Anthony Hopkins facing up to his demons

We did ok, kid by Anthony Hopkins Published by Simon & Schuster UK £25 World renown actor Anthony Hopkins has produced a fascinating account of his journey through life, battling his demons along the way. A real rags to riches tale. The story begins in humble surroundings of life in post war South Wales. He withdraws into himself at school, adopting a default position of "dumb insolence." This continues for much of his life. The angry young man stance begins at school, continuing through national service, where he gets into many fights. He reads profusely and finds he has a real talent for acting. He has good fortune along the way, guided and helped by the likes of Laurence Olivier. What makes the book such an engaging read is Hopkins brutal honesty, looking back. Something, he ironically rather abhors, having a mantra that is about always moving forward, looking for the next thing. His failure to deal with his problems is regularly satisfied by drinking. He becomes an alcoholic, being warned in the early 1970s by a doctor that he will kill himself if he continues. The young Hopkins sees what the drink has done to fellow actors like Richard Burton and stops. Despite being in something of a mental health malaise, his acting career continues to soar, with films like Silence of the Lambs, the Elephant Man, Nixon, the Edge and the Father all being big hits. Hopkins cannot understand why Oliver Stone wants him to play Nixon, surely it should be an American for the role, he argues. But Stone says: "you are nuts like Nixon," so can captivate the essence of the man - which he did, so brilliantly. There are interesting insights on the acting profession. On the old debate of theatre versus film or TV, he explains simply how theatre can become wearing, having to do the same performance night after night for weeks on end. Film involves just one or two takes and move on. There are important acting skills for both genres. Another insight is on playing King Lear, that he believes can only be fully achieved when older. He compares his effort in 1986, aged 48, with his later much more accomplished, understanding performance at 79. Not someone to court the limelight, it is easy to forget what a great actor Anthony Hopkins is, the films and plays in which he has starred over the years. This element of undersell is important part of the book, with Hopkins having a most endearing, self deprecating style. His second and particularly third wives Jennifer Lynton and Stella Arroyave played important roles in helping him find his way. In some ways they saved him. Lynton helped get him through alcoholism while Arroyave helped him recognise himself. She points out when the couple are watching Martin Clunes playing Doc Marten that that is Hopkins. His first marriage to Petronella Barker was a disaster, resulting in two years of fighting and a daughter, from whom he remains estranged. Anthony Hopkins has produced an honest, engaging account of his journey through life. The insights into his glittering acting career are fascinating but the strength of the book is in tapping into the battles we all have to get through and make sense of life. It is Hopkins openness about this element of his struggle that makes this book so compelling.