wales.

Early Life and Personal Struggles

But recently Hopkins has also been looking back, too - at his entire existence. His new memoir is far from your stereotypical luvvie memoir, in part because he is far from your conventional performer - although he does encounter past greats such as Laurence Olivier, the celebrated actor, the film legend and the Welsh star - but primarily because he's remarkably honest about his difficult younger years. When he describes his childhood in the Welsh town of Port Talbot, the only son of a family of bakers, it feels like a completely different world. 'My father had that attitude: quit complaining, cease whining, you have no idea what you're saying, stand up straight, {get on with it|move forward!' His parent was also prone to melancholy and anxiety, the actor says. It was the war and post-war period; that's simply how things were.

Childhood Challenges

According to his recollection, the young Hopkins appears as a somewhat solitary and an eccentric. He had limited companions, was often targeted and refused to attend his own celebrations. He showed so little promise at his educational institution, one teacher told him he was 'completely hopeless. 'I was living in my imagination, my imaginary realm, I guess,' he says. 'I couldn't understand anything intellectually or academically and that pushed me toward a form of isolation and {resentment|bitterness.' He withdrew behind a façade of defiance, 'a tough stance and a cold remoteness', and that formed his character. Maybe, in a sense, he was performing even then?

Professional Journey and Breakthrough Moments

An early epiphany in terms of performance was watching the cinematic version of Hamlet at school in 1949, when he was twelve. 'I was profoundly affected by my reaction,' he says. 'I can't explain exactly about that, but it created such an impact in my mind, experiencing Shakespeare for the {first time|initial occasion.' He started learning lines from the Danish prince and the Roman leader. His family were amazed. (Many years afterward, his parent, on his deathbed, asked his son to perform the famous soliloquy for him.)

Recall and Method

Hopkins' memory is the foundation of his performance, he says. He studies his scripts 100 or 200 times, so each word is etched into his memory before he turns up on set. It started as a defensive strategy when he was a young actor, but it's evolved into his method. 'That was my gift, really: to know the part so thoroughly that I had complete confidence. When you've mastered the dialogue, you have a calmness to go on stage in practice, so you can hear the other person. The craft of performance, I think, is to be capable of hearing.'

Alcoholism Struggle

A domain in which he did find common ground - excessively so - was alcohol. 'Alcohol consumption represented a hereditary practice,' he notes. It was a performance world custom, too. This was the era of 'rebellious youth' epitomised by John Osborne's the famous work (Hopkins had been captivated by the actor's interpretation in 1957), and of legendary, hard-drinking 'troublemakers' like O'Toole, Oliver Reed, Richard Burton and the celebrated actor. Did he match that characterization?

'Absolutely, I did. I would not be trusted, and I would have fights and quarrel with, especially, filmmakers. In retrospect, it's completely irrational. They were attempting to perform their job; I was striving to accomplish mine, but I couldn't accept … it wasn't criticism, I couldn't take any authoritative bullying. So I'd {lash out|react violently.' He would often get into physical fights in bars, too.

Turning Point

The real wake-up call occurred in December 1975, in LA. He woke up one morning to find his car gone, and contacted his agent to tell him. 'Nobody stole it,' his manager replied. 'We found you on the road.' Hopkins had traveled throughout the night from the southwestern state to the luxurious neighborhood, about 500 miles, blackout drunk. 'I was out of control, I was nuts, I couldn't recall most of the trip,' he admits. 'And that's a deadly way to exist, because I didn't care about myself. I might have killed an entire family … I knew I needed help, I {knew it was over|understood it had to end.'

As he describes the experience, a literal voice in his head asked him if he desired to survive or perish. He replied: 'I want to live,' and the voice said, 'This chapter has ended. You can begin truly existing.' He went immediately to the recovery program. Following this, 'I got out on the road, late morning, 29 December 1975, and everything looked different. The atmosphere felt brighter, everything seemed more … benign. No threat in the air.'

Career Highlights and Iconic Roles

At this point the performer was living and working increasingly in the United States, and in film. 'I simply desired some warmth, and I had no interest in waiting about in wrinkled tights holding a spear for the remainder of my career,' he quips. It was his idol the legendary actor who had first coaxed him on to a film production, in the late sixties. He knocked on the actor's private space at the prestigious theater one day and announced, 'I want you to do a test for me,' the younger actor says. 'He had been drinking, and we visited the bar later.'

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