Book Review: We Did Okay, Kid by Anthony Hopkins

I’ve been on a bit of an audiobook kick lately, mostly because I can listen while driving, walking to work, or working out at the gym. When it comes to memoirs, they have this personal touch that makes the whole experience feel like a chat with a friend. The cherry on top is when the author reads it themselves, like Barack Obama or Trevor Noah.

So when I found out Anthony Hopkins had a memoir, We Did Okay, Kid, I was immediately intrigued. He doesn’t narrate the entire book himself, but he does read a few sections and some poems at the end, which adds a really nice, personal touch.

I mostly knew Anthony Hopkins from his role in Westworld, and I had almost forgotten just how many iconic films he’s been in, like The Silence of the Lambs. Learning about the non-traditional path he took to becoming one of the greatest actors of our lifetime was genuinely fascinating.

What the book really focuses on isn’t just how he got into acting, but how he accidentally fell in love with it in the first place. He was a rough-around-the-edges kid, had no friends, struggled in school, and was largely written off as not very bright. Then one day, by pure coincidence, he stumbled into a play rehearsal at the YMCA and something clicked.

From there, he found his way into stage acting, fell deeply into theater, and eventually stumbled into movies without ever really trying to pursue a film career. That unlikely journey, from being the “kid nobody expected much from” to becoming a legendary actor, is what makes this story so compelling. You could say that his life was like a plot of a Shakespeare play.

Hopkins also opens up about his struggles with alcohol, his multiple marriages, and offers some great behind-the-scenes insight into how he developed his most famous characters, including his approach to playing Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs.

At the end of the day, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Honestly, if it’s a memoir, I’m probably going to enjoy it to some extent anyway, especially when it dives into a field like acting and the arts, which I personally love. I’ve watched countless YouTube video essays analyzing films Anthony Hopkins starred in and characters he portrayed, so hearing the story directly from the source felt especially rewarding.

If I had one critique, it would be that the book sometimes feels a little too short or glosses over major chapters of his life. A lot of the focus is on his early years and how he got into acting and theater, and I would have loved more detail about his later career and on-set experiences for some of those iconic films. That said, it’s a small complaint. The way the book explores his childhood and formative years is deeply engaging and well done.

Overall, this is a great read for any cinephile or those who enjoys a real-life example of a hero’s journey.