Sir Anthony Hopkins has admitted his "lifetime's running out" as he opened up in a new interview about potentially returning to live in his beloved Wales. The 88-year-old Hollywood legend from Port Talbot discussed his mortality and his roots, but despite being a fiercely proud Welshman, he said that "there's no time" to relocate from the US, which he has called home for more than 50 years.
Rare TV interview
ITV News Arts Editor Nina Nannar spoke to the Oscar-winning star after he recently signed his first record deal at the age of 88 and released an album of music composed over six decades. The chat was broadcast on ITV News on Friday, August 21.
During the interview, Nina asked him: "Is there any part of you that wishes that you were still living in Wales?" The baker's son candidly replied: "I haven't been there for two years, but I love going back there. I love going back to the streets. I haven't done that for about two, three years now. But I do like it. I love it, but there's no time, really."
Welsh roots and memories
"Lifetime is running out, but I do love it. And going back to Port Talbot and Margam, I wish I could just get out and walk around a bit, but I'm getting a bit too old for that walking around." Hopkins, who became a US citizen in 2000, was also asked whether he thinks about Wales often, to which he replied: "All the time. All the time."
He revealed he uses Google Maps' Street View to look at the locations where he grew up. He said: "You can Google things, don't you? I go to streets and I move up the street. The photographs of my streets in Wales or anywhere, really. But I'm always going back there. I would say every year, most days, I'm back there. Somehow the memories are very powerful."
Music and reflection
The legendary actor, whose celebrated films include The Silence of the Lambs, Hitchcock and The Father, has harboured a lifelong passion for music. Decca Classics has just released his album, Life Is A Dream, which brings together compositions crafted over six decades, reflecting his current state of mind — revisiting his Welsh heritage, his parents, the streets of his childhood and the Port Talbot cinema where his love of film was born.
He confessed to Nina that he never anticipated signing his first record deal at this stage of his life, telling her: "Living the life of total non expectation, that's when the surprises happen. If you expect too much, nothing really happens." He further described the record deal as "beyond my belief", adding: "I mean, I can't understand it at all. Well, that sounds a bit naive, but music has always been a part of my life from a very early age and I won't go into a lot of details, but ever since I was a boy and then I didn't know what to do when I left school so I didn't have a chance of going to music college. So I went to the acting college, which was attached to the music college in Wales and I thought, well, I'll do it that way I get into music. But I became an actor instead."
Overcoming alcoholism
The discussion also covered one of the most challenging periods of his life. Hopkins spoke openly about his struggle with alcoholism, recalling the moment he understood the ramifications of his drink-driving as a pivotal point. He recalled realising that he could have killed innocent people and said that moment compelled him to make what he viewed as a straightforward choice between life and death. Now sober for 50 years, Hopkins looked back on a generation of fellow British actors whose excessive drinking was once widespread, "they've all gone now" he added.
Hopkins currently has three film projects in development and is also pursuing his lifelong ambition to perform at New York's historic concert venue, Carnegie Hall. "I'm going to do it," he told Nina. "Next year." The full interview can be seen on the ITV News YouTube channel with an extended edit on ITV Evening News at 6:30pm on Friday, August 21.
