We Did Ok, Kid: A Memoir by Anthony Hopkins – Audiobook Review
By Roger Crow
There’s a moment in the audio version of Anthony Hopkins’ autobiography when narrator Kenneth Branagh is praising himself in the style of the author. Not Ken’s fault; he had to read what was on page, but I can only imagine how cringeworthy that must have been for the man chosen to channel one of Wales’ greatest thesps. And there is that question of: Why not narrate the book himself?
We get the answer in the last half hour, when the real Anthony Hopkins offers poetry readings in a rather frail voice. I can’t imagine he’d have narrated the whole book, so full marks to Branagh that he does such a good job of giving us his take on Hopkins, the thesp from Port Talbot who had a lifetime coming to terms with his personal demons, and giving the world some of the greatest performances of his, or our, lifetime(s).
Naturally there’s the rags-to-riches arc from his early days as a pupil when he seems to be berated by everyone for being not too bright. Of course, he’s one of the smartest guys in school, but his interests lie elsewhere. A keen reader, when he eventually realises he would make a good actor, that ability to memorise dialogue with an almost forensic precision means he not only learns his lines, but everyone else’s as well.
“Road to stardom”
It’s an often touching memoir as he comes to terms with relations between himself, his parents, and assorted partners, and no moment packs quite as much of an impact as the loss he feels when he walks out on his first wife and young daughter. To say relations between him and his then-spouse were bad is something of an understatement, so his decision to head off without any real plan should touch a chord with anyone who is at breaking point.
Thankfully after a random trip to Nottingham, Anthony is pointed in the right direction, and winds up on the road to stardom, brushing shoulders with greats like Richard Burton, Laurence Olivier, and the cream of Hollywood of course.
There are lovely moments when he recalls working on The Elephant Man, and that scene in which he sheds a tear, and countless viewers do too. Or when he draws comparisons between himself and one of my favourite shows, Doc Martin. There’s also the game-changing moment he is picked to play Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, and his wavering when Oliver Stone chooses him to play Richard Nixon. Also a touching moment when, wracked with agony while shooting The Edge, Alec Baldwin threatens to walk off the picture unless Hopkins is rushed to hospital to get a back problem sorted.
It’s testament to how good the writing and narration is that I sit through the whole book in two days, and will no doubt listen to the whole thing again.
We didn’t need a reminder of what a national treasure Anthony Hopkins is, but this book helps enormously, even if it would have been nice to have more anecdotes surrounding some of his best-loved projects.
‘We Did Ok, Kid: A Memoir’ by Anthony Hopkins is opublsihed by Simon & Schuster
Adopted Yorkshireman Roger Crow developed a passion for film and TV in the 1970s and 1980s. He has been a published film and TV reviewer since the 1990s; a world travel and restaurant critic since the noughties, and for the past decade has assessed the pros and cons of live gigs and theatre productions around the UK. His ideal day would involve reviewing a performance of Bat Out of Hell, followed by a Pad Thai while being serenaded by Texas on a cruise around Europe.
crowsfeat.com; nostalgiahhh film podcast
