Anthony Hopkins reveals why his wife thinks he’s autistic and reason he doesn’t want to get tested
Anthony Hopkins has revealed his wife thinks he may be autistic, but he's ruled out ever getting tested.
The Welsh movie veteran, famous for his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in the 1991 horror thriller The Silence of the Lambs and quite literally more than 90 other films, has claimed his wife, Stella Arroyave, thinks he might be on the autism spectrum.
Despite her suspicions, however, the 87-year-old doesn't seem too bothered about seeking a formal diagnosis from a doctor.
In an interview with The Sunday Times during a press run for his memoir, We Did Ok, Kid: A Memoir, the actor lifted the lid on numerous aspects of his life, including his childhood, career, alcoholism, and mental health, where he revealed that he did once 'briefly' see a therapist.
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Hopkins also said that Arryoave, whom he has been married to for more than 20 years, believes he might have a neurodevelopmental disorder due to some of his 'obsessions.'
The Oscar winner said: "I’m obsessed with numbers. I’m obsessed with detail. I like everything in order. And memorizing.
“Stella looked it up and she said, ‘You must be Asperger’s.’ ”
"I didn’t know what the hell she was talking about,” the actor continued. “I don’t even believe it.”
According to the Cleveland Clinic, Asperger's syndrome is a former medical term that is now considered to fall within the 'broader umbrella' of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is a neurological and developmental disorder that can affect how people communicate with others and their behavior.
Usually, signs of ASD are spotted within the first two years of being born, though later-life diagnoses are not uncommon.
When reporter Decca Aitkenhead pointed out that a formal diagnosis can 'often bring tremendous relief', Hopkins shrugged it away and candidly confessed he's quite 'cynical' about it.
"Well, I guess I’m cynical because it’s all nonsense,” he told the outlet. “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,” he concluded.
As for mental health more broadly, however, he said it had 'crossed my mind that there was something not right with me'.
When talking about his visit to a therapist, he said: "He kept saying, ‘Let’s go back ’ And I’d just go, ‘I don’t want to do this.’ So boring."
He also candidly spoke about his previous addiction to alcohol, having been sober for 45 years, with one particular experience in 1975 that made him realise he needed to seek help.
In another interview on the New York Times’ podcast The Interview, Hopkins elaborated further, as he said: "I’m always slightly reluctant to talk about it because I don’t want to sound preachy or like a goodie two-shoes.
"But I was drunk driving my car here in California in a blackout - no clue where I was going. And it was a moment when I realised I couldn’t have killed somebody or myself – which I didn’t care about – but I could’ve killed a family in a car."
Hopkins' memoir, We Did OK, Kid, is due to hit shelves on November 4.
Topics: Mental Health, World News, Celebrity, Film and TV
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