Anthony Hopkins has rejected his wife Stella Arroyave’s suggestion that he may have autism spectrum disorder, calling modern mental health labels “fashion.” In an interview published Saturday, the 87-year-old Oscar winner shared that his wife once proposed he might have Asperger syndrome due to his personality traits.
“I’m obsessed with numbers. I’m obsessed with detail. I like everything in order. And memorizing,” Hopkins said. “Stella looked it up and she said, ‘You must be Asperger’s.'” He clarified he did not identify with the diagnosis, stating, “I didn’t know what the hell she was talking about. I don’t even believe it.”
Asperger syndrome is no longer a formal medical diagnosis, having been integrated into autism spectrum disorder since 2013. Hopkins criticized the trend of labeling mental health conditions, dismissing terms like ADHD, OCD, and Asperger’s as “nonsense” and “rubbish.” He described human behavior as “the human condition,” emphasizing that such labels are irrelevant to his perspective.
The actor also reflected on his relationship with his late father, Richard Hopkins, suspecting he may have inherited mental health struggles. He recalled early career advice from Laurence Olivier to seek psychiatric help but admitted he quit therapy after learning his therapist had married three times.
In his memoir “We Did OK, Kid,” Hopkins discussed his estrangement from his daughter Abigail Hopkins, whom he shares with his first wife, Petronella Barker. He described the separation as “the saddest fact of my life and my greatest regret,” adding that his “door is always open” to reconnecting.
