We Did OK, Kid: A Memoir

Oscar winner Hopkins reflects on his neuroses, addictions, and dedication to his craft in his elegant debut. After constantly struggling at school in 1940s Wales, Hopkins set out to prove to his disappointed parents that he could succeed at something. Fortunately, he had a formidable stage presence and an unstinting devotion to learning technique. Less useful were his belligerent attitude (“Shove your little play and your precious little tin-pot theater right up your stupid squeaky little crack,” he told one director) and prodigious drinking. A 1970s DUI in California finally got Hopkins into AA, but his insecurities and coldness lingered, informing his portrayals of figures like Richard Nixon and Hannibal Lecter. Hopkins’s reminiscences unfold as a series of dramatic scenes that can feel embroidered given their reliance on his memories of lengthy conversations from 70 years ago. Still, the psychological tensions they convey are convincing. His comments on how he develops roles, meanwhile, are full of astute analysis: “I would play one of the cruelest figures in Shakespeare with no trace of bad intent,” he writes of preparing to audition for the role of Iago. “Not raving but delivering a plan with straightforward logic, bringing each member of the audience, one by one, into your confidence.” The result is a rich portrait of the artist as imperfect truth-seeker. Photos. Agents: Byrd Leavell and Albert Lee, UTA. (Nov.)