Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. How did the memoir’s title, We Did OK, Kid, and its opening scene, featuring a photograph of young Hopkins, inform your reading experience? Did you find the framing of a dialogue with his younger self an effective way to tell his life story?

2. Hopkins presents his life as a constant battle with anxiety, addiction, and a feeling of being an outsider rather than as a simple rags-to-riches story. Did the memoir leave you feeling more moved by his struggle for personal peace than inspired by his massive success?

3. How does Hopkins’s unflinching account of alcohol addiction compare to other stories of addiction and recovery you have encountered? Consider how it stands against the cautionary tale of his fellow Welsh actor, Richard Burton, whom the book mentions as both an inspiration and a warning.

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Hopkins describes a transformation in which he turned a personal struggle into a professional strength, emphasizing his sense of being an outsider. Have you ever experienced a similar challenge and/or found strength in the cause of your struggle? If so, how did you cope with it or use it to your advantage?

2. During Hopkins’s journey, mentors offered blunt, course-correcting advice; for example, Laurence Olivier told him he was “the star of the show,” while Julian Fellowes urged him to “own” his power. Has a piece of advice from a mentor, teacher, or colleague ever fundamentally changed your perspective on your abilities?

3. The tough, working-class philosophy of Hopkins’s father, Dick, was apparent in sayings like, “Just get on with it. Stand up straight and don’t complain” (x). What spoken or unspoken rules from your upbringing have influenced how you face challenges? How have you used or reinterpreted them?

4. A recurring pattern in the book is the life-changing kindness of near-strangers, like the stage manager, Beth, who helped Hopkins find work in Nottingham. The memoir suggests that such brief connections can be impactful. Think about a time when a small, unexpected gesture of help or guidance made a significant difference in your life. What effect did this have on your life?

5. What do you make of the moment of clarity that Hopkins experienced on December 29, 1975, when he heard a voice ask if he wanted to live or die? Have you ever had a similar “inner click” or turning point that set you on a completely new path?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The memoir paints a stark picture of mid-century British boarding schools, where harsh discipline and psychological belittling were standard. How does this historical context help you understand Hopkins’s lifelong struggles with authority and his development of “dumb insolence” as a defense?

2. How does the industrial, working-class setting of postwar Port Talbot, with its stoicism and grit, function as a character in the memoir? In what ways does the book explore the connection between a person’s identity and the place they come from?

3. What does the memoir reveal about the differing values and pressures of the British repertory theater system versus the Hollywood machine? How did Hopkins have to adapt his craft and his personality to navigate these two different artistic worlds?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. How did the memoir’s structure, which frequently jumps between past and present, shape your understanding of Hopkins’s psychological journey? Did this nonlinear approach make the story of his reconciliation with the past more powerful?

2. The motif of “dumb insolence” began as a childhood survival tactic against bullies and cruel headmasters. How did this concept evolve as Hopkins matured, transforming from a personal defense mechanism into a tool he used in his professional life as an actor?

3. What role does Hopkins’s father, Dick, play in the narrative? Do you see him primarily as an antagonist who fueled his son’s insecurities, a source of inspiration, or a more complex figure representing a legacy of both pain and resilience?

4. The terrazzo floor pattern that Hopkins obsessively counted at the YMCA is a small but significant detail. What does it reveal about his methods for managing anxiety and how they connect to the intense, repetitive discipline he later applied to learning his lines?

5. Late in his career, Hopkins found deep personal meaning in playing King Lear, a role he connected to the memory of his father. In what ways are the fictional king and his father similar or different as patriarchs defined by pride, regret, and a difficult love for their children?

6. From Hopkins’s emotional awakening watching Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet to his father weeping at his one-line performance in a play, how does the memoir portray art as a bridge across emotional distance?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine that you are asked to design a single workshop session for the Anthony Hopkins Artists Forum. Based on the most important lessons in this memoir, what would you call your workshop, and what central exercise or piece of advice would you build it around?

2. Hopkins describes his father’s lingering influence as “bits of broken china” inside him. Create a title and a brief concept for a piece of visual art, like a sculpture or a mosaic, that conveys this metaphor.

3. Choose one object from the memoir to place in a time capsule that represents the entirety of Anthony Hopkins’s journey. Would you choose the photo from Aberavon Beach, the horseshoe that became Lear’s crown, or something else entirely, and what makes it the perfect symbol of his life?