- Legendary actor Anthony Hopkins expresses profound regret over his infamous 2018 interview comments about his estranged daughter, Abigail Hopkins.
- In his new memoir, “We Did OK, Kid,” Hopkins admits his remarks were “cold” and apologizes for the hurt he caused when leaving his family.
- The Oscar winner attributes his past harshness to his grandfather’s “move on” mentality but insists his “door is always open” to his daughter.
- The father and daughter have been estranged for over two decades, a painful history the actor is now publicly addressing.
A Father’s Public Apology
Sir Anthony Hopkins is revisiting one of the most painful chapters of his personal life, expressing deep remorse for the “cold” and “regrettable” comments he made in 2018 regarding his estranged daughter, Abigail Hopkins. In his revealing new memoir, “We Did OK, Kid,” the 87-year-old actor confronts the decades-long rift and the public perception of him as a callous father.
The controversy stems from a 2018 interview with the Radio Times where, when asked if he had any grandchildren, Hopkins shockingly replied, “I don’t have any idea. People break up. Families split and, you know, ‘Get on with your life.’ People make choices. I don’t care one way or the other.” When the interviewer noted his response was cold, Hopkins doubled down, stating, “Well, it is cold. Because life is cold.”
Confronting the Past in a New Memoir
Now, years later, Hopkins is setting the record straight. “It is true that I have spoken about her in the press coldly,” he writes in his memoir, directly referencing the “regrettable interview.”
He explains that this hardened attitude was inherited from his grandfather. “Though it’s no excuse, I know that was the coldness of my grandfather coming out: Move on! No use crying! Onward! Don’t waste time in the past! That hardness is my default,” he confesses.
A History of Estrangement
The actor’s relationship with his only child, Abigail, 57, from his first marriage to Petronella Barker, has been fractured for over twenty years. Hopkins acknowledges the root of the pain, writing that his daughter “never seemed able to forgive me for leaving the family when she was a baby,” adding, “I can’t blame her for that.”
Despite the long silence and public fallout, Hopkins extends an olive branch in his book. He hopes Abigail “knows that my door is always open to her” and that “I want her to be well and happy.” He adds a direct apology for the initial separation: “I will always be sorry for hurting her when I left the family, even as I believe to this day that I had no choice.”
Hope for a New Chapter
While Hopkins had previously attempted to clarify his 2018 remarks, telling The Times U.K. that it was his daughter’s choice not to be in his life, his memoir offers a more vulnerable and regretful perspective. By laying bare his remorse, the legendary actor seems to be closing the door on his “cold” public persona, hoping to perhaps reopen a personal one that has been closed for far too long. His memoir, “We Did OK, Kid: A Memoir,” is available now.