Hopkins, 82, urged viewers to look forward to 2021 after a “hard year, full of grief and sadness for many, many, many people,” in the video released Tuesday.
“Today forty-five years ago, I received a wake-up call. I was going into disaster, I was drunk to death. I’m not a preacher, but I got a message,” said the actor, best known for playing killer in series Hannibal Lecter.
“A little thought that said, ‘Do you want to live or die?’ And I said, ‘I want to live.’ And suddenly the relief came and my life has been amazing. “
Hopkins acknowledged he also has tough times: “I have days off and sometimes small chunks of doubt and all that.”
And he appealed to people to stay positive: “All in all, I say hang here. Today is tomorrow that worried you yesterday. Young people, don’t give up. Just stay there. Keep fighting. Be bold. Be bold. “Mighty forces will come to your aid. This has sustained me all my life.”
In March, Hopkins posted a video of him playing the piano to his cat, Niblo, on Twitter.
Hopkins is an enthusiastic classical music composer and released an album of his musical works in 2012.
He was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2020, for his role as Pope Benedict XVI in the Netflix film “The Two Popes.”