There is no doubt that Anthony Hopkins is a skilled actor, having played diverse characters that are the epitome of evil to those who are men of faith. However, when he was 37-years-old, the Oscar-winning actor found himself in the depths of despair as an alcoholic and an atheist.
In 1975 while in New York, Hopkins had a drinking problem that was so bad that it almost felt like he was possessed. “It was like being possessed by a demon, an addiction, and I couldn’t stop,” the Welsh actor admitted. “And millions of people around like that. I could not stop.” The Silence of the Lambs star realized that in his drunken stupors, he was a danger to not only himself but those around him.
Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins as Father Lucas in the 2011 film The Rite (Credit: YouTube)
That’s what led him to Alcoholics Anonymous where the words of a woman at the AA meeting changed his life and started his journey to faith. “Why don’t you just trust in God?” the woman asked him. It’s not something Hopkins had ever tried. But, as desperate as he was, he thought, “Well, why not?” Deciding to believe and trust in God was the moment everything changed for the desperate actor.