He recently opened up about his fractured and acrimonious relationship with daughter Abigail Harrison.
And now Sir Anthony Hopkins, 80, has defended his comments in which he said he didn’t know if his only child has kids and didn’t care ‘one way or the another’.
Speaking to The Times, he insisted that his remarks weren’t ‘cold’ but rather he’s learned to live with his daughter’s decision to not be apart of his life.
Defence: Sir Anthony Hopkins, 80, has defended his comments in which he said he didn’t know if his only child Abigail Harrison has kids and didn’t care ‘one way or the another’ (pictured together at a film premiere in 1991)
He began: ‘No, I wasn’t cold. I’m not cold. Her choice is her choice. You know, I did the best I could, but you know, OK, I think if somebody doesn’t want to be part of my life, fine.
‘Go and do whatever you want. I have no memories or any… I certainly don’t… I wish her well and all that, but I don’t want to talk about my daughter. Those things are over.
Adding: ‘I’ve got no blame. People do what they do. And I don’t understand it and it doesn’t bother me. I can’t waste my time worrying about it. And I’m not cold, I’m just thinking, “Oh well, that’s the way it is.”‘
Honest: Speaking to The Times, he insisted that his remarks weren’t ‘cold’ but rather he’s learned to live with his daughter’s decision to not be apart of his life
His clarification comes after the King Lear star spoke to Radio Times about his relationship with Abigail, who he welcomed with English actress and his first wife Petronella Barker in 1969.
Singer-songwriter and acting coach Abigail, who changed her surname so she could have a ‘career on her own terms’, briefly reconnected with her Oscar-winning father in the Nineties, when she had roles in two of his 1993 films, Shadowlands and The Remains Of The Day.
Yet, the father and daughter have barely spoken for over two decades and remain estranged, which was reiterated during his conversation with the publication when he said he didn’t know whether Abigail had children.
Frank: He began: ‘No, I wasn’t cold. I’m not cold. Her choice is her choice. You know, I did the best I could, but you know, OK, I think if somebody doesn’t want to be part of my life, fine’ (Pictured in 2017)
Tough: Singer-songwriter and acting coach Abigail, who changed her surname so she could have a ‘career on her own terms’, briefly reconnected with her Oscar-winning father in the Nineties, when she had roles in two of his 1993 films, Shadowlands and The Remains Of The Day (Pictured in 2012)
Asked by the Radio Times last week, he shared: ‘I don’t have any idea. People break up. Families split and, you know: “Get on with your life.”
‘People make choices. I don’t care one way or the other. It is cold. Because life is cold.’
In the same interview, he declared that he didn’t know where his daughter lived. He added: ‘You don’t have to like your family. Children don’t like their fathers. You don’t have to love each other.’
According to Sarah Rainey for The Daily Mail, those close to Abigail, who lives in London, ‘will be deeply upset by her father’s heartless comments’.
Upset: According to Sarah Rainey for The Daily Mail, those close to Abigail, who lives in London, ‘will be deeply upset by her father’s heartless comments’
Honest: She reported that a source said: ‘She is still very hurt by the whole thing. Her relationship with him — or the lack of it — has had a big impact on her life. ‘Every time she tries to move on, she sees him — on film posters, on TV, on the sides of buses. He’s not like any other father (Pictured age 24)
She reported that a source said: ‘She is still very hurt by the whole thing. Her relationship with him — or the lack of it — has had a big impact on her life.
‘Every time she tries to move on, she sees him — on film posters, on TV, on the sides of buses. He’s not like any other father.
‘Even though they live on opposite sides of the Atlantic — [Sir Anthony has lived in Los Angeles since 1974] — he is impossible to escape. He has caused her a lot of pain.’
Abigail is the actor’s only child from his marriage to his first wife Petronella Barker, whom he met on stage and married in 1966. The pair then welcomed Abigail three years later. Anthony and Petronella later separated when Abigail was four.
Mother: Abigail is the actor’s only child from his marriage to his first wife Petronella Barker, whom he met on stage and married in 1966