Anthony Hopkins has revealed he suspects he may have a neurodivergence diagnosis – but insists ‘these labels are all nonsense’.
The Academy-Award winning Welsh actor, 87, has had a stage and screen career spanning an incredible seven decades.
But his life in the spotlight hasn’t come without difficulty, with the actor struggling with alcohol addiction and numerous accusations of infidelity.
Now, Anthony has opened up about feeling as though there was something about himself that he could never work out. That he was always angry, often for no reason.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Anthony spoke about how he didn’t fit in anywhere as a child, is obsessed with numbers and things being ordered, and has no time for small talk.
However he doesn’t believe in conditions such as ADHD, autism and OCD and instead feels the surging diagnoses are as a result of people seeing them as ‘fashionable labels’.
Anthony revealed in the interview that his third wife, Stella Arroyave, once told him she thought he had Asperger’s Syndrome, a now-defunct term.
Anthony Hopkins has revealed he suspects he may have a neurodivergence diagnosis – but insists ‘these labels are all nonsense’ (Seen in 2018)
Anthony revealed in the interview that his third wife, Stella Arroyave, once told him she thought he had Asperger’s Syndrome, a now-defunct term (Anthony and Stella seen in 2022)
Asperger’s is no longer used as a term and the condition is instead folded into Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) after it was found to be hard to differentiate from ASD, and the discovery of Hans Asperger’s, whom the condition was named after, ties to the Nazi regime.
Anthony opened up about how he has been encouraged to see a psychiatrist over the years as a result of his anger issues, and even admitted to feeling as though he is ‘putting on a mask every morning’.
But he does not believe in neurodiversity.
He said: ‘Well, I guess I’m cynical because it’s all nonsense, it’s all rubbish; ADHD, OCD, Asperger’s, blah, blah, blah.
‘Oh God, it’s called living, it’s just being a human being, full of tangled webs and mysteries and stuff that’s in us, full of warts and grime and craziness, it’s the human condition.
‘All these labels, I mean, who cares? But now it’s fashion.’
Anthony recently revealed a terrifying incident made him ‘come to his senses’ and realise he was an alcoholic.
He has been sober for five decades, but admitted he was once driving drunk and could have killed someone.
The Academy-Award winning Welsh actor, 87, has had a stage and screen career spanning an incredible seven decades (Seen in 2022)
Anthony, 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 addiction to alcohol.
He said during a Saturday appearance on the New York Times’ The Interview podcast: ‘I 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. Or myself, which I didn’t care about.
‘I could have killed a family in a car, you know. I realized that I was an alcoholic, and I came to my senses.’
Soon after he then saw his ex-agent at a party and admitted to them: ‘I need help’, before turning his life around with the help of a 12-step program in Los Angeles.
Last December he marked nearly five decades of sobriety via social media.
Anthony told more than 5.3 million followers that help is available for those in search of it.
He said in a video on his socials: ‘If you do have a problem – having fun is wonderful, having a drink is fine – but if you are having a problem with the booze, there is help,’ Anthony said.
‘It’s not a terrible deal – it’s a condition if you’re allergic to alcohol, get some help, there’s plenty of help around.
Anthony, known for playing the role of Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Pictured) in multiple films, said the near-tragedy led him to seek support to deal with his addiction to alcohol
‘One thing I didn’t realize, that I was not unique. There are thousands of people around like me – anyway, I got sober and, it sounds a dull word, but I’ve had a wonderful life.’
He added: ‘They still employ me, they still give me jobs. I’m going to be 87 in two days now.’
The actor captioned the clip, ‘One day at a time. 49 years. Life is in session.’
Anthony wrapped up in saying, ‘So I’m celebrating my long life – unexpectedly long life.’
He added: ‘So if you have a problem, you know where to go. Phone any intergroup, 12-step program, whatever you could do – because it is a killer – with that, happy new year!’
If you need help contact Alcohol Anonymous: 0800 917 7650 / help@aamail.org
