Anthony Hopkins Says Estranged Daughter Abigail Ignored His Attempt to Reconcile

The "Silence of the Lambs" star opened up about his relationship with his daughter in his new memoir, "We Did Ok, Kid." The pair fell out of touch in the 1990s and have been estranged since.

Anthony Hopkins, 87, candidly opened up about his estranged relationship with his only child, singer-songwriter and actress Abigail Hopkins, 57. The actor welcomed his daughter in his first marriage to actress Petronella Barker in 1968.

He walked out on his then-wife and child when Abigail was two. At the time, he was struggling with alcohol abuse and battling depression. They stayed in contact intermittently and reconnected in the 1990s when Abigail appeared in her father's films "Shadowlands" and "Remains of the Day."

Both movies were released in 1993, and the pair fell out of touch afterward. Speaking with New York Times journalist David Marchese in an interview published Saturday, October 25, Anthony said he and his wife, Stella Arroyave, had tried to extend an olive branch to Abigail.

"My wife, Stella, sent an invitation to come and see us. Not a word of response. So I think, OK, fine. I wish her well, but I'm not going to waste blood over that," he said. "If you want to waste your life being in resentment, fine, go ahead. It's not in my ken."

"I could carry resentment over the past, but that's death," he continued. "You're not living. You have to acknowledge one thing: that we are imperfect. We're not saints. We're all sinners and saints or whatever we are. We do the best we can. Life is painful. Sometimes people get hurt."

"Sometimes we get hurt. But you can't live like that. You have to say, 'Get over it.' And if you can't get over it, fine, good luck to you. I have no judgment. But I did what I could. So that's it. That's all I want to say," he concluded.

Abigail has previously addressed whether she wants to be reconciled with her father. "Possibly," she told The Telegraph in 2006. "It would have to be a two-way thing, though. I don't know how I would feel about it."

"We have never really been close," she continued. "We've never discussed big life issues. Because, well, our relationship was always so sporadic. I've never felt I could discuss those sort of things with him."

Their lack of a relationship took its toll in her late teens. Abigail battled drug addiction and suicidal ideation. "It was such a short spell," she said of that period. "A six-month spell that a lot of 18-year-olds go through — amphetamines, booze. It was a depressing time."

"I came very close to killing myself," she continued. "It was the worst time I can remember. I totally abused my mind and body. The root cause was the fact that my father and I had an intermittent relationship when I was young. I was angry and there was a lot of grieving going on."

She went on to train at the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York and pursued her acting career, dabbling as a producer. Her father, through his connections, helped her land her cameos in "Shadowlands" and "Remains of the Day."

Although she appreciated his support, she still wanted to forge her own path. "I love my father," Abigail said. "He has been very supportive. I really wish him well. But I have found a certain independence through my music. I need to give myself that time, to move out of the shadow."