We Did OK, Kid Review ⭐⭐⭐ — Brilliant, Honest… and Then Weirdly Vague?
Quick Take
I went into this memoir basically blind (don’t come for me 🙈), and honestly? I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It’s reflective, a little dark, oddly comforting, and full of lines that make you pause and go, okay wow… that’s going to stick with me.
But also… sir… ONE sentence for the cheating?? We need to talk.
⚠️ Trigger Warnings
Alcohol addiction & substance abuse
Infidelity
Emotional abuse & bullying (school + industry)
Estranged parent-child relationship
Illness & death
Mental health struggles (anxiety, anger)
📚 What Is We Did OK, Kid About? (Spoiler-Free Setup)
We Did OK, Kid is a memoir by Anthony Hopkins, following his life from a lonely childhood in Wales to becoming one of the most celebrated actors in the world.
Even if you’re like me and haven’t seen The Silence of the Lambs (because… absolutely not, I value my sleep 😅), the book still works. It’s less about fame and more about identity, struggle, and figuring yourself out… very, very late in life.
🚨 FULL SPOILER REVIEW + SUMMARY
🧒 A Childhood of “The Outsider” Energy
Hopkins starts with this image of himself as a confused little boy and basically spends the entire book trying to make peace with that version of himself. His childhood? Rough.
Sent to a harsh boarding school at 11
Bullied relentlessly (nicknames like “Dennis the Dunce” 😬)
Emotionally shut down as a defense mechanism
Constantly told he was academically useless
Instead of breaking him, though, it kind of… forged him. He leaned into being the outsider and developed this detached, almost defiant personality.
Then everything changes when he sees Laurence Olivier in Hamlet — and suddenly acting becomes the thing.
🎭 Failing Upward (But Make It Chaotic)
Hopkins’ early career is honestly a mix of:
Getting fired
Being told he’s difficult
Drinking way too much
Random bursts of brilliance
At one point he assembles an entire stage set alone while drunk (??), which somehow impresses people. This man is chaos and talent in equal measure.
He eventually gets into RADA (a huge deal), joins the National Theatre, and starts building a serious acting career. But behind the scenes?
👉 His drinking is spiraling.
👉 His temper is bad.
👉 His personal life is… messy.
💔 Marriage, Cheating, and the Part That Made Me Side-Eye
He marries Petronella Barker, they have a daughter (Abigail), and then…
He leaves.
And admits — very casually — that he cheated on her with multiple women.
And then… that’s it.
ONE sentence. Sir???? 😑
This is where I got frustrated. If you’re writing a memoir, I want the good, bad, and ugly, not a speedrun through the worst thing you did. It felt like he just… didn’t want to sit in that discomfort.
As a result:
His estrangement from his daughter feels emotionally distant
There’s very little accountability explored
It’s the one part of the book that feels surface-level
🍷 Addiction & Rock Bottom
His alcoholism gets worse and worse:
Blackouts
Health issues
Career instability
A literal drunk driving incident
Then in 1975, he hits a moment of clarity and gets sober through AA.
This is one of the strongest parts of the book. You can feel the shift:
He becomes more grounded
More self-aware
Less chaotic (thank God)
Sobriety basically saves his life — and his career.
🏆 Career Peak & Legacy
From there, things really take off:
Lands The Silence of the Lambs → becomes iconic as Hannibal Lecter
Wins an Oscar
Later wins another for The Father
Reflects deeply on aging, regret, and identity
But even at the height of his success, there’s always this thread of:
👉 loneliness
👉 emotional distance
👉 unresolved family pain
🧓 Late-Life Reflection & Emotional Growth
In his later years, especially after marrying Stella, he softens.
He starts:
Mentoring young actors
Reflecting more honestly on his past
Accepting who he is
The title — We Did OK, Kid — comes full circle here. It’s him talking to that confused little boy from the beginning.
And honestly? It’s kind of beautiful.
💭 My Thoughts (Real Talk)
This book surprised me in a good way.
👍 What Worked:
Super easy to listen to/read — it flows effortlessly
Genuinely thoughtful and introspective
Some incredible, quotable lines (the kind you screenshot immediately)
His obsession with death and aging felt oddly relatable?? (future me is nodding already)
👎 What Didn’t:
The cheating gloss-over was a miss
Some emotional moments feel intentionally held back
I wanted more depth in his relationships, especially with his daughter
⭐ Final Rating: 3 Stars
It’s a solid memoir — reflective, readable, and occasionally profound.
But it stops just short of greatness because it pulls its punches when it matters most.
📖 If You Liked This, Try These:
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
The Storyteller by Dave Grohl
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
If you’re in the mood for a memoir that’s thoughtful, a little melancholy, and easy to fly through — this one’s worth picking up. Just… don’t expect full emotional transparency across the board 😅
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