Anthony Hopkins, arriving at the 94th Academy Awards in 2022, has written his life story, "We Did OK, Kid: A Memoir" (Nov. 4, Summit Books).
Anthony Hopkins writes about his life, loves and Lecter - Dr. Hannibal Lecter - in his memoir, "We Did OK, Kid" out Nov. 4.
Anthony Hopkins at Oscars promo.

Anthony Hopkins infuses a profound sense of gratitude into "We Did OK, Kid," a look back at his life and celebrated career that's out Nov. 4 from Summit Books.

The Oscar-winning Welsh actor who put the perma-chill menace into serial killer Hannibal Lecter in "The Silence of the Lambs" and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1993, writes his early alcohol abuse could have set him on a path to an early grave. However, Hopkins sought help and will celebrate 50 years of sobriety in December.

"I'm going to be 88 at the end of this year, and I wake up knowing, 'I shouldn't be here,'" Hopkins, who still attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, tells USA TODAY. "I nearly drank myself to death. But I was lucky, I got through all of that. I look back and think, 'Well, I wouldn't have missed it for the world, but I don't want to go back there.'"

Anthony Hopkins saw Richard Burton in a Jaguar and decided to become famous

Hopkins tells his story in an unflinchingly honest, self-deprecating and perpetually quirky manner. The son of a baker recalls being inspired to Hollywood stardom by fellow Welshman Richard Burton. Before the actor's legendary marriages to Elizabeth Taylor, he was visiting his sister Cecilia in Hopkins' hometown of Port Talbot and the two met for the first time. Burton signed an autograph for Hopkins, gently rebuking the boy for not speaking Welsh.

"Going back down the hill to my father's shop, (Burton) passed in a Jaguar, and he gave me a little wave," Hopkins recalls. "I remember thinking, 'That is what I want to do with my life. I want to be him. I want to be famous. I want to make a mark on the world.'"

As an established actor, Hopkins met his hero again in 1977 during Burton's Broadway production of "Equus."

"I went up to the dressing room and there was Richard. I knew he had big problems with booze, but he had stopped drinking for that, I think," Hopkins recalls. "He said, 'Good God, how are you? You're the baker's sons, right? Why haven't we worked together?' He said, 'You're doing OK, aren't you?' And that was it."

Burton died of a cerebral hemorrhage seven years later.

Hopkins feared Laurence Olivier would end his career

Hopkins joined artistic director Laurence Olivier at London's National Theatre in 1965 and caused mayhem in his first role as a messenger in "Othello." During the second act of opening night, Hopkins began reciting Iago's lines instead of his role, to the horror of the cast and crew. The stage manager called Hopkins an idiot, ordering him to face the wrath of the "so angry" Olivier in his dressing room.

"I thought, 'My God, I'll never work again,'" Hopkins recalls, saying he apologized as Olivier was taking his off his make-up. "He said, 'Don't do that again, it gave me a heart attack.' He was very generous and fond of me."

After being hospitalized for appendicitis, Olivier watched from the back of the theater in his hospital gown as understudy Hopkins filled in during the 1967 production of "The Dance of Death."

"He called and said, 'You did it, well done,'" says Hopkins. "It was a great honor to have known him."

Hopkins reveals Hannibal Lecter's deadly calm was inspired by a notorious world leader

Hopkins was a long shot to be cast as "Hannibal the Cannibal" in "Silence," but says director Jonathan Demme was right about gambling on him for the Oscar-winning performance. "I happen to have a knack for playing these dark characters," he says.

For Lecter's character development, Hopkins drew on the creepy crawly feeling you get seeing a spider, as detailed USA TODAY's exclusive memoir excerpt. Additionally, Hopkins attempted to read a book on serial killer Ted Bundy, but couldn't get through it because “it was too terrible." A biography of notorious Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin helped unlock Lecter’s unnervingly calm demeanor.

"I read an eyewitness account that if you went into Stalin's office and he shouted at you, you lived in fear," says Hopkins. "It was when he was quiet and charming to you that you were a dead man."

Mickey Rourke actually grabbed Hopkins' throat filming 'Desperate Hours'

Hopkins recalls the moment he'd "had it" with another actor. While shooting the 1990 drama "Desperate Hours," Mickey Rourke "grabbed my throat," he recalls.

"He's a stunning actor, whatever his problems were. He belonged to that school where everything's got to be real," says Hopkins. "I said, 'You touch me again and I'll lay you out.' And I meant it. There's no need to hurt anyone."

No hard feelings. Hopkins wished Rourke congratulations on his Oscar-nominated performance in "The Wrestler."

Hopkins gives thanks for his wife and having 'all my marbles'

After a night of alcohol consumption that ended with reckless drunk driving through Beverly Hills, the horrified Hopkins lost the craving for alcohol. He even remembers the specific date and time of the revelation: 11 a.m. Dec. 29, 1975. He credits his sober existence and healthy living to his wife of more than 20 years, Stella Arroyave.

"My wife, God bless her, takes care of me. She makes sure I eat healthy and exercise," Hopkins says. "I've got a couple of aches and pains in my back from old age. So I move slowly, even if I still want to go like a greyhound. My wife tells me, 'Sit down and rest, you're getting too old.'"

Hopkins still has a slate full of movie work ahead, with no talk of retirement. He relishes that he still "has all my marbles" and gives thanks with each morning light.

"I do wake up in the morning and think, 'My God, I'm still here!'" says Hopkins. "And that's a wonderful surprise."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Anthony Hopkins says he 'shouldn't be here' after alcohol addiction nearly killed him

Reporting by Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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